How Chinese noodles united Indonesians
A multicultural and multi-religious country, Indonesia has made unity in diversity its official motto. And one of the unusual elements of unity among its 280 million inhabitants is none other than a foreign dish: noodles from China, writes Indonesian journalist Randy Mulyanto in “Nikkei Asia.”
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic country, with over 17,000 islands and 280 million inhabitants, is home to hundreds of ethnic and linguistic groups and six major religions, as well as numerous local belief systems. Therefore, ethnic and religious tolerance is essential to prevent discord within society, a fact well summed up in the Indonesian political principle of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (“Unity in Diversity”), also the official national motto.
But there is another, lesser-known unifying factor, one that has its roots in centuries of immigration from China: the humble noodle, particularly prevalent in Jakarta, the territory's capital and largest city, although it can be found in many forms throughout the country.
This is somewhat surprising at first, as Indonesians of Chinese descent make up only 1.2% of the population, according to the 2010 census, the most recent to produce a detailed breakdown of ethnic groups (the 2020 census does not provide as much detail). But Chinese immigrants have settled in many parts of the archipelago, and their cuisine has spread throughout the country.
Courrier International
