Holiday Ayo - Rendang is one of Indonesia's main culinary delights. No doubt, in 2011 and 2017, rendang was ranked first as the most delicious food in the Cable News Network survey.

This typical food from Padang, West Sumatra, deserves to be the most delicious food in the world because the cooking process takes so long that it produces soft rendang meat and the spices seep into the meat.

Not only that, rendang is also known as a durable food that can last for weeks. Quoting from kemlu.go.id, rendang is also suitable to be eaten in winter because it tastes better.

The origins of rendang can be traced back before the 15th century. At that time, many Indian merchants came to West Sumatra to trade.

Quoting from student-activity.binus.ac.id, the Minangkabau people have daily contact with Indian traders who bring Massaman curry. The curry was adapted by the Minangkabau people so that it became what we know as gulai.

It doesn't stop there, the Minangkabau people cook this curry further and it becomes kalio or wet rendang. The process continues until it thickens more and becomes rendang or dry rendang. Minangkabau people respect and appreciate rendang because the cooking process is very long.

According to the beliefs of the Minangkabau people, rendang has three philosophies. The first is patience because the manufacturing process is quite long. Second is persistence. This is necessary when mixing ingredients into one dish.

The last is wisdom. Discretion is required in choosing ingredients for dishes. The meat, chilies and other components require discretion on the part of the individual to achieve the desired taste.

Rendang has become very popular in Indonesia and even abroad, one of which is Malaysia. This is because the culture of the Minangkabau people is called wandering or wandering.

According to Yoshino in "Malaysian Cuisine: A Case of Neglected Culinary Globalization", in the 1900s, immigrants from Indonesia, especially the Minang people, traveled all the way to Malaysia and introduced rendang there.