The Network of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) shows the variety of cultural expressions that communities, groups or individuals themselves recognize as intangible cultural heritage. They have registered this ICH in the Network. The Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage is therefore not responsible for the content of the description.

Description

Papeda is a traditional Moluccan dish and served as a staple food on the Moluccas. Long ago, the inhabitants of the Moluccan islands knew how to extract flour from the sago palm present there. Sago flour is extracted in the same way up to today. In the Netherlands, papeda is often made from potato starch. Papeda is a glassy mass consisting of flour and water.

Papeda tastes best when served at a time with different kinds of sauces, such as: Asem Pedis (ribs or chicken in fresh spicy and sour sauce); Pinang Kuning (fish in yellow fresh sour curry sauce); Tjolo Tjolo (fish in soy sauce with tomatoes, lemon, chilli, lombok rawit and onions, among others). The papeda is traditionally served with two gata-gata (wooden bamboo forks), which are rolled around (bale-bale). The papeda is sucked or slurped directly from the plate, which requires some practice.

The papeda can be prepared and “slurped” at any time of the day. It is usually done at the end of the day or in the early evening. It also holds a special place at weddings and christenings. The hospitality, communal consumption of the folk food, and the associated togetherness and respect towards each other and the strengthening of kinship and family ties are important components of the papeda tradition.

Community

The Papeda tradition is practised by the Moluccan community and anyone who is interested and wants to get involved.

Currently, the Stichting Muhabbat (Muhabbat Foundation) is active in implementing the Papeda tradition within the Moluccan community with various volunteer groups and volunteer professionals. The Muhabbat Foundation is a national institution and consists of volunteer professionals, working in different areas of Moluccan society to raise awareness and realise social-societal activities, bottom-up. It is an important support function for volunteer groups within the Moluccan community. The Muhabbat Foundation is also introduced to Dutch society through lectures, mini-symposia and workshops. In addition, the Muhabbat Foundation is active with courses on learning to deal with shocking events.

Stichting Karang is a group of Moluccan poets trying to realise traditional Moluccan songs together with Moluccan traditional organisations such as “kumpulans”, which stem from the kinship relationships of Moluccans, an alliance made by two or more villages on the Moluccas. That kinship system also functions in the Netherlands among Moluccans. Stichting The Karang is based in Assen.

Kaum Ama Ama is a discussion group, which organises meetings for Moluccan men from Hoogeveen, who are learning to cope with their traumatic experiences. In their meetings, they deal with aspects of Moluccan culture related to the historical past of Moluccans and try to give shape and substance to the future. This group is committed to transferring knowledge of Moluccan culture to third and fourth generation Moluccans.

History

The papeda has traditionally been the folk food of the Moluccans and consumed and prepared from the sago, even before the arrival of the colonisers, by the indigenous people of the Moluccas and Papua. The papeda tradition existed even before rice was introduced from other parts of Indonesia including Java.

However, although rice increasingly took the position as the staple food, sago was not pushed into the background. Moreover, for the Moluccans, papeda is considered a communal pastime, where families strengthen kinship relations and togetherness is emphasised among Moluccan families. In the Netherlands, papeda is made from potato starch and the Moluccans, in addition to the sago, which is occasionally brought from the Moluccas, have replaced it with potato starch in their daily use as an adaptation mechanism.

To this day, Moluccans eat (slurp) papeda in the traditional way. Right now, the Muhabbat Foundation is implementing the Papeda project in several Moluccan communities, where, in addition to the papeda tradition, papeda is mainly used as a metaphor to pass on traditions and customs such as community spirit and mutual support (what you feel, I feel too) to the third and fourth generation of Moluccans and to embed it as part of the history of the Netherlands, where the Moluccans have now lived and worked for more than 70 years. Also, restaurants with Moluccan roots are starting to prepare and serve the papeda with the different sauces such as tjolo tjolo, pinang kuning and the asem pedis, all dishes that can be used with the papeda.

Safeguarding

2023-2025

  • Realise structural partnerships between different institutes and social organisations. taking advantage of the growing interest among young people.
  • Organise (family) gatherings.
  • Strengthen social and cultural identity through social media with extra focus on the papeda event, to realise more togetherness, friendships and family ties.
  • Transfer knowledge from parents to children by making and “slurping” papeda regularly.
  • Strengthen the situation of young people by involving them in family affairs, friendships and all kinds of projects around social and cultural identity, especially papeda as a binder for community togetherness.
  • Generate income to carry out and implement projects. Among other things by starting to ask for a contribution from the community and participants of activities.
  • Increase involvement of young people, parents and the Moluccan community by providing information and (developing) educational programmes.

Contact

Stichting MUHABBAT
De Gamert 2124
6605WD
Wijchen
Gelderland
Website