Here Are 5 Reasons Why Compote Is Often The Menu For Breaking The Fast In Ramadan

Banana compote illustration (Twitter / Ryuki Kurokami)

JAKARTA - There is no Ramadan without compote as a takjil menu, why is that? There are various types of compote in the archipelago, from banana compote, sweet potato compote, salak seed compote, estuary compote to pumpkin compote.

Not limited to time, I don't know since when compote has become a mandatory dish when the Maghrib drum resounds. Compote can be said as a drink that contains various types of filling. Because the filling is diverse, it is very flexible to cook. In fact, compote is not only a dish during Ramadan.

Even on a typical day, compote is also often found or even made at home according to taste or season. It is not uncommon for fruits such as banana and mango to become stuffing for compote because of the rich produce of tropical crops, the archipelago.

Formulated based on the influence of Arabic culture

A historian, Fadly Rahman, author of the book Jejak Rasa Nusantara: The History of Indonesian Food, notes that it is possible that a typical Ramadan dish, compote, was influenced by Arabic culture. Originally, the word compote comes from the word khalik which means 'God the creator of the universe'.

Culinary as a means of spreading religion

Several other historians have also mentioned that kolak with bersantan was once a means of spreading Islam. The exact source has not yet been found, said Fadly, but seen from the ingredients, it is a local potential.

Palm sugar, a compote ingredient that is evenly found in the archipelago

The sweetener in compote is generally from palm sugar. Palm sugar itself is found as processed agricultural products throughout the archipelago. Indonesia is also one of the largest exporters of palm sugar in the world.

The materials used are flexible or based on the potential of each region

When in calcareous areas, cassava compote is more popular than salak seed compote. Meanwhile, in some areas, pumpkin is also harvested throughout the season. Yellow squash is usually planted when the rice harvest season breaks. Uniquely, this plant can survive the dry season.

Other compote fillings such as banana, sweet potato, fro, sweet corn, and pearl sago, are easily found in Indonesia.

The taste tends to be sweet

After a day of stifling thirst and hunger, blood sugar decreases. This is one reason compote is a sweet dish with various fillings that are beneficial for increasing blood sugar. Insulin levels will be balanced again as the metabolism in the body increases after breaking the fast.

But there is something to remember, that breaking the fast with sweet compote has its limits. If you have a tendency to diabetes or high blood sugar, then choose sugar or natural sweeteners.

According to experts, palm sugar tends to be safe and can be an alternative for diabetes because it has a lower glycemic index than white sugar.