Bakcang is a must for serving food during the Peh Cun Festival. This familiar dish among Indonesians, especially in Tangerang, is a traditional Tionghoa dish that consists of rice or sticky rice and is stuffed with meat. Although it has been around for a long time, bakcang still exists today and has even become a staple food. The reason is that bakcang has a history that is closely linked to Peh Cun.
The history of Bakcang began when a figure named Qu Yuan was tasked with uniting warring states. According to the book Chinese Cultural Customs… Footprints in the Archipelago: Mid-Year Traditions from Ceng Beng, Peh Cun to Chinese Valentine’s Day published by the Tri Dharma Tegal Foundation, there once lived a loyal minister in the State of Chu named Qu Yuan. At that time, Qu Yuan lived during the Warring States period (Zhanguo Shidai). China was divided into seven states, namely Qi, Chu, Yan, Han, Zhao, Wei, and Qin. The seven states were at war with each other, and Qin was the strongest state. In order to defeat the State of Qin, the King of Chu, Chu Huai Wang, sent Qu Yuan on a mission to form an alliance with the other five states. Qu Yuan carried out the mission and succeeded. Because of this, many nobles in the State of Chu were jealous of Qu Yuan’s achievements. The nobles tried to incite the king to distrust Qu Yuan. Two of the instigators were Prince Lan and Minister Shang Guan. The nobles who accepted bribes from the Qin state also incited the king to dissolve the alliance that had been formed. The king was influenced and dismissed Qu Yuan from his position.
Concerned about the fate of his country, Qu Yuan wrote a poem entitled ‘Lí Sāo’, which means lamentation. The poem spread to the palace. This led to Qu Yuan being dismissed from all his positions. The alliance of six states dissolved and the State of Chu fell into chaos due to pressure from the State of Qin. This culminated in the death of King Chu Huai Wang and his replacement by King Chu Xiang Wang. His country was conquered by the State of Qin, causing Qu Yuan to despair. Qu Yuan then ended his life by throwing himself into the Miluo River. This event is estimated to have taken place on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese calendar.
The fishermen searched for Qu Yuan’s corpse using boats and threw rice and eggs into the river in the hope that living creatures in the river, such as fish, would not eat Qu Yuan’s corpse. Unable to find his body, the people of Chu made offerings to Qu Yuan by wrapping rice in bamboo shells. The rice was then poured into the Miluo River. However, bakcang were not discovered until 338 years later when someone encountered Qu Yuan in a dream. That person said that Qu Yuan did not receive the food sent to the river because it had been eaten by fish.
“That’s why it is made from rough leaves (Lian Shu leaves). Hence, the name bakcang or zòngzi. If the leaves are rough, the fish can’t eat them. So he (Qu Yuan) gets some. Therefore, there is such a thing as bakcang,” said Oey Tjin Eng, a preservationist of Benteng Chinese culture in Tangerang City.
But nowadays, the rough leaves are replaced with bamboo leaves. Wita Herawati, a bakcang maker for 25 years, also said that she and her family always use bamboo leaves to make bakcang even though it can be wrapped in banana leaves or pandan leaves.
Wita always makes bakcang every year, especially in Peh Cun because she wants to preserve the traditions passed down by her family. Every Peh Cun, her family always makes bakcang. Although she was never directly taught, Wita always watched her parents when they made bakcang. Then, Wita practised using soil until she was finally able to make her own bakcang.
“My parents made bakcang, and I would always look at it. If there were leftover bamboo leaves that didn’t use, as a child I would use them to make a plaything. I filled it with soil. That’s how I started (making bakcang). From looking at it and then getting the desire (to make bakcang),” said Wita.
The bakcang made by Wita is a typical Tionghoa Benteng bakcang (a term for descent Chinese who have acculturated with local people living in the Tangerang area). Bakcang made by Tionghoa Benteng is different from bakcang that is made by Tionghoa totok (a term for ethnic Chinese in Indonesia who have pure Chinese ancestry and maintain their culture). The difference between the two bakcang lies in the meat they used. The typical Tionghoa Benteng bakcang uses minced or ground meat. Meanwhile, typical Tionghoa totok bakcang, which is usually found in Medan, Bangka Belitung, and Kalimantan, uses meat sliced into squares. Apart from meat, bakcang can also be customised with other fillings, such as mushrooms or salted eggs.
“It depends on everyone’s taste. You can also add mushrooms, potatoes, carrots,” said Wita.
Since bakcang can also be customised to suit everyone’s tastes, this is why it is enjoyed by a variety of people. One of them is Sasmita Ganda Dipura or Sagara, a visitor who tasted the bakcang served during the 1000 Bakcang (Peh Cun Festival). Sagara often eats bakcang, but this was his first time eating bakcang with a spicy flavour. His reason for eating bakcang is because he believes in the blessings it brings.
“They say, according to Chinese belief, this (bakcang) contains blessings. So, I want to take the blessing too,” said Sagara.
Although Oey Tjin Eng does not explicitly state that bakcang brings blessings, people used to treat it as an antidote to bad luck.
The historical value of bakcang is what makes bakcang still loved by the public. Moreover, bakcang is a must-eat dish during Peh Cun which makes people continue to preserve it to this day.
