The Tolak Bala Tradition and Anyang Carper Fish - The Interaction of Traditional Culture and Culinary

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Hello everyone and all members of the ASEAN Hive Community, I hope all of you are always healthy and happy in this life. Everyone would agree, if culture and culinary become an inseparable bond, especially for people in Southeast Asia. Every culture has its own food and culinary characteristics that become the identity of that culture. Just like in other countries, in Indonesia which has many ethnicities and cultures, culinary interactions and traditions can also be seen in every ethnicity and culture in Indonesia. We can't even find some culinary specialties except at traditional events in the village or village, as I will tell you this time.

Tradition of Tolak Bala
Last week, I went to my father's village to attend an event organized by the villagers. My father's village is in Bandar Gula Village, one of the villages in Labuhan Batu Regency – North Sumatra, which is about 270 km from where I live or 7 hours away by car. My grandfather (we call opung in Bahasa bata) was one of the founders of this village in 1962-1963, he migrated from Lobutayas Village (South Tapanuli Regency) to Bandar Gula Village in search of a better life.

In the past, every year my grandfather always held a “Tolak Bala” event, which literally means an event made as a form of gratitude to the God for preventing disasters from happening in the village. The majority of Indonesians have always been very religious, long before they knew religion, people in the past believed in the existence of God and always held this ritual. Currently, when Islam has become the majority religion in my village, The Ritual of Tolak Bala becomes a food event with all villagers, then prays to God so that the village and the village community are protected from all evil and danger.

This activity stopped in 1987, when my grandfather passed away and was only carried out in 2022. After the last 4 years, many of our family members, especially those living in the village, died and my cousin dreamed of meeting my grandfather, and briefly story, finally came the idea to continue this tradition. My father and I had to come to this village event, because my father was the first son of my grandfather and I was the first grandson of my grandfather, and I had to greet and ask permission to all the villagers when the event was over. Because, our family hosted the event.

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Delicious Culinary at Traditional Events
I am a person who does not really believe in rituals, I came only as a form of participation and concern for the family. In addition, I really like traditional celebrations or events because I like to see how the villagers will work together to make the event a success. We will see mothers and women working together to cook special dishes from morning to evening. It was a very tiring activity but because it was done while chatting and laughing, I always saw that the women never complained.

The part I am most looking forward to from every traditional event at Bandar Gula Village is the food and culinary that will be served during the event. One of the foods that is always served is Anyang Ikan Mas, which I can only get during this event. This Maknana I have never found or sold by a restaurant, this Anyang Ikan Mas is very different and authentic. Let's talk a little about this delicious traditional food.

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Anyang Carper Fish

This traditional food is made from carper fish. Goldfish or carper fish, is one of the freshwater fish consumed by many people in Indonesia. This fish has a delicious taste but has so many spines that when eating it must be careful and careful. In North Sumatra or in the Batak ethnicity, carp is considered a sacred fish which was eaten by kings in the past.

Anyang refers to two meanings, first, it is a type of traditional food from the coastal Malay community which is made with leaves (such as papaya leaves or fern leaves) then cooked with coconut that has been seasoned with salt, coriander, shallots, or garlic. However, there is a fundamental difference with Anyang from our village. Anyang at Bandar Gula Village uses gonseng coconut and coconut milk that has been given various spices. This cloudy coconut milk sauce will be poured over fish or chicken and become a traditional culinary that is rich in taste and very delicious, which we can only eat at certain events.

One of the interesting parts of Anyang Ikan Mas is the processing of this goldfish. Goldfish will be burned or smoked with coals until cooked. Fresh goldfish will be grilled over low heat so that the fish meat is cooked perfectly. The smoking that occurs in goldfish also creates new flavors, changes in color and distinctive aroma. Moreover, when we smoke, the fish fat drips slowly and creates an aroma that is very tantalizing to our tongue.

Processing this food must be patient. Because, smoking fish also takes a longer time compared to grilling or burning with high heat. But believe me, the taste of this food will be hard to find anywhere else. Because every food from this village, there is hope, love, and also passion from everyone.

Anyang Ikan Mas does have an unattractive appearance, the coconut milk sauce looks cloudy and the goldfish looks black, very unattractive to photograph or see at first glance. But, believe me Don't Judge Book By Cover, when a piece of fish meat into our mouth, two servings of rice doesn't seem enough to make us full. Besides this food having a delicious taste, serving Anyang Ikan Mas to village residents or invited guests has a philosophical meaning, namely that the "host" really appreciates every guest who comes by providing the best dishes in order to hope for blessings and prevent any calamities that come.

Are friends also interested in trying it someday?

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