Ethnobotanical Study of Minangkabau and Aneuk Jamee Tradisional Food: Unique Tradisional Cuisine from Sawahlunto, West Sumatra

Abstract

Abstract Plant material conservation for traditional cuisine in a particular ethnicity is very important to preserve their culture for sustainable utilization. Sawahlunto City consists of a multi-ethnic community with various cultures, customs, and traditions. This fact results in a unique variety of food types and diverse materials. Preliminary ethnobotanical research was conducted on two research sites (Talago Gunung and Rantih Village) in Sawahlunto district. This study aimed to investigate the variety of Minangkabau traditional foods in the Sawahlunto district of Indonesia. The data were obtained from sixteen respondents in the research sites through semi-structured interviews. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Quantitative analyses included the Use Value (UV) and Cultural Food Significance Index (CFSI) of each plant. The plant materials were identified and deposited at the Herbarium of Universitas Andalas. This study has revealed three main types of traditional foods: ‘ayam bungo jua’, ‘udang kasambi,’ and ‘gulai ayam talanjao.’ These three types of traditional cuisine have different plant diversities and use 18 plants species from 13 families. Shallots (Allium ascalonicum) is a pivotal plant to make the three traditional foods because it provides the highest UV value of 2.06. Another important case shows that culturally important plants with the three highest CFSI values are detected in red chili (Capsicum annuum), shallot (Allium ascalonicum), and garlic (Allium sativum). The detailed plant diversity and their conservation in this research are discussed in this article.