In Indonesia, non-Muslims join race to buy Ramadan bazaar snacks

JAKARTA – If anything can make Indonesians live up to the national motto of “unity in diversity”, it’s food.

This is never more so than during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which even has its own set of culinary vocabulary.

There is ngabuburit, waiting for the time to break fast; bukber, short for buka bersama, referring to breaking fast together with friends or colleagues; and takjil, light snacks to break fast.

The snacks, which traditionally include dishes such as kolak (stewed bananas and sweet potatoes in coconut milk) and es campur (shaved ice with syrup), are meant to be a quick, sweet treat for Muslims who have refrained from eating over the last 12 hours or so.

But these takjil are so tempting that even non-Muslims want them, sparking a so-called takjil war to get to the most popular snacks before they sell out.

During Ramadan in Indonesia, takjil vendors regularly line the streets from the early afternoon. Pasar kaget (pop-up markets) offering takjil are also a common sight in cities across the country. In Jakarta, many of the takjil spots are already crowded by 3pm and the most popular dishes can be sