rendang philosophy

Rendang has a special position in the culture of the Minangkabau people. Rendang has its own philosophy for the Minang people of West Sumatra, namely deliberation and consensus, which depart from four basic ingredients that symbolize the integrity of Minang society. Symbolically, dagiang (beef) symbolizes "niniak mamak" (traditional tribal leaders), karambia (coconut) symbolizes "cadiak clever" (intellectuals), lado (chili) symbolizes "alim ilama" who is firm in teaching religious law, and the cooker (spices) symbolizes the entire Minangkabau community.
In Minangkabau tradition, rendang is a dish that must be served at every traditional celebration, such as various Minangkabau traditional ceremonies, kenduri, or welcoming guests of honor.
The origin of rendang is traced to the land of Minangkabau, West Sumatra. For the Minang people, rendang has been around for a long time and has become a traditional dish served at various traditional events and daily dishes. As a traditional dish, rendang is thought to have been born when the Minang people held their first traditional event. Then this cooking art expanded to other regional Malay culture areas; starting from Mandailing, Riau, Jambi, to the opposite country in Negeri Sembilan which is inhabited by many migrants from Minangkabau. That's why rendang is widely known both in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.
Rendang has become a widespread dish since Minang people began migrating and sailing to Malacca to trade in the early 16th century. "Because the journey crosses a river and takes a long time, rendang might be the right choice at that time as provisions." This is because dried rendang is very durable, can be stored for months, so it is suitable as a provision when traveling or on a business trip.
Rendang is increasingly known and spread far beyond its original region thanks to the Minangkabau merantau culture. Minang people who go abroad apart from working as employees or in business, many of them are entrepreneurs opening Padang Restaurants throughout the archipelago, even expanding to neighboring countries to Europe and America. This restaurant introduced rendang and other Minangkabau dishes widely. The popularity of rendang has made it named the dish that was ranked first on CNN International's 2011 World's 50 Most Delicious Foods list.