Sundanese
Encyclopedia
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesia
n island of Java
. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim
. During the 2010 Census the government identified 1,128 ethnic backgrounds in the country, though total figures are not yet released for Sundanese.
The Sundanese have traditionally been concentrated in the provinces of West Java
, Banten
and Jakarta
, and the western part of Central Java
. The provinces of Central Java
and East Java
are home to the Javanese, Indonesia's largest ethnic group.
Sundanese culture has borrowed much from Javanese culture, however it differs by being more overtly Islamic, and has a much less rigid system of social hierarchy.
The common identity that binds Sundanese together is their language
and culture. The Sundanese people are known as optimistic, friendly, polite and cheerful people, but they can be timid and sensitive emotionally.
The Sunda Wiwitan
belief contains the legend of origin of Sundanese people; Sang Hyang Kersa, the supreme divine being in ancient Sundanese belief created seven bataras (deities) in Sasaka Pusaka Buana (The Sacred Place on Earth). The oldest of these bataras is called Batara Cikal and is considered the ancestor of the Kanekes people. Other six bataras ruled various locations in Sunda lands in Western Java. A Sundanese legend of Sangkuriang
contain the memory of the prehistoric ancient lake in Bandung
basin highland, which suggest that Sundanese already inhabit the region since Stone Age era. Another popular Sundanese proverb and legend mentioned about the creation of Parahyangan
(Priangan) highlands, the heartland of Sundanese realm; "When the hyang
s (gods) were smiling, the land of Parahyangan was created". This legend suggested the Parahyangan highland as the playland or the abode of gods, as well as suggesting its natural beauty.
Hindu
influences has reached Sundanese people as early as 4th century CE as evident in Tarumanagara
inscriptions. Court cultures flourished in ancient times, for example, the Sunda Kingdom
, however, the Sundanese appear not to have had the resources nor desire to construct large religious monuments similar to those in Central and East Java.
Inland Sunda is mountainous and hilly, and until the 19th century, was thickly forested and sparsely populated. The Sundanese traditionally live in small and isolated hamlets, rendering control by indigenous courts difficult. The Sundanese, in contrast to the Javanese, traditionally engage in dry-field farming. These factors resulted in the Sundanese having a less rigid social hierarchy and more independent social manners. In the 19th century, Dutch colonial exploitation opened much of the interior for coffee, tea, and quinine production, and the highland society took on a frontier aspect, further strengthening the individualistic Sundanese mindset.
There is popular belief among Indonesian ethnicities that Sundanese are famous for their beauty, in his report "Summa Oriental" on early 16th century Sunda Kingdom
, Tomé Pires
mentioned: "The (Sundanese) women are handsome, and those of the nobles chaste, which is not the case with those of the lower classes". Sundanese women are — in estimation of Indonesians — the most beautiful in the land. In Indonesian popular beliefs, it is because of the climate, they have lighter complexion than other Indonesians, and because the Sundanese diet features raw vegetables, they reputedly possess especially soft skin. Bandung ladies, popularly known as Mojang Priangan are reputedly pretty, fashion smart and forward looking.
[ Java, West Java, page 128] Probably because of this, many Sundanese people today pursue careers in the Indonesian entertainment industry.
The Sundanese language
is spoken by approximately 27 million people and is the second most widely-spoken regional language in Indonesia, after Javanese
. The 2000 Indonesia Census put this figure at 30.9 million. This language is spoken in the southern part of the Banten
province, and most of West Java
and eastwards as far as the Pamali River in Brebes, Central Java
.
Sundanese is more closely related to Malay
and Minang
than it is to Javanese, although Sundanese has borrowed the language levels denoting rank and respect. There are several dialects of Sundanese, from the Sunda–Banten dialect to the Sunda–Central Javanese dialect which mixes elements of Javanese. Some of the most distinct dialects are from Banten, Bogor, Priangan, and Cirebon. In Central Java, Sundanese is spoken in some of the Cilacap region and some of the Brebes region. It is known that the finest Sundanese dialect — which is considered as its original form — are those spoken in Ciamis, Tasikmlaya, Garut, Bandung, Sumedang, Sukabumi, and Cianjur. Dialect spoken by people living in Cianjur is considered as the most refined Sundanese. While Sundanese spoken on north coast, Banten and Cirebon is considered less refined. While the language spoken by the people of Baduy is considered the archaic type of Sundanese language, before the Sundanese people adopt the concept of language stratification to denote rank and respect as demonstrated (and influenced) by Javanese
.
Today, Sundanese language are mostly written in latin alphabet
. The example of Sundanese language media is Mangle Magazine that is written in latin alphabet. However, there is an effort to revive Sundanese script
that have been used by ancient Sundanese between 14th and 18th centuries. The example are the street names in Bandung and several cities in West Java are written in both latin and Sundanese scripts.
and dynamism
with reverence to ancestral (karuhun) and natural spirits identified as hyang
, yet bears some traits of monotheism. The best indications are found in the oldest epic poems (wawacan) and among the remote Baduy tribe. This religion is called Sunda Wiwitan
("early Sundanese"). The rice
agriculture had shaped the culture, beliefs and ritual system of traditional Sundanese people, among other the reverence to Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri
as the goddess of rice and fertility. The land of Sundanese people in Western Java is among the earliest place in Indonesian archipelago that being exposed to Indian Hindu-Buddhist influences. Tarumanagara
followed by Sunda Kingdom
adopted Hinduism
as early as 4th century. The Batujaya
stupa
complex in Karawang shows Buddhist influences in West Java. The 16th century sacred text Sanghyang siksakanda ng karesian
contain the religious and moral rules, guidance, prescriptions and lessons for ancient Sundanese people.
