Mammalian Meat in Indonesian Coconut Milk Cuisine: Tradition, Diversity, and Cultural Identity

Relevance. The culinary traditions of Indonesia that include mammalian meat dishes cooked in coconut milk remain insufficiently studied from the perspectives of food ethnography and cultural identity. This study addresses this gap by identifying regional patterns in ingredient selection, cooking techniques, and spice use.
Methods. The research is based on a methodology that integrates the analysis of historical culinary sources (including the state‑endorsed recipe collection Mustika Rasa, 1967), contemporary scientific literature, and limited field observations. Descriptive statistics and cartographic analysis were applied.
Results. West Sumatra was found to possess the greatest diversity of mammalian meat dishes prepared with coconut milk, among which rendang, kalio, and gulai are the most represented; they are typically slow‑cooked in thick coconut milk. Beef is the dominant meat type, while pork is the least frequently used, which corresponds to the halal practices of Indonesia’s Muslim‑majority population. The most commonly used beef parts are muscle tissue, brain, tail, tendon, and liver. The primary method of ingredient preparation is cutting into pieces (92.3%), and traditional tools (mortar and pestle) retain a key role in spice preparation. Four main types of paste‑like spice blends (white, yellow, red, and black) were identified, among which the red blend is the most widespread (57.6% of the dishes studied). Indonesian mammalian‑meat cuisine based on coconut milk represents an evolving form of cultural expression and constitutes an important component of national cultural identity.

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