American Thanksgiving Feast and IndonesianThankfulness Menu

In USA, Thanksgiving holiday will come soon.
People will be busy cooking for the thanksgiving gathering.
There will be turkey, ham, gravy, cranberry sauceand the side dish such as mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles, sweet potatoes casseroles,stuffing, salad, etc. There are usually plenty of dessert too such as pies, jell-o pudding, cookies, ice cream and such.

Indonesians have something similar like thanksgiving menu. It is called Nasi Tumpeng. This menu usually comes out during celebration as a symbol of thankfulness. Indonesians usually cook Nasi Tumpeng for celebrating the coming of newborn babies, birthdays, independence days, opening a new business, etc.

photo by Jeremy Hadidjojo

In USA, the star of thanksgiving menu is the turkey or ham. In Indonesia, yellow rice takes the center stage. The rice was cooked in tumeric, coconut milk and other spices which give the color yellow, then shaped into a pyramid. It is put in the bamboo tray, decorated with banana leaves. The side dishes are piled on the bottom. Vegetables are also shaped to decorate the pyramid rice. It is quite a work of art.

You will find a picture of Nasi Tumpeng in Golden Cucumber book !

taken from "Golden Cucumber"