Around 15th to 16th century Islam
began to spread among Sundanese people, accelerated after the fall of Hindu Sunda Kingdom and the establishment of Islamic Sultanate of Banten and Cirebon in coastal West Java. Numerous ulama
(locally known as "kyai") penetrated villages in mountainous region of Parahyangan
and established mosques and schools (pesantren
) and spread Islamic faith into Sundanese people. Small traditional Sundanese communities had decided to retain their indigenous social and beliefs system, adopt self-imposed isolation, and refuse foreign influences, proselytism and modernization
altogether, such as those of Baduy (Kanekes) people of inland Lebak Regency
. Some of Sundanese villages such as those in Cigugur Kuningan retained their Sunda Wiwitan
belief, while some villages such as Kampung Naga
in Tasikmalaya, and Sindang Barang Pasir Eurih in Bogor, although admittedly identify themself as muslim, still uphold pre-Islamic traditions and taboos and venerated the karuhun (ancestral spirits). Today, most of Sundanese are sunni
Muslims.
After Western Java fell under Dutch East India Company
in early 18th century, and later under colonial Dutch East Indies
control, the christian
evangelism upon Sundanese people started by Christian missionaries of Genootschap voor Inen Uitwendige Zending te Batavia (GIUZ). This organization founded by Mr. F.L. Anthing and Pastor E.W. King in 1851. However, it was Nederlandsche Zendelings Vereeniging (NZV) which sent their missionaries to Sundanese people. They started the mission in Batavia, and then to several town in West Java
such as Bandung
, Cianjur
, Cirebon
, Bogor
and Sukabumi
. They built schools, churches and hospital for native people in West Java. Compared to large Sundanese Muslims, the numbers of christian Sundanese is scarce, today the christian in West Java are mostly Chinese Indonesian
resided in West Java with only small numbers of native Sundanese.
Sundanese culture has borrowed much from Javanese culture, however it differs by being more overtly Islamic, and has a much less rigid system of social hierarchy. The Sundanese, in their mentality and behavior, their greater egalitarianism and antipathy to yawning class distinctions, their community-based material culture, of feudal hierarchy, apparent among the people of the Javanese Principality. Central Javanese court culture nurtured in atmosphere conducive to elite, stylized, impeccably-polished forms of art and literature. In a pure sense, Sundanese culture bore few traces of these traditions.
Culturally Sundanese people adopt a bilateral kinship system
, with male and female descent are of equal importance. In Sundanese family the important rituals revolved around their life cycle, from the birth to the death. Adopting many of previous Animism and Hindu-Buddhist, and mainly Islamic traditions. For example during seventh month of pregnancy there is a prenatal ritual called "Nujuh Bulanan" the very same as Naloni Mitoni in Javanese tradition, which can trace its origin to Hindu ritual. Shortly after the birth of a baby the ritual called "Akekahan" (from Arabic word: Aqiqah) an Islamic tradition where the parents slaughtering a goat for baby girl or two goats for baby boy, the meat later cooked and distributed to relatives and neighbours. The circumcision
ceremony is performed on pre-pubescent boy and might celebrated with Sisingaan (lion) dance. Wedding ceremony is the highlight of Sundanese family celebration with complex rituals from "naroskeun" and "neundeun omong" (marriage proposal and agreement conducted by parents and family elders), "siraman" (bridal shower), "seserahan" (presenting wedding gift for the bride), "akad nikah" (wedding vows), "saweran" (throwing coins, mixed with flower petals and sometimes also candies for the unmaried guest to collect and believed to bring better luck in romance), "huap lingkung" (bride and groom feed each other with their hand around to symbolize love and affection), "bakakak hayam" (bride and groom ripping a grilled chicken through holding each of its leg, a traditional way to determine which one will dominate the family which is the one that get the larger or head part), and the wedding feast inviting whole family and business relatives, neighbours, and friends as guests. The death in a Sundanese family usually performed through serries of rituals in accordance of traditional Islam, such as the "pengajian" (reciting Al Quran) including providing "berkat" (rice box with side dishes) for guests. The Quran recitation performed in the day of the death and everyday through seventh day; later performed again in 40th day, a year, and 1,000th days after the death. However today this traditions is not always closely and faithfully followed since the growing numbers of Sundanese adopt a less traditional Islam which often discard many of old traditions.
. Sundanese culture and tradition are usually centred around the agricultural cycle. Festivities such as Seren Taun
harvest ceremony is held in such high importance, especially in the traditional Sundanese community in Cipta Gelar village, Cisolok, Sukabumi
; Sindang Barang, Pasir Eurih village, Taman Sari, Bogor
; and the traditional Sundanese community in Cigugur Kuningan
. Since early times, Sundanese have predominantly been farmers. They tend to be reluctant to be government officer and legislators. The typical Sundanese leuit (rice barn) is the important part of traditional Sundanese villages, it held in high esteem as the symbol of wealth and welfare.
Next to agriculture, Sundanese people often choose business and trade to make a living although mostly are traditional entrepreneurships, such as a travelling food or drink vendors, establishing modest "warung
" (food stall) or restaurant, as the vendor of daily consumer's goods or open a modest barber shop. Several traditional traveling food vendors and food stalls such as Siomay
, Gado-gado
and Karedok
, Nasi Goreng
, Cendol
, Bubur Ayam
, Roti Bakar (grilled bread), Bubur Kacang Hijau (green beans congee) and Indomie
instant noodle stall are notably runs by Sundanese.
