Jurnal Kesehatan Prima http://jkp.poltekkes-mataram.ac.id/index.php/home/index p-ISSN: 1978-1334 (Print); e-ISSN: 2460-8661 (Online) IDENTIFICATION AND FARMER FAMILY’S PREFERENCE OF INDIGENOUS FOOD IN RURAL BENGKULU Betty Yosephin Simanjuntak1, Desri Suryani2, Miratul Haya3, Ali Khomsan4 1-4 Poltekkes Kemenkes Bengkulu, Indonesia [email protected] Tlp: +628573286858 Received: 29 July 2019/Accepted:09 August 2020/Published Online: 17 August 2020 © This Journal is an open-access under the CC-BY-SA License Abstract These traditional foods have nutritional value and more specific taste. These foods use the ingredients obtained from the local food sources and they have the taste which is relatively acceptable for Bengkulu people. Purpose of this research was to identify the kinds of traditional foods, preferences in the consumption pattern in the family of farmers. The data collection method used a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques such as indepth interviews and Food Frequency Questionnaire . FGD was performed on each ethnic group, and the members were mothers who understood the traditional foods consumed by people in the related ethnic group and they resided in the ethnic group. The identification of traditional foods is obtained from FFQ (Food Frequency Questionnaire). Most of the food sources of vegetables consumed by the community were vegetables that many people got from rice fields/dryfields/ gardens Traditional food snacks, side dishes and vegetables in the agricultural households as such as bolu semut, rebung asam ikan gaguk, guasan, gulai nangko,and gulai jamur gerigit. Preferences for indegenous foods among different generations show preference for traditional snacks, traditional side dishes and vegetables in households. The preference for indegenous foods varied between the children, mothers and fathers. Keywords: Farmers; Indegenous Food; Preference INTRODUCTION 2015). The tendency of consuming traditional food in Traditional food which include indigenous food a family is often found during the wedding ceremony is a cultural phenomenon (Gewa et al., 2019). The of Bengkulu people. This condition is still preserved traditional food is the food consumed by certain ethnic due to their fondness and preference and also easiness group in a specific region and continue to be a vital to obtain. Some traditional foods of Bengkulu which component of the diet. As environmental and socio- are fish-based are pendap fish, pais, lemea, bagar hiu, economic changes continually challenge northern First gulai kemba’ang, and tempoyak (fermented durian). Nations communities, the availability of traditional These traditional foods have nutritional value and foods is critical to maintaining their food security more specific taste. These foods use the ingredients (Schuster, Wein, Dickson, & Chan, 2011). The obtained from the local food sources and they have the existence of traditional food is getting scarce due to taste which is relatively acceptable for Bengkulu the complexity of the making and that it is only known people. by certain group of people. Those products were Processing of agricultural products remains the probably part of a daily meal and these days they are most important food and nutrition security aspect consumed only on festive occasions (Jordana, 2000) (Nkhata, Ayua, Kamau, & Shingiro, 2018). The (Sarkar, Lohith, Dhumal, Panigrahi, & Choudhary, DOI: 10.32.807/jkp.v14i2. Kesehatan Prima, Volume 14 Issue. 2, August 2020 | 120 processing method of the traditional food such as how to process, distribute, prepare, and serve food soaking, fermentation, and germination may increase (Hotz & Gibson, 2007). A study in Iran, found that the bio-availability of micronutrient (Hotz & Gibson, serve as guideline to design socio-culturally 2007). In fact that the society is having micronutrient appropriate strategies and improve dietary behaviors problem, the traditional source of food can be used for of Iranians (Roudsari et al., 2017). Meanwhile, food improve the strategy of improving the nutrition for choices or preferences are generally determined by the family with traditional food base. Micronutrient in factor of acceptance or rejection of food by form of iron, vitamin A and vitamin C are mostly individuals or populations (Colozza & Avendano, available in traditional food (Roche, Creed-Kanashiro, 2019). The choice of food preference for individuals Tuesta, & Kuhnlein, 2008). Eating leafy vegetables and households is generally influenced and formed has been reported to contribute to vitamin A, C and Ca from a combination of genetic and environmental intakes when 50 g/d are consumed (Penafiel, factors. Meanwhile, food preferences and parental Cevallos-valdiviezo, & Damme, 2019). The latter eating