Semur is a type of meat stew

Stew

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...

 that is processed in thick brown gravy

Gravy

Gravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. In North America the term can refer to a wider variety of sauces and gravy is often thicker than in Britain...

 commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. The main material used in semur gravy is shallot

Shallot

The shallot is the botanical variety of Allium cepa to which the multiplier onion also belongs. It was formerly classified as the species A. ascalonicum, a name now considered a synonym of the correct name...

s, onion

Onion

The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...

s, garlic

Garlic

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...

, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), nutmeg

Nutmeg

The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica. The most important commercial species is Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Moluccas of Indonesia...

 and cloves. Soy sauce is the most important ingredient in the Semur-making process because it serves to strengthen the flavor, but it should still feel blends harmoniously with other materials. In addition to the main ingredient, semur are also standing from a wide range of variation in the presentation, such as the addition of meat

Meat

Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...

 (mainly beef

Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...

), beef tongue

Beef tongue

Beef tongue is the tongue of a cow. The human consumption of beef tongue dates back to the days of Paleolithic hunters, who preferred the fatty portions of the carcass including tongues, as well as organs, brains, feet, and marrow. Beef tongue is very high in fat, at almost 75% of its calories...

, tofu

Tofu

is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...

, tempeh

Tempeh

Tempeh , or tempe , is a traditional soy product originally from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form, similar to a very firm vegetarian burger patty...

, eggs

Egg (food)

Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...

, fish, potatoes and other according to the tastes of other communities in their regions.

Etymology

Semur comes from the Dutch language

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

 Smoor, which means food that has been boiled with tomatoes and onions slowly.

History and origins

Since many centuries ago, Indonesia is located in the middle lane of world trade and has been known as a region that has a wealth of natural spices. Exotic flavors of the spices are then attracted traders and immigrants from various nations to come to the archipelago and an expedition. Traders and migrants are each carrying culture, which gradually blend in with everyday society native to Indonesia at that time. Assimilation is then creates cultural interaction and develops a range of special traditions of the archipelago, including in the culinary field. The particular flavor of Indonesian spices combined with a variety of food processing techniques result in the creation of unique dishes such as stew, which existed from 1600.

Over time, Semur getting stick to the tradition of the Indonesian nation and served in a variety of traditional events. Betawi people make the stew as part of a tradition that is always served during Lebaran and weddings. Not only to be excellent in the Betawi culture, Semur are also often appear on the celebration events in various parts of the archipelago such as Kalimantan and Sumatra, with the flavor and appearance that suit local tastes.

At first time, Semur is attached to the beef that is processed in thick brown gravy, but then created with ox tongue, mutton, chicken, eggs, also for vegetable products, such as tofu, tempe, eggplant, and others. Semur was being daily serving dishes in Indonesia and can be found in various parts of Indonesia with a variety of flavor.

Varieties of semur

• Batavian Semur, usually consist of beef, potato, and eggs
• Jengkol
  Jengkol
  Archidendron pauciflorum, commonly known as Jengkol, Dogfruit, or Jering is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to Southeast Asia...
  
  Semur, popular in Jakarta and West Java
• Manado Semur
• Semur Lidah, beef tongue semur
• Beef Semur from Aceh
• Fried Semur from Samarinda
• Fish Semur from Purwokerto
• Ternate Semur (vinegar added)
• Coconut juice Semur from Maluku
• Eggplant and tofu Semur from West Java