Today, there is quite a lot of Sundanese people turn to music and entertainment industry, some of them become famous Indonesia's singers, musicians and actors in Indonesian Sinetrons.
and shamanism
traditions, ancient Hindu
-Buddhist heritage, and Islamic culture. The Sundanese have very vivid, orally-transmitted memories of grand era of the Sunda Kingdom
. The oral tradition of Sundanese people is called Pantun Sunda
, the chant of poetic verses employed for story-telling. It is the counterpart of Javanese tembang, similar but quite different with Malay pantun
. The Pantun Sunda often tell the Sundanese folklores and legends such as Sangkuriang
, Lutung Kasarung
, Ciung Wanara
, Mundinglaya Dikusumah
, the tales of King Siliwangi
, and popular children folklore such as Si Leungli
.
Traditional artforms include various of musics, dances, and martial arts. The notable Sundanese musics are angklung
bamboo music, kecapi suling music, gamelan degung
, reyog Sunda and rampak gendang. Angklung bamboo music instrument is one of world heritages of intangible culture.
The most well known and distinctive Sundanese dance are Jaipongan
, a traditional social dance which usually but mistakenly associated with eroticism
. Other popular dances such as Merak dance describing colorful dancing peafowls. Sisingaan dance is performed especially in Subang
area to celebrate circumcision
ritual where the boy to be circumcised is seated upon a lion figure carried by four men. Another dance such as Dewi dance and Ratu Graeni dance shows Javanese courtly Mataram
influences.
Wayang golek puppetry is the most popular wayang performance for Sundanese people. Many forms of kejawen dance, literature, gamelan
music and shadow puppetry (wayang kulit) derive from the Javanese. Sundanese puppetry is more influenced by Islamic folklore than the influence of Indian epics present in Javanese versions.
The Pencak silat
martial art in Sundanese tradition can be traced to the historical figure King Siliwangi
of Sunda Pajajaran kingdom, with Cimande is one of the most prominent school. The recently developed Tarung Derajat
is also a popular martial art in West Java.
is one of the most popular traditional food in Indonesia, and it is also easily found in Indonesian cities. The Sundanese food is characterize with its freshness; the famous lalab
eaten with sambal
and also karedok
demonstrate the Sundanese fondness for fresh raw vegetables. Similar to other ethnic groups in Indonesia, Sundanese people eat rice
for almost every meal. The Sundanese like to say, "If you have not eaten rice, then you have not eaten." Rice is prepared in hundreds of different ways. However, it is simple boiled rice that serves as the centerpiece of all meals.
Next to steamed rice, the side dishes of vegetables, fish
, or meat
are added to provide variety of taste as well as for protein, mineral and nutrients intake. These side dishes are grilled, fried, steamed or boiled and spiced with any combination of garlic, galingale (a plant of the ginger family), turmeric, coriander, ginger, and lemon grass. The herbs rich food wrapped and cooked inside banana leaf called pepes
(Sundanese:pais) is popular among Sundanese people. Pepes available in many varieties according to its ingredients; carp fish, anchovies, minced meat with eggs, mushroom, tofu or oncom. Oncom
is popular foodstuff within Sundanese cuisine, just like its counterpart; the tempe popularity among Javanese people. Usually food itself is not too spicy, but it is served with a very hot sauce made by grinding chili peppers and garlic together. On the coast, saltwater fish are common; in the mountains, fish tend to be either pond-raised carp or goldfish. A well-known Sundanese dish is lalapan, which consists only of raw vegetables, such as papaya
leaves, cucumber
, eggplant, and bitter melon
.
In general, Sundanese food taste rich and savory, but not as tangy as Padang food, nor as sweet as Javanese food
.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n island of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. During the 2010 Census the government identified 1,128 ethnic backgrounds in the country, though total figures are not yet released for Sundanese.
The Sundanese have traditionally been concentrated in the provinces of West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
, Banten
Banten
Banten is a province of Indonesia in Java. Formerly part of the Province of West Java, it was made a separate province in 2000.The administrative center is Serang. Preliminary results from the 2010 census counted some 10.6 million people.-Geography:...
and Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, and the western part of Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
. The provinces of Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
and East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
are home to the Javanese, Indonesia's largest ethnic group.
Sundanese culture has borrowed much from Javanese culture, however it differs by being more overtly Islamic, and has a much less rigid system of social hierarchy.
The common identity that binds Sundanese together is their language
Sundanese language
Sundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
and culture. The Sundanese people are known as optimistic, friendly, polite and cheerful people, but they can be timid and sensitive emotionally.
Etymology
The name Sunda derives from the word su which means goodness. Sunda also means light, cleanness, bright, and white.Origins and history
The Sundanese are of Austronesian origins who are thought to have originated in Taiwan, migrated though the Philippines, and reached Java between 1,500BCE and 1,000BCE.The Sunda Wiwitan
Sunda Wiwitan
Sunda Wiwitan is a religious belief system of traditional Sundanese. It venerates the power of nature and the spirit of ancestors ....
belief contains the legend of origin of Sundanese people; Sang Hyang Kersa, the supreme divine being in ancient Sundanese belief created seven bataras (deities) in Sasaka Pusaka Buana (The Sacred Place on Earth). The oldest of these bataras is called Batara Cikal and is considered the ancestor of the Kanekes people. Other six bataras ruled various locations in Sunda lands in Western Java. A Sundanese legend of Sangkuriang
Sangkuriang
Sangkuriang is a legend among Sundanese people, Indonesia. The legend tells about the creation of lake Bandung, Mount Tangkuban Parahu, Mount Burangrang and Mount Bukit Tunggul....
contain the memory of the prehistoric ancient lake in Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
basin highland, which suggest that Sundanese already inhabit the region since Stone Age era. Another popular Sundanese proverb and legend mentioned about the creation of Parahyangan
Parahyangan
Parahyangan or Priangan or Preanger is the mountainous region in West Java province on the island of Java in Indonesia.It covers the regencies of:* Bandung* West Bandung * Cianjur* Garut * Purwakarta...
