Pickles (asinan) are a type of food made by salting with salt, red chili and vinegar, the ingredients are various types of vegetables and tropical fruits typical of Java. The term asinan refers to the preservation process by soaking fruit or vegetables in a mixture of water and salt, this method of cooking by salting is the most primitive cooking technique in Java that is still used today. This salting method has been used since the discovery of salt by ancient civilizations in Java, the ancient Javanese people before the colonial era had started to do cooking techniques by salting, for example: Salted fish, Why is fish salted?, so that the fish stays fresh and adds flavor. But, the most important thing is to keep the fish fresh, because not every day people can eat fresh fish. And this is one proof of the salted cooking technique that has been done by the ancient Javanese, this salted technique is very universal, it even existed in the ancient civilizations of the ancient Javanese ancestral chronicle land which also had the influence of Chinese culture in pickled dishes in Indonesia, such as in the Bogor asinan and Betawi asinan menus. Both of these asinan menus used salting techniques for fruits and vegetables, which were not found in indigenous peoples at that time. In fact, vegetables and fruit at that time were very easy to get, especially on the island of Java such as Bogor and Jakarta. So, actually the food does not need to be salted just to keep it fresh when consumed. However, the technique of pickling vegetables such as mustard greens and fruits is something that the Chinese people usually do to make them last longer, because in their home country it is difficult to get fresh vegetables.
The influence of the Chinese community in Indonesia before colonialism was also very strong, so that the pickled fruit and vegetable menu remains to this day. Chinese people who came to trade to Indonesia at that time often stayed for a long time and made pickles for their menu. The pickled menu is also one of the dishes served when visiting a place for Chinese people who live in Indonesia. This menu has become popular because of its distinctive taste and can last a long time. So the cross between Javanese and Chinese cultures is very possible at the dinner table, even when they are trading, or even when they are eating together.
Asinan also includes processed healthy foods that do not contain preservatives, because currently the trend is that many people are hunting for healthy food and people's awareness to eat healthy food has emerged strongly, especially during the pandemic, and of course pickles contain healthy ingredients. such as vegetables and fruits play an important role in our health.
So it can be said that Asinan is one of the typical dishes of Javanese culinary arts. Asinan vegetables are very similar to salads, the main difference is that they are served fresh, while pickles are served with marinated spices, the spicy taste makes your eyes widen and wake up, in Indonesia there are many types of pickles, but the most famous are Jakarta (Betawi) and Bogor pickles.
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