Rempah-Rempah Indonesian Traditional Food Flavor toward Modern Functional Food and Herbal Medicine

Abstract

Background: Rempah-rempah are endemic spices from Nusantara (South East Asia Archipelago’s), these spices are traditional food flavor Nusantara for centuries. Rempah-rempah were traditionally processed such as: boiled, fried, distillated, fermented, extracted, and fresh crushed mixture with others food component. These food were served for daily food such as main food, beverage, hot drink, snacks, crackers, etc.  Nowadays, modern and westernized synthetic ingredients and food flavors are rapidly substitute traditional food. Such habit have been invaded to the all of the globalized world. Conversely, many Indonesian researchers have been investigated that rempah-rempah have rich of phyto-pharmaceuticals components as herbal medicine or functional food. Phyto-pharmaceutical components in rempah-rempah have been investigated o potential role as immunomodulatory agent, antioxidants, analgesics, digestive, carminative, and antibacterial, as well as others remedial action for some physiological effects [1,2]. There were, Indonesian Gingers (Zingiberaceae), Katuk (Sauropus androgunus (L.) Merr), Andaliman (Zanthoxylum acanthopodicum), Antarasa (Litsea cubeba), Kecobang (Nicolai speciosa Horan), Tapak Liman (Elephantropus scaber)[1], Kedondong laut (Polyscias obtusa)[1], Mengkudu (Morinda citrifolia), Kapulaga (Amomum cardamomum), Sereh (Cymbopogon fleuopsus), Sirsak (Anona muricata), and Kunyit (Curcuma sp.). Almost all of rempah-rempah have not clearly investigated yet, only traditionally understanding have been known such as preventing for many degenerative metabolism and infectious diseases. Others problem are packaging, canning, preserving and others possibilities for marketing have been needed for future improvement of rempah-rempah as Indonesian traditional flavor and functional food. Keywords: Functional food, Indonesian flavor, rempah-rempah and spices.