(Priangan) highlands, the heartland of Sundanese realm; "When the hyang
Hyang
Hyang is an unseen spiritual entity that has supernatural power in ancient Indonesian mythology. This spirit can be either divine or ancestral. The reverence for this spiritual entity can be found in Sunda Wiwitan, Kejawen, and Balinese Hinduism. In modern Indonesian this term tends to be...
s (gods) were smiling, the land of Parahyangan was created". This legend suggested the Parahyangan highland as the playland or the abode of gods, as well as suggesting its natural beauty.
Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
influences has reached Sundanese people as early as 4th century CE as evident in Tarumanagara
Tarumanagara
Tarumanagara or Taruma Kingdom or just Taruma is an early Sundanese Indianized kingdom, whose fifth-century ruler, Purnavarman, produced the earliest known inscriptions on Java island...
inscriptions. Court cultures flourished in ancient times, for example, the Sunda Kingdom
Sunda Kingdom
The Sunda Kingdom was a Hindu kingdom located on the western part of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering areas of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and the western part of Central Java...
, however, the Sundanese appear not to have had the resources nor desire to construct large religious monuments similar to those in Central and East Java.
Inland Sunda is mountainous and hilly, and until the 19th century, was thickly forested and sparsely populated. The Sundanese traditionally live in small and isolated hamlets, rendering control by indigenous courts difficult. The Sundanese, in contrast to the Javanese, traditionally engage in dry-field farming. These factors resulted in the Sundanese having a less rigid social hierarchy and more independent social manners. In the 19th century, Dutch colonial exploitation opened much of the interior for coffee, tea, and quinine production, and the highland society took on a frontier aspect, further strengthening the individualistic Sundanese mindset.
There is popular belief among Indonesian ethnicities that Sundanese are famous for their beauty, in his report "Summa Oriental" on early 16th century Sunda Kingdom
Sunda Kingdom
The Sunda Kingdom was a Hindu kingdom located on the western part of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering areas of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and the western part of Central Java...
, Tomé Pires
Tomé Pires
Tomé Pires was an apothecary from Lisbon who spent 1512 to 1515 in Malacca immediately after the Portuguese conquest, at a time when Europeans were only first arriving in South East Asia...
mentioned: "The (Sundanese) women are handsome, and those of the nobles chaste, which is not the case with those of the lower classes". Sundanese women are — in estimation of Indonesians — the most beautiful in the land. In Indonesian popular beliefs, it is because of the climate, they have lighter complexion than other Indonesians, and because the Sundanese diet features raw vegetables, they reputedly possess especially soft skin. Bandung ladies, popularly known as Mojang Priangan are reputedly pretty, fashion smart and forward looking.
[ Java, West Java, page 128] Probably because of this, many Sundanese people today pursue careers in the Indonesian entertainment industry.
Language
Sundanese language
Sundanese is the language of about 27 million people from the western third of Java or about 15% of the Indonesian population....
is spoken by approximately 27 million people and is the second most widely-spoken regional language in Indonesia, after Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
. The 2000 Indonesia Census put this figure at 30.9 million. This language is spoken in the southern part of the Banten
Banten
Banten is a province of Indonesia in Java. Formerly part of the Province of West Java, it was made a separate province in 2000.The administrative center is Serang. Preliminary results from the 2010 census counted some 10.6 million people.-Geography:...
province, and most of West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
and eastwards as far as the Pamali River in Brebes, Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
.
Sundanese is more closely related to Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
and Minang
Minangkabau language
The Minangkabau language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, the western part of Riau, South Aceh Regency, the northern part of Bengkulu and Jambi, also in several cities throughout Indonesia by migrated Minangkabau, who often trade or have a restaurant...
than it is to Javanese, although Sundanese has borrowed the language levels denoting rank and respect. There are several dialects of Sundanese, from the Sunda–Banten dialect to the Sunda–Central Javanese dialect which mixes elements of Javanese. Some of the most distinct dialects are from Banten, Bogor, Priangan, and Cirebon. In Central Java, Sundanese is spoken in some of the Cilacap region and some of the Brebes region. It is known that the finest Sundanese dialect — which is considered as its original form — are those spoken in Ciamis, Tasikmlaya, Garut, Bandung, Sumedang, Sukabumi, and Cianjur. Dialect spoken by people living in Cianjur is considered as the most refined Sundanese. While Sundanese spoken on north coast, Banten and Cirebon is considered less refined. While the language spoken by the people of Baduy is considered the archaic type of Sundanese language, before the Sundanese people adopt the concept of language stratification to denote rank and respect as demonstrated (and influenced) by Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
.
Today, Sundanese language are mostly written in latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
. The example of Sundanese language media is Mangle Magazine that is written in latin alphabet. However, there is an effort to revive Sundanese script
Sundanese script
Sundanese script Sundanese script Sundanese script (Aksara Sunda, is a writing system which is used by some Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (Aksara Sunda Kuna) which was used by ancientSundanese between 14th and 18th centuries....
that have been used by ancient Sundanese between 14th and 18th centuries. The example are the street names in Bandung and several cities in West Java are written in both latin and Sundanese scripts.
Religion
The initial religious system of the Sundanese was animismAnimism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
and dynamism
Dynamism (metaphysics)
Dynamism is a metaphysical concept conceived by Gottfried Leibniz and developed into a full system of cosmology. Dynamism in metaphysical cosmology explains the material world in terms of active, pointlike forces, with no extension but with action at a distance...
with reverence to ancestral (karuhun) and natural spirits identified as hyang
Hyang
Hyang is an unseen spiritual entity that has supernatural power in ancient Indonesian mythology. This spirit can be either divine or ancestral. The reverence for this spiritual entity can be found in Sunda Wiwitan, Kejawen, and Balinese Hinduism. In modern Indonesian this term tends to be...
