Aceh Noodles

Taste Angler - Mufida Afreni B. Bara

Aceh Noodles N ot J ust Ph ysical Nutrition

Ameal is more than just a nutritional dish or a source of bodily pleasure. Food is a collective identity that manifests social and cultural trends

in the human timeline. Food carries a

strong and clingy cultural meaning. Some traditional dishes become snacks that must be served in certain traditional ceremonies or rituals to become ethnic markers. Call it na niura from Batak

Toba, tumpeng from Java, and pa’piong from Toraja. However, there are also local foods that

are not totally born from traditional ceremonies, but are strong in taste to become a characteristic of certain

ethnic markers. One of

them is Aceh noodles, a dish of yellow noodles with special spices from Aceh. There are no historical data regarding the origin of this culinary presence in Aceh or who first mixed the spices and then combined them with the basic ingredients of noodles. A provisional hypothesis which can be proposed is that the noodles which are the main ingredient are not authentic Acehnese creations, but come from China. The taste

of the spices is similar to the taste of curry sauce from India.

From this hypothesis, it can be stated temporarily if “Aceh noodles” are culinary recipe from Aceh as a result of acculturation from India and China. This

hypothesis is also supported by historical data at the time of the Aceh sultanate,

when merchants from India and China

were busy trading in Aceh. Even in Banda Aceh, there is an area that is specifically created for ethnic Chinese and the safety is guaranteed by the Sultan, namely Gampong Peunyong, which still exists today. It is possible that during this period the Acehnese were familiar with the land of noodles and curry sauce.

Aceh noodles itself is not the name given by the people of Aceh. If you visit Aceh and want to eat this food, the buyer only needs to mention the type of dish, such as: noodle soup (gravy or lots of gravy); wet noodles (little gravy); or fried noodles (without sauce), without the need to mention the word “Aceh” after the word

“noodles”. Presumably this is similar to “Sate Padang” outside the Minang Kabau area. Isn’t it true that if we buy satay in the city of Padang, we simply say “sate”

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without the word “Padang” after it? Likewise, on the contrary, the term Aceh noodles is given by people who come from outside the Aceh region. As in the city of Medan, which is the locus in this paper, the term “Aceh noodles” becomes a sign that the noodles in question are not other noodles which are also well known in Medan such as Mi Basah, Mi Balap, Mi Gomak, and so on.

Aceh Noodles Titi Bobrok

Not only magnificent in the rencong earth, Aceh noodles are also famous in the land

of Malay Deli, Medan City, such as Aceh Noodles “Titi Bobrok” which is located on

a bridge on Jalan Setia Budi, Medan City. In the past, the bridge was damaged so that people called it “titi bobrok” (broken bridge). That name was used by a pair of foreigners from Sigli Regency, namely (the late) Fuadi Yusuf and his wife when they first opened their noodle shop in 1996. Now this simple stall has become a magnificent restaurant managed by the second generation, brothers and sisters who are called Bang Mirza and Kak Tasya.

Aceh Noodles culinary outlet “Titi Bobrok” requires 300 kilograms of noodles every day, from 11.00 AM to 10.00 PM Western Indonesian Time. The taste of the spicy curry spices and the soft yellow noodles are quite suitable for the people of Medan. Moreover, Aceh Noodles are

served with an additional menu in the form of beef, shrimp, and crab. The noodles used are self-processed without preservatives and must be used up within a day, if there is leftover, it cannot be sold for the next day.

Condiments such as red chilies, onions,

candlenuts, scallions, celery, dried chilies are not difficult to find in the market,

including the perfecting spice, namely oen temuruy (curry leaves). Beef broth is important to add flavor. The combination of processed spices that give a savory flavor combined with a mixture of meat

or various seafood is complemented by

chips and Acehnese pickles (chopped onions, chili pepper, and cucumber), making the flavor of “Mi Aceh” more perfect.

The various variants offered include wet

Aceh noodles (gravy), fried, and nyemek (wet fried). The variants of processed Aceh noodles do not just adjust to customer appetite, but represent the multiethnic and multicultural harmony of the people in Medan City. A culinary creation dish that not only offers physical nutrition but also provides psychosocialcultural nutrition. Customers from

various backgrounds are momentarily engrossed in a plate of spice-rich noodles.

The bustling visitors to Mi Aceh around Jalan Setiabudi and expands to various locations in Medan City. However, Mi Aceh Titi Bobrok remains a prima donna because it is able to maintain commitment, even as if it were the

original menu for the host of the Malay Deli Land.

(Mufida Afreni B. Bara, S. Sos, MKM, Center for Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia and Pangeran Pangeran P.P.A. Nasution, Lecturer at Malikussaleh University of Aceh)

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