Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Eating fried foods is a habit of Indonesian people. It seems unpleasant if you don't eat fried food for one day. So it is not surprising that the demand for cooking oil in Indonesia is so high.
However, apparently in history, eating fried food was not originally a common habit among Indonesian people. Indonesian society has only become massive in frying activities since the 1990s, when cooking oil from palm oil was available on the market in large quantities.
Well, not many people know, these two figures have played a big role in making Indonesians like fried food. The big role of both lies in their success in pioneering the cooking oil industry which had a direct impact on the habit of eating fried foods.
Who is it? The two are Eka Tjipta Widjaja and Sudono Salim.
It should be noted that the culture of frying has been known in Indonesia since the 16th century when the Chinese and Europeans came. Gradually, the frying technique became more popular for two reasons.
First, the emergence of coconut oil as a raw material in the 19th century made the frying process easier. Second, the introduction of butter as a frying ingredient by Europeans, especially the Dutch.
Fadly Rahman in Traces of Archipelago Taste: History of Indonesian Food (2016) stated that butter became a mainstay for frying in the Dutch East Indies in the 20th century. It was during this period that a well-known butter brand emerged, namely Blue Band.
From here, a variety of foods from frying emerged, which are now called fried foods, such as fried bananas and fried tempeh. However, the presence of fried food does not mean that it can be enjoyed at any time by all levels of society. This is because butter and coconut oil are difficult to reach because they are expensive.
Until finally that all changed when the palm oil industry emerged in Indonesia.
The Appearance of Cooking Oil
The turning point occurred when President Soeharto came to power in 1966. Soeharto allowed private parties to pioneer the palm oil industry to popularize cooking oil that was more affordable to the public.
This permit was then utilized by entrepreneur Eka Tjipta Widjaja. In 1968, Eka produced Bimoli as the first premium cooking oil in Indonesia. Bimoli is an abbreviation of Bitung Manado Oil.
Two years later, the cooking oil industry in Indonesia became even busier when Liem Sioe Liong alias Sudono Salim participated. As a result, since the 1970s, both of them immediately became big players in the cooking oil industry.
Eka Tjipta Widjaja produces Filma and Kunci Mas brand oils. Then Salim produced the Bimoli brand of oil, which was initially started by Eka and then taken over by Salim. However, specifically his last name is not only the production of Bimoli, but also the key to making other fried foods, namely Bogasari brand wheat flour in 1970.
According to Richard Borsuk and Nancy Chng in Liem Sioe Liong and Salim Group (2016), the presence of the Bogasari brand makes it easier for Indonesian people to access flour. Flour becomes cheaper and makes people accustomed to consuming processed flour foods.
At this point, Indonesian people already have flour and cooking oil in their kitchens. The combination of these two ingredients is the key to making fried foods. Flour and cooking oil later became an important business in Indonesia during President Soeharto's leadership.
The strong support of the authorities made Salim and Eka Tjipta's business dominate the market. In fact, Bustanil Arifin is in Indonesian Agricultural Economic Analysis (2004) stated that Bimoli once controlled 75% of the domestic cooking oil market in the New Order era.
On this basis, Indonesians are increasingly accustomed to fried foods, or other preparations made from fried wheat flour. Then, there have been changes in people's consumption menus since the 1990s.
Fried foods then become something that cannot be separated from people's daily diet. From morning, afternoon and evening, definitely eat fried foods. On the side of the road there is a fry shop. At certain moments, people eat fried food.
So, Salim and Eka Tjipta are indirectly figures who taught Indonesian people to get used to enjoying fried food at every moment of life.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
(mfa/mfa)