, yet bears some traits of monotheism. The best indications are found in the oldest epic poems (wawacan) and among the remote Baduy tribe. This religion is called Sunda Wiwitan
Sunda Wiwitan
Sunda Wiwitan is a religious belief system of traditional Sundanese. It venerates the power of nature and the spirit of ancestors ....
("early Sundanese"). The rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
agriculture had shaped the culture, beliefs and ritual system of traditional Sundanese people, among other the reverence to Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri
Dewi Sri
Dewi Sri, or Dewi Shri , Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri is the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese pre-Hindu and pre-Islam era goddess of rice and fertility, still widely worshipped on the islands of Bali and Java...
as the goddess of rice and fertility. The land of Sundanese people in Western Java is among the earliest place in Indonesian archipelago that being exposed to Indian Hindu-Buddhist influences. Tarumanagara
Tarumanagara
Tarumanagara or Taruma Kingdom or just Taruma is an early Sundanese Indianized kingdom, whose fifth-century ruler, Purnavarman, produced the earliest known inscriptions on Java island...
followed by Sunda Kingdom
Sunda Kingdom
The Sunda Kingdom was a Hindu kingdom located on the western part of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering areas of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and the western part of Central Java...
adopted Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
as early as 4th century. The Batujaya
Batujaya Archaeological Site
Batujaya is an archeological site located in the village of Batujaya, Karawang in West Java, Indonesia. The site is five square kilometers in area and comprises at least 30 structural in what Sundanese call hunyur or unur...
stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
complex in Karawang shows Buddhist influences in West Java. The 16th century sacred text Sanghyang siksakanda ng karesian
Sanghyang Siksakanda ng Karesian
Sanghyang siksakanda ng karesian is a didactic text, providing the reader with all kinds of religious and moralistic rules, prescriptions and lessons. The title means something like “Book of rules for the state of resi ”. This texts is preserved in the National Library in Jakarta and identified as...
contain the religious and moral rules, guidance, prescriptions and lessons for ancient Sundanese people.
Around 15th to 16th century Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
began to spread among Sundanese people, accelerated after the fall of Hindu Sunda Kingdom and the establishment of Islamic Sultanate of Banten and Cirebon in coastal West Java. Numerous ulama
Ulama
-In Islam:* Ulema, also transliterated "ulama", a community of legal scholars of Islam and its laws . See:**Nahdlatul Ulama **Darul-uloom Nadwatul Ulama **Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal**Jamiat ul-Ulama -Other:...
(locally known as "kyai") penetrated villages in mountainous region of Parahyangan
Parahyangan
Parahyangan or Priangan or Preanger is the mountainous region in West Java province on the island of Java in Indonesia.It covers the regencies of:* Bandung* West Bandung * Cianjur* Garut * Purwakarta...
and established mosques and schools (pesantren
Pesantren
Pesantren or Pondok Pesantren are Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia. According to one popular tradition, the pesantren education system originated from traditional Javanese pondokan; dormitories; ashram for Hindu or viharas for Buddhists to learn religious philosophies, martial arts and...
) and spread Islamic faith into Sundanese people. Small traditional Sundanese communities had decided to retain their indigenous social and beliefs system, adopt self-imposed isolation, and refuse foreign influences, proselytism and modernization
Modernization
In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...
altogether, such as those of Baduy (Kanekes) people of inland Lebak Regency
Lebak Regency
Lebak Regency is a regency of Banten province, Indonesia. It has an area of 3,044.72 km² of 19 districts and 320 villages and an official intercensal estimated population of 1,219,033 in 2007 Rangkasbitung is the capital of the regency...
. Some of Sundanese villages such as those in Cigugur Kuningan retained their Sunda Wiwitan
Sunda Wiwitan
Sunda Wiwitan is a religious belief system of traditional Sundanese. It venerates the power of nature and the spirit of ancestors ....
belief, while some villages such as Kampung Naga
Kampung Naga
Kampung Naga administratively located in the area of Neglasari village, Salawu district, Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia.Kampung Naga is a village which is inhabited by a community in a very strong tradition of holding the remainder ancestors. The differences are visible when compared with other...
in Tasikmalaya, and Sindang Barang Pasir Eurih in Bogor, although admittedly identify themself as muslim, still uphold pre-Islamic traditions and taboos and venerated the karuhun (ancestral spirits). Today, most of Sundanese are sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
Muslims.
After Western Java fell under Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
in early 18th century, and later under colonial Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
control, the christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
evangelism upon Sundanese people started by Christian missionaries of Genootschap voor Inen Uitwendige Zending te Batavia (GIUZ). This organization founded by Mr. F.L. Anthing and Pastor E.W. King in 1851. However, it was Nederlandsche Zendelings Vereeniging (NZV) which sent their missionaries to Sundanese people. They started the mission in Batavia, and then to several town in West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
such as Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
, Cianjur
Cianjur
Cianjur is a city in the West Java province of Indonesia, the capital of Cianjur Regency. Cianjur is located in the middle of the main road between Jakarta and Bandung . The population is about 146,874...
, Cirebon
Cirebon
Cirebon is a port city on the north coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is located in the province of West Java near the provincial border with Central Java, approximately 297 km east of Jakarta, at .The seat of a former Sultanate, the city's West and Central Java border location have...
, Bogor
Bogor
Bogor is a city on the island of Java in the West Java province of Indonesia. The city is located in the center of the Bogor Regency , 60 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta...
and Sukabumi
Sukabumi
Sukabumi is a city surrounded by the regency of the same name in the highlands of West Java, Indonesia, about south of the national capital, Jakarta....
