Ketupat

A friend of mine posted on his Facebook status that he was folding ketupats, and was wondering who got the idea to make ketupats in the first place - and inevitably cause our modern day 'heroes' to continue the tradition.

While everyone was joking that maybe people in the olden days were too bored etc, I actually went on to ask my dad about it. (I find it pretty adorable that I still get to ask my dad questions like I'm a little kid. Lol. -hugs myself) So my dad explained that the Ketupat didn't initially exist solely for the celebration of Eid'ul Fitr among Southeast Asians. It was created by travellers in the old days and fishermen who had to travel days on end with no access to a kitchen. He said it was easier than having rice in its original state, which go bad pretty quick without proper storage. Now that made a whole lot more sense about the existence of Ketupats.

"The shape of the package facilitates moisture to drip away from the cooked rice while the coco leaves allow the rice to be aerated and at the same time prevent flies and insects from touching it." - Wikipedia

Come to think of it now, the idea and process of ketupat-making definitely wasn't as superficial as it is now. Now I understand why the whole weaving process was mandatory for our fishermen back then. They didn't have massive ships with kitchens and chefs, they most likely travelled out far only in their humble sampans. So it was most vital for them to have food that lasts.

Quite a smart thing, really.