habits provide great examples of opportunities highlights the importance of consuming green leafy in shaping food preferences and eating habits for their vegetables for micronutrient intake. The switch from children (Scaglioni, Arrizza, Vecchi, & Tedeschi, consuming traditional food may reduce the 2015). The pattern of food consumption is defined as consumption of fish, vegetables and fruits, and local the composition of the types and quantities of food agriculture product. Increasing the availability of fruits consumed by a person or group of people and vegetables would be well received. Information (Mahmudiono, Sumarmi, & Rosenkranz, 2017). from this study provides a basis for nutrition education Personal factors (including taste indicator, and food supplement programs that is responsive to emotion, and personality), biological and the needs and perceptions of the residents. Continued psychological factors (including age indicator, gender, traditional food intake and increased fruit and and psychological influence) and also intrinsic factors vegetable intake have the potential to benefit the (taste, aroma, appearance, and quality of food) give health of rural residents (Johnson, Nobmann, & Asay, significant influence to the preference in choosing and 2012). As the result, the micronutrient intake becomes consuming traditional food (Bartkiene et al., 2019) low, another consequence is the increase of energy, (Park, Hongu, & Daily, 2016). The consumption of carbohydrate and fat consumption. traditional food is found more often among males and Individual food consumption at the household it increases in accordance with the age among both level is generally influenced by many factors, males and females (Schuster et al., 2011). Besides that including; food availability, type, and amount of food the pattern of traditional food consumption is highlly in a household that usually develops from staple food influenced by the season and the availability of locally or from food that has been planted (Hotz & foodstock, as an example, bagar hiu can be made Gibson, 2007). Many of these concepts are when a fisherman catches a pigeon shark or horn shark contextualized from childhood. In addition, the socio- because the smell of these kinds of shark is not too cultural factors of the local area also influence the fishy and the skin is softer than other kinds of shark. food consumption patterns of the community, The indegenous food called tempoyak is the result of including the types of food that must be produced, durian fermentation which has acidity and distinct DOI: 10.32.807/jkp.v14i2. Kesehatan Prima, Volume 14 Issue. 2, August 2020 | 121 aroma and is often consumed by the people during the in the FGD was closely related to the things the durian harvest season. Bengkulu as a agriculture area mothers did in their daily lives, thereby the mothers is rich in the diversity of distinctive fish based food. involved in FGD were very enthusiastic to tell what This research uses FGD method because traditional they knew about these traditional foods. FGD results food types based on side dishes, snacks and vegetables became the basis for the research team to develop the have never been identified especially in agriculture questionnaire related to traditional foods; i.e. the data area. Due to the diversity of traditional food in concerning frequency of traditional food consumption, Bengkulu Province, an identification of kinds of preference of traditional food and frequency of traditional food consumed must be done. In this study traditional foodstuffs consumption. The diversity of to identify the kinds of traditional food, and preference types of food and traditional foodstuffs in each ethnic in the family of farmers in Bengkulu. group caused difficulties in questionnaire development and when it was asked to the respondents. Data METHOD frequency of traditional food consumption, preference This study was carried out in three different of traditional food. It took about 20 minutes to collect regions from Bengkulu province (Indonesia). Data the data on the first day from one sample. The collection in the field was started by implementing indegenous foods identified cover the variety of snack, focus group discussion (FGD) conducted in 3 (three) side dishes, and vegetables. The data of the traditional sample tribes. FGD is done to compare traditional food consumed by the family will then be sorted into 5 foods in each ethnic. FGD was performed on each kinds of the most often consumed traditional food. ethnic group, and the members were mothers who The preference of indegenous food is the level of understood the traditional foods consumed by people favorite to the traditional food consumed. in the related ethnic group and they resided in