. They built schools, churches and hospital for native people in West Java. Compared to large Sundanese Muslims, the numbers of christian Sundanese is scarce, today the christian in West Java are mostly Chinese Indonesian
Chinese Indonesian
Chinese Indonesians, also called the Indonesian Chinese, are an overseas Chinese group whose ancestors emigrated from China to Indonesia, formerly a colony of the Netherlands known as the Dutch East Indies...
resided in West Java with only small numbers of native Sundanese.
Family and social relations
Culturally Sundanese people adopt a bilateral kinship system
Bilateral descent
Bilateral descent is a system of family lineage in which the relatives on the mother's side and father's side are equally important for emotional ties or for transfer of property or wealth. It is a family arrangement where descent and inheritance are passed equally through both parents...
, with male and female descent are of equal importance. In Sundanese family the important rituals revolved around their life cycle, from the birth to the death. Adopting many of previous Animism and Hindu-Buddhist, and mainly Islamic traditions. For example during seventh month of pregnancy there is a prenatal ritual called "Nujuh Bulanan" the very same as Naloni Mitoni in Javanese tradition, which can trace its origin to Hindu ritual. Shortly after the birth of a baby the ritual called "Akekahan" (from Arabic word: Aqiqah) an Islamic tradition where the parents slaughtering a goat for baby girl or two goats for baby boy, the meat later cooked and distributed to relatives and neighbours. The circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
ceremony is performed on pre-pubescent boy and might celebrated with Sisingaan (lion) dance. Wedding ceremony is the highlight of Sundanese family celebration with complex rituals from "naroskeun" and "neundeun omong" (marriage proposal and agreement conducted by parents and family elders), "siraman" (bridal shower), "seserahan" (presenting wedding gift for the bride), "akad nikah" (wedding vows), "saweran" (throwing coins, mixed with flower petals and sometimes also candies for the unmaried guest to collect and believed to bring better luck in romance), "huap lingkung" (bride and groom feed each other with their hand around to symbolize love and affection), "bakakak hayam" (bride and groom ripping a grilled chicken through holding each of its leg, a traditional way to determine which one will dominate the family which is the one that get the larger or head part), and the wedding feast inviting whole family and business relatives, neighbours, and friends as guests. The death in a Sundanese family usually performed through serries of rituals in accordance of traditional Islam, such as the "pengajian" (reciting Al Quran) including providing "berkat" (rice box with side dishes) for guests. The Quran recitation performed in the day of the death and everyday through seventh day; later performed again in 40th day, a year, and 1,000th days after the death. However today this traditions is not always closely and faithfully followed since the growing numbers of Sundanese adopt a less traditional Islam which often discard many of old traditions.
Profession
The traditional profession of Sundanese people is agricultural, especially riceRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
. Sundanese culture and tradition are usually centred around the agricultural cycle. Festivities such as Seren Taun
Seren Taun
Seren Taun is an annual traditional Sundanese rice harvest festival and ceremony. This festivals originally held to mark the new agriculture year in Sundanese ancient calendar as well as thanks giving for the blessings of the abundance rice harvest, and also to pray for the next successful harvest...
harvest ceremony is held in such high importance, especially in the traditional Sundanese community in Cipta Gelar village, Cisolok, Sukabumi
Sukabumi
Sukabumi is a city surrounded by the regency of the same name in the highlands of West Java, Indonesia, about south of the national capital, Jakarta....
; Sindang Barang, Pasir Eurih village, Taman Sari, Bogor
Bogor
Bogor is a city on the island of Java in the West Java province of Indonesia. The city is located in the center of the Bogor Regency , 60 kilometers south of the Indonesian capital Jakarta...
; and the traditional Sundanese community in Cigugur Kuningan
Kuningan
Kuningan is a city in eastern West Java, Indonesia, between Cirebon and Tasikmalaya, about 200 km east of Jakarta. The area is near Mount Cereme/Ciremai , the highest mountain in West Java. The mountain is located in the western part of the region. The eastern part is a valley...
. Since early times, Sundanese have predominantly been farmers. They tend to be reluctant to be government officer and legislators. The typical Sundanese leuit (rice barn) is the important part of traditional Sundanese villages, it held in high esteem as the symbol of wealth and welfare.
Next to agriculture, Sundanese people often choose business and trade to make a living although mostly are traditional entrepreneurships, such as a travelling food or drink vendors, establishing modest "warung
Warung
A warung is a type of small family-owned business — often a casual shop, usually café — in Indonesia and Malaysia...
" (food stall) or restaurant, as the vendor of daily consumer's goods or open a modest barber shop. Several traditional traveling food vendors and food stalls such as Siomay
Siomay
Siomay , is an Indonesian steamed fish dumpling with vegetables served in peanut sauce. It is derived from Chinese Shumai. It is considered a light meal that is similar to the Chinese Dim Sum, but is cone shaped. It is traditionally made from tenggiri fish meat...
, Gado-gado
Gado-gado
Gado-gado , also called Lotek for its cooked version - differed from lotek atah or karedok for its fresh and raw version of the vegetable covered with peanut sauce and pecel is an Indonesian dish comprising a vegetable salad served with a peanut sauce dressing...
and Karedok
Karedok
Karedok is a raw vegetable salad in peanut sauce from West Java, Indonesia. It is one of the Sundanese signature dish. It is made from cucumbers, bean sprouts, cabbage, legumes, Thai basil, and small green eggplant, covered in peanut sauce dressing...
, Nasi Goreng
Nasi goreng
Nasi goreng, literally meaning "fried rice" in Indonesian, can refer simply to fried pre-cooked rice, a meal including stir fried rice in small amount of cooking oil or margarine, typically spiced with kecap manis , shallot, garlic, tamarind and chilli and accompanied with other ingredients,...
