Indian influence can be observed in Indonesia as early as the 4th century. Following the spread of Islam in Indonesia, Indian Muslim influences entered Indonesian cuisine. An example is martabak which influences Sumatran cuisine.
But did you know that martabak originally came from the Arabian Peninsula? This food is a dish commonly found in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei. The name comes from the word mutabbaq in Arabic which means folded.
Mutabbaq might originate from Yemen, which had a sizeable Indian population. Through Indian traders, it spreads back to their home countries. It was then brought to Southeast Asia by Tamil Muslim traders.
However, there is a sweets shop named Zalatimo Brothers for Sweets in Jerusalem that claims to have invented mutabbaq in 1860. It was made of paper-thin folded filo dough & filled with a special local white cheese. Soon after, it became a popular breakfast locally.
There are many varieties of martabak. For example, the vegetarian version also exists & can be found in many restaurants in Saudi Arabia. In Indonesia itself, the common ingredients besides the dough, are seasoned ground meat, sliced green onions, some herbs, beaten duck eggs, salt & potatoes. But in some areas in Sumatra, it is served with curry gravy.
In Palembang, egg martabak is served in curry & topped with chilies in sweet sour soy sauce called Martabak Haji Abdul Rozak, or more commonly known as Martabak HAR, made popular by an Indian Indonesian named Haji Abdul Rozak. There is also a popular variant from Padang, called martabak kubang, which is served with light curry as a dipping sauce. These Malays then brought this dish to South Africa during Dutch colonization, where it is known as muttabah in Cape Malays which is mainly filled with minced meat & spinach with a cheese topping.
Nowadays, there are many varieties of martabak, specifically in Indonesia, where various types of emerging toppings are being added to innovate the dish. Toppings that are used to substitute the usual meat are black pepper-sauced minced meat, spicy tuna, shredded beef rendang, grilled salmon & instant noodles. The popular instant noodle toppings being used are Indomie & Samyang spicy noodles.
Maybe this type of martabak is still quite foreign to your ears. But for sure, you are guaranteed to like it! It is not impossible that this dish, which is Indonesian people’s favorite food, could be known as a global food, just like pizza, which is a source of pride for Italians.
