CCN, SERANG, Fekraf Banten invites the Banten community to preserve the unique culinary heritage of Banten during the celebration of Youth Pledge and the third anniversary of Fekraf Banten. The event took place at Cafe Umakite, Taktakan – Serang, on October 28, 2023. They collaborated with the influencer and content creator community, ICN Banten, and the recently established culinary startup, Frashy Food, which operates in the culinary sector in Serang, with support from local stakeholders and media.
Fekraf Banten initiated this call to action with an online petition on change.org and collected signatures during the event, aiming to recognize Banten’s cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia. As of now, they have gathered over 104 signatures of support, including more than 50 signatures from the event attendees.
The event featured a variety of authentic Banten dishes that attendees could savor, each accompanied by a brief description presented in scannable barcode format. Some examples included Rabeg, Angeun Lada, Sate Bandeng, Bontot, Sambel burog, Jejorong, and various other snacks.
Yenni, a congress participant and a member of the Indonesia Chef Association (ICA), appreciated the efforts by presenting a Banten specialty dish called ‘Kolak Radio.’ She emphasized the importance of introducing Banten’s culinary heritage to the younger generation to prevent the loss of this cultural legacy.
During the event, a talk show was also held on the theme of ‘Local Culinary Gastronomy,’ featuring Kang Rohendi, Head of Tourism and Creative Economy Industry Development at the Banten Provincial Office of Tourism and Creative Economy, and Rizky Cahya, the Founder of Frashy Food. Kang Rohendi discussed the provincial government’s efforts to recognize Banten’s culinary heritage as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, while Rizky emphasized Frashy Food’s role in introducing Banten’s culinary specialties to millennials and Generation Z.
Andi Suhud, the chairman of Fekraf Banten, called on the Banten community to collectively preserve the richness of Banten’s culinary heritage. He also noted that currently, only ‘Sate Bandeng’ and ‘Bakcang Tangerang’ are recognized as Culinary Cultural Works from the Banten Province, despite the existence of numerous other unique culinary offerings with historical and cultural value. Therefore, a serious effort from all parties is needed to acknowledge Banten’s culinary heritage as part of the intangible cultural heritage.
The event concluded with the handover of the Fekraf Banten chairmanship from Andi Suhud to Eric Islami, as Andi received a new assignment. Andi expressed his gratitude to all those who had supported Fekraf Banten over the past three years and entrusted the leadership to Eric Islami until 2025. (***)