, Cendol
Cendol
Cendol is a traditional dessert originating from South East Asia which is still popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar , Singapore, Vietnam, and Southern Thailand where it is called lortchorng singapore ลอดช่องสิงคโปร์).-Etymology:There is popular belief in Indonesia that the name "cendol" is...
, Bubur Ayam
Congee
Congee is a type of rice porridge popular in many Asian countries. It can be eaten alone or served with a side dish. Names for congee are as varied as the style of its preparation...
, Roti Bakar (grilled bread), Bubur Kacang Hijau (green beans congee) and Indomie
Indomie
Indomie is a brand of instant noodles by Indofood Sukses Makmur, the world's largest instant noodle manufacturer, located in Indonesia. It is distributed in Australia, Asia, Africa, New Zealand, the United States and European and Middle Eastern countries...
instant noodle stall are notably runs by Sundanese.
Today, there is quite a lot of Sundanese people turn to music and entertainment industry, some of them become famous Indonesia's singers, musicians and actors in Indonesian Sinetrons.
Artforms
Sundanese literature was basically oral; their arts (architecture, music, dance, textiles, ceremonies, etc.) substantially preserved traditions from an earlier phase of civilization, stretching back even to the Neolithic, and never overwhelmed (as eastward, in Java) by aristocratic Hindu-Buddhist ideas. The art and culture of Sundanese people reflect historical influences by various cultures that include pre-historic native animismAnimism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
and shamanism
Shamanism
Shamanism is an anthropological term referencing a range of beliefs and practices regarding communication with the spiritual world. To quote Eliade: "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = technique of ecstasy." Shamanism encompasses the...
traditions, ancient Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
-Buddhist heritage, and Islamic culture. The Sundanese have very vivid, orally-transmitted memories of grand era of the Sunda Kingdom
Sunda Kingdom
The Sunda Kingdom was a Hindu kingdom located on the western part of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering areas of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and the western part of Central Java...
. The oral tradition of Sundanese people is called Pantun Sunda
Pantun Sunda
Pantun Sunda is a type of Sundanese oral narrative performance interspersed with songs and music played on a kacapi, a kind of zither. A pantun used to be recited during an evening-length performance...
, the chant of poetic verses employed for story-telling. It is the counterpart of Javanese tembang, similar but quite different with Malay pantun
Pantun
The pantun is a Malay poetic form. The pantun originated as a traditional oral form of expression. The first examples to be recorded appear in the 15th century in the Malay Annals and the Hikayat Hang Tuah. The most common theme is love....
. The Pantun Sunda often tell the Sundanese folklores and legends such as Sangkuriang
Sangkuriang
Sangkuriang is a legend among Sundanese people, Indonesia. The legend tells about the creation of lake Bandung, Mount Tangkuban Parahu, Mount Burangrang and Mount Bukit Tunggul....
, Lutung Kasarung
Lutung Kasarung
Lutung Kasarung is a Sundanese folklore from West Java, Indonesia. Set in the Pasir Batang kingdom, it tells the tale of a magical lutung who helped a beautiful princess, Purbasari Ayuwangi, when her older sister attempted to rob her of her status as crown princess.The theme and moral of the...
, Ciung Wanara
Ciung Wanara
Ciung Wanara is a legend among Sundanese people, Indonesia. The legend is history record of Sunda Galuh kingdom. The legend describe the culture tie between Sundanese and Javanese living in western part of Central Java province.-Source:...
, Mundinglaya Dikusumah
Mundinglaya Dikusumah
Mundinglaya Dikusumah is a folklore among Sundanese people, Indonesia. The folklore tells about a life of prince in the era of Sunda kingdom when Great King Silihwangi reigning in the kingdom...
, the tales of King Siliwangi
King Siliwangi
Siliwangi is a legendary great king of the Sunda kingdom in West Java. The kingdom flourished between 669 to 1759 AD. He brought the kingdom greatness and prosperity. Some accounts of his life are taken from the Pantun Sunda oral tradition that describe his reign as a glorious era for the Sundanese...
, and popular children folklore such as Si Leungli
Leungli
Leungli or Si Leungli is a Sundanese folklore from West Java, Indonesia. The folklore tells the story of a beautiful friendship between a poor girl and her magical pet goldfish named "Leungli", who helped and cheered her whenever her older sisters abused her.The theme and moral of the legend are...
.
Traditional artforms include various of musics, dances, and martial arts. The notable Sundanese musics are angklung
Angklung
The Angklung is a musical instrument made of two bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to have a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves. The base of the frame is held in one hand, whilst the other hand shakes the instrument rapidly. This causes a repeating note...
bamboo music, kecapi suling music, gamelan degung
Gamelan degung
Gamelan Degung is a Sundanese musical ensemble that uses a subset of modified gamelan instruments with a particular mode of pelog scale.- Instruments :The instrumentation of gamelan degung is quite flexible. It may include:...
, reyog Sunda and rampak gendang. Angklung bamboo music instrument is one of world heritages of intangible culture.
The most well known and distinctive Sundanese dance are Jaipongan
Jaipongan
Jaipongan, also known as Jaipong, is a popular traditional dance of Sundanese people, West Java, Indonesia. The dance was created by Gugum Gumbira, based on traditional Sundanese Ketuk Tilu music and Pencak Silat movements.- Background :...
, a traditional social dance which usually but mistakenly associated with eroticism
Eroticism
Eroticism is generally understood to refer to a state of sexual arousal or anticipation of such – an insistent sexual impulse, desire, or pattern of thoughts, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality and romantic love...
