Day: June 27, 2023

The collaboration has the potential to make Qatari and Indonesian food more attractive and popular among the international community, Medan, N Sumatra (ANTARA) – Two popular Qatari chefs, Hassan Al Ibrahim and Noof Al Marri, enthusiastically smelled, touched, and tasted various spices, vegetables, and fruits sold at Petisah Market, Medan city, North Sumatra province, on Sunday (June 25, 2023).Ibrahim tried bean sprouts, tomatoes, tamarillos, and mangoes. He offered his compatriot a tamarillo and mango to taste, saying, “They taste good,” and Marri did not refuse. The two chefs, who are visitingIndonesia as part of the Culinary Journey program of Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, also bought several ingredients, including andaliman (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium), palm sugar, as well as ready-to-use seasoning. Ibrahim, who is nicknamed “The Captain Chef” since he also works as a pilot, said that he was very delighted because as a cook, the market is such a place he really wanted to visit. He said that some spices and seasonings, which cannot be found in Qatar, were sold in the market. The chef also saidthat he enjoyed coming to Petisah Market since there is a similar traditional market in Qatar. “In Qatar, it is called the central market. The markets (in Indonesia and Qatar) have the same concepts since they are both built indoors as well as sell various seasonings, vegetables, fruits, and spices,” he added. ;bandgtreater role for traditional market Coordinator for Culinary Journey Program of Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, Santhi Serad, informed that her party chose to visit the traditional market since various ingredients sold there reflected the diversity of dishes in the region. The more variety of spices, seasonings, and other ingredients sold in a market, the more variety of dishes inspired by acculturation can be found in the area, she said. “For instance, in Petisah Market, we can find various ingredients usually used for dishes commonly cooked by people in Medan,” Serad, who is also the founder of the Aku Cinta Makanan Indonesia (ACMI) –literally meaning I Love Indonesian Food– continued. She noted that some of the ingredients were andalimanpepper for Batak cuisine, tauco–a paste made from fermented yellow soybeans– for Chinese dishes, asam suntidried and salted Averrhoa bilimbi– for Acehnese cuisine, as well as seasonings for Padang cuisine. CMI is a community aiming to preserve, record, develop, and disseminate the wealth of Indonesia’s traditional dishes and has been selected as the partner for implementing the Culinary Journey Program of the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture. Traditional markets in Indonesia are not only a place for trading, but also mark the progress of community development, especially their culture. The director general of culture at the Education and Culture Ministry in 20122015, Kacung Marijan, said in a book entitled “Menguak Pasar Tradisional Indonesia” — meaning “Uncover Indonesian Traditional Markets” that traditional market is social reality that describes the identity of ethnic groups. He continued, in the book which was published in 2013, that traditional markets are important for developing the nation’s culture because of the various activities carried out in the markets related to cultural aspects, such as language, economics, social, politics, technology, and arts. Traditional markets in Indonesia are not much different from the ones in West Asian countries, including in Qatar. Markets in the West Asian country are also a center of social interaction between ethnic communities, and thereby, witnesses to the development of local cultures. Heba Osama Tannous pointed out the importance of markets for city development, including in Doha, the capital city of Qatar, in a thesis submitted to the College of Engineering of Qatar University in 2020. In the thesis entitled “Traditional Arabian Marketplaces in Context: A Comparative Study of Souq Waqif in Doha, Qatar and Souq Mutrah in Muscat, Oman,” he noted that Doha was established along the oldest market in Qatar, the Souq Waqif. Souq Waqif, which is more than 200 years old, is located near a dry river bed called Wadi Musheireb. Currently, the market has become a tourism destination in Qatar. s in Indonesia, traditional markets in Qatar also sell various products from spices, rice, dishes, traditional snacks, souvenirs, utensils, to dried fruits. The oldest market in Qatar has continued to grow and was expanded into three trading zones in the 21st century. Meanwhile, Djamel Boussaa from the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning of Qatar University wrote in his paper that the three zones comprise indoor food wholesale and retail area, small handicraft shops, as well as outdoor free market. The paper entitled “Rehabilitation as a Catalyst of Sustaining a Living Heritage: The Case of Souk Waqif in Doha, Qatar” was published in 2014 in the Art and Design Review journal. The liveliness of culture in both Indonesian and Qatari traditional markets can become a driver to further strengthen people-to-people relations as well as the partnership of the governments of the two countries, which have had diplomatic relations since 1976. Hence, it is just right to include traditional markets as part of the Culinary Journey Program of Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture, an international cultural exchange event initiated by Qatar Museums. Through the program, it is expected that the chefs from Qatar and Indonesia can create special dishes with unique flavor combinations using the various ingredients bought from traditional markets in both countries. Indonesian chef Muhammad Arsyan Dwianto, who also accompanied the two Qatari chefs at Petisah Market, said he believes that it is possible to create the special dishes. It is hoped that Qatar and Indonesia will have stronger cooperation in the culinary sector through exchange in cooking knowledge and ingredients in the future, he added. “The collaboration has the potential to make Qatari and Indonesian food more attractive and popular among the international community,” Dwianto, who placed third in the cooking competition MasterChef Indonesia’s Season 9 in 2022, said. Meanwhile, Serad said that food can also be a diplomatic means for Qatar and Indonesia to maintain good relations. “The two countries can introduce their respective cultures through culinary diplomacy,” she added. She said she believes that the collaboration between the two countries in the culinary sector will help create delicious dishes with rich flavors, especially since the Culinary Journey program is being implemented at three locations with distinctive culinary characteristics. The program was carried out in Jayapura city, Papua, province (June 1924, 2023) and Medan city, North Sumatra province (June 2426). Next, the program will be implemented in Bali from June 27 to July 2. Related news: Cuisine to be gateway to tourism: Ministry

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Health Ministry has confirmed that the budget provision for the purchase of biscuits, one of the efforts to handle stunting in every region, has been stopped and the funds will be diverted for some other purpose.”The budget for all posyandus (integrated health posts) is the budget to purchase animal protein food products,” Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono informed during the “FMB9: Important Step to Reduce Stunting” discussion, which was streamed on Monday. In response to findings concerning violations such as the provision of milk and biscuit products with high fat and sugar content, the ministry repeatedly conducted evaluations with experts, he informed. The experts were drawn from universities, professional organizations, and associations that specialize in cases related to stunting. The goal was to obtain proper and accurate stunting handling module contents to optimize the alleviation of stunting. Based on the discussion’s results, he said the decision to stop the budget came after experts unanimously highlighted that the provision of biscuits or milk alone to children is not enough to prevent stunting. “Experts informed that the most effective additional food to prevent stunting is animal protein. This will provide good and the most effective effects,” he said. “That is why the budget to purchase milk and biscuits no longer exists,” he said. Harbuwono urged all parties not to misinterpret the policy because the ministry has replaced it with the budget to purchase or process animal protein foods such as eggs, fish, and chickens distributed through posyandus across Indonesia. He said that, beyond being beneficial for children’s growth, foods rich in animal protein can also be developed by local residents. This can drive the economy of a region due to rising demand. “If many people purchase eggs in a village, there will be many egg farmers in that village. Hence, this will provide good economic growth effect, which also includes fishes or chickens,” he elaborated.

Source: Antara News Agency