JAKARTA - Every Eid, many people eat chicken opor. This dish is almost always on the table, next to ketupat and other home-made dishes. Everything feels familiar. Even too familiar. That's why many people enjoy it just like that, without realizing that chicken opor, which is always present at Eid, actually has a long history and a strong sense of homecoming.
For many families, opor ayam is not just a meal. The aroma can bring back memories. The santan broth reminds you of the kitchen at home. The taste brings back memories of the morning of Eid, a crowded house, and family gatherings after a long time apart. Some miss their hometowns. Some miss home cooking. And opor ayam, it may be, is one of the flavors that can quickly bring it all back.
In general, opor ayam is known as an Indonesian dish made from chicken and coconut milk. Wikipedia notes that this dish is often associated with Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java, and is often served with ketupat in the Lebaran tradition. The note is very common. But at least gives an impression that opor ayam is not a new food, nor a dish that just appears.
In terms of recipes, chicken opor is very close to the Indonesian family kitchen. A number of literatures mention the main ingredients in the form of chicken, liquid coconut milk, thick coconut milk, and spices such as red onions, garlic, cashews, coriander, cumin, ginger, and lemongrass. The way to cook it is simple. The spices are fried, the chicken is cooked slowly, then the coconut milk is added until the sauce soaks in. The ingredients are familiar. The way to cook it is known. Maybe that's why chicken opor can last a long time. It grows from home cooking, not from a kitchen far from everyday life.
But chicken opor survives not only because it is delicious and easy to cook. There is a long story behind it. The historian of culinary at Padjadjaran University, Fadly Rahman, as quoted from detikEdu, said that opor developed in Java around the 15th to 16th century. Opor was born from an adjustment to curry, which was first known in the archipelago. The difference is that opor follows local tastes. The spices are not as strong as curry. The broth is also lighter.
This dish was born from a cultural meeting, then processed into a taste that is closer to the Javanese tongue. The process is long. Not for a moment. But from that process, opor then settled, was passed down, and then became part of the eating habits that continue to live until now.
The type of opor is not only one kind. There is white opor, there is yellow opor. According to Fadly Rahman, the yellow color is related to the use of turmeric which is likely influenced by Indian cuisine. Meanwhile, white opor emphasizes more coconut milk and is associated with the cultural ties of Java and China. Opor is also present in the Cap Go Meh lontong tradition. Meanwhile, during Lebaran, this dish is often combined with ketupat.
But what makes chicken opor still strong to this day is not solely its history. That strength also comes from the memories it carries. Chicken opor comes again at the same moment. From kitchen to kitchen. From mother to child. From one Eid to the next Eid. It keeps coming back with the atmosphere of the house, the sound of the family, and a taste that is hard to replace. Therefore, when people eat chicken opor during Eid, what comes often is not just a savory taste. There is also a sense of coming home. The taste of missing mother's cooking.
Today, chicken opor can be made faster. Instant seasoning is easy to find. Cooking time is shorter. It's okay. Everyone is certainly adapting to the times. But in the midst of practicality, perhaps, there is a story that can slowly be missed. Chicken opor then comes only as a mandatory menu, although behind it there is a long history and emotional bond that is not small.
Lebaran may still be celebrated without chicken opor. But without knowing the story, it could be, something is being thinned out. Not just about one dish, but about memories of home, about family, and about the feeling of coming home that every year comes back quietly through a plate of chicken opor.
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