. Other popular dances such as Merak dance describing colorful dancing peafowls. Sisingaan dance is performed especially in Subang
Subang
-Indonesia:*Subang, Indonesia, a city in West Java*Subang Regency, a regency of West Java*Subang, Subang, a subdistrict of Subang Regency-Malaysia:*Subang, Selangor, an affluent residential town in Selangor state...
area to celebrate circumcision
Circumcision
Male circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
ritual where the boy to be circumcised is seated upon a lion figure carried by four men. Another dance such as Dewi dance and Ratu Graeni dance shows Javanese courtly Mataram
Mataram Sultanate
The Sultanate of Mataram was the last major independent Javanese empire on Java before the island was colonized by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force in interior Central Java from the late 16th century until the beginning of the 18th century....
influences.
Wayang golek puppetry is the most popular wayang performance for Sundanese people. Many forms of kejawen dance, literature, gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
music and shadow puppetry (wayang kulit) derive from the Javanese. Sundanese puppetry is more influenced by Islamic folklore than the influence of Indian epics present in Javanese versions.
The Pencak silat
Pencak Silat
Pencak silat is an umbrella term for the indigenous martial arts created in Indonesia. The leading organization of pencak silat in Indonesia is IPSI...
martial art in Sundanese tradition can be traced to the historical figure King Siliwangi
King Siliwangi
Siliwangi is a legendary great king of the Sunda kingdom in West Java. The kingdom flourished between 669 to 1759 AD. He brought the kingdom greatness and prosperity. Some accounts of his life are taken from the Pantun Sunda oral tradition that describe his reign as a glorious era for the Sundanese...
of Sunda Pajajaran kingdom, with Cimande is one of the most prominent school. The recently developed Tarung Derajat
Tarung Derajat
Tarung Derajat is a stand-up and full-contact martial art from Indonesia, created by Haji Achmad Drajat. Drajat developed the techniques through his experience as a street fighter in the 1960s Bandung. Tarung Derajat is officially recognized as a national sport and used as a basic training by...
is also a popular martial art in West Java.
Cuisine
Sundanese cuisineSundanese cuisine
Sundanese cuisine is the cuisine of Sundanese people of West Java, Indonesia. It is among one of the most popular food in Indonesia. The Sundanese food is characterize with its freshness; the famous lalab eaten with sambal and also karedok demonstrate the Sundanese fondness for fresh raw vegetables...
is one of the most popular traditional food in Indonesia, and it is also easily found in Indonesian cities. The Sundanese food is characterize with its freshness; the famous lalab
Lalab
Lalab or Lalap is a Sundanese raw vegetable salad served with sambal terasi. It is originated from West Java, Indonesia. Originally it is made from any available edible young leafs and raw vegetables know by Sundanese since ancient times...
eaten with sambal
Sambal
Sambal is a chili based sauce which is normally used as a condiment. Sambals are popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as in the Netherlands and in Suriname through Javanese influence. It is typically made from a variety of chili peppers and is...
and also karedok
Karedok
Karedok is a raw vegetable salad in peanut sauce from West Java, Indonesia. It is one of the Sundanese signature dish. It is made from cucumbers, bean sprouts, cabbage, legumes, Thai basil, and small green eggplant, covered in peanut sauce dressing...
demonstrate the Sundanese fondness for fresh raw vegetables. Similar to other ethnic groups in Indonesia, Sundanese people eat rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
for almost every meal. The Sundanese like to say, "If you have not eaten rice, then you have not eaten." Rice is prepared in hundreds of different ways. However, it is simple boiled rice that serves as the centerpiece of all meals.
Next to steamed rice, the side dishes of vegetables, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, or 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...
are added to provide variety of taste as well as for protein, mineral and nutrients intake. These side dishes are grilled, fried, steamed or boiled and spiced with any combination of garlic, galingale (a plant of the ginger family), turmeric, coriander, ginger, and lemon grass. The herbs rich food wrapped and cooked inside banana leaf called pepes
Pepes
Pepes is an Indonesian cooking method using banana leaf as food wrappings. The banana-leaf package containing food is secured with lidi seumat , cooked on steam, in boiled water or grilled on charcoal...
(Sundanese:pais) is popular among Sundanese people. Pepes available in many varieties according to its ingredients; carp fish, anchovies, minced meat with eggs, mushroom, tofu or oncom. Oncom
Oncom
Oncom is one of the traditional staple foods of West Javan cuisine. There are two kinds of oncom: red oncom and black oncom...
is popular foodstuff within Sundanese cuisine, just like its counterpart; the tempe popularity among Javanese people. Usually food itself is not too spicy, but it is served with a very hot sauce made by grinding chili peppers and garlic together. On the coast, saltwater fish are common; in the mountains, fish tend to be either pond-raised carp or goldfish. A well-known Sundanese dish is lalapan, which consists only of raw vegetables, such as papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
leaves, cucumber
Cucumber
The cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same genus as the muskmelon. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and...
, eggplant, and bitter melon
Bitter melon
Momordica charantia, called bitter melon or bitter gourd in English, is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all fruits...
.
In general, Sundanese food taste rich and savory, but not as tangy as Padang food, nor as sweet as Javanese food
Javanese cuisine
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people. In wider sense, Javanese cuisine might also refer to the cuisine of the whole people of Java Island, Indonesia; which also include Sundanese in West Java, Betawi people in Jakarta and Madurese on Madura Island off East Java...
.
See also
- Sunda KingdomSunda KingdomThe Sunda Kingdom was a Hindu kingdom located on the western part of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering areas of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, and the western part of Central Java...
- Sunda WiwitanSunda WiwitanSunda Wiwitan is a religious belief system of traditional Sundanese. It venerates the power of nature and the spirit of ancestors ....
- Kidung SundaKidung SundaKidung Sunda is a Middle-Javanese kidung of probable Balinese provenance. In this poem, the story of king Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit who was looking for a bride to be, is narrated. At last he chose the princess of Sunda, a kingdom in West Java. The princess' name is remained undisclosed in this...
- List of Sundanese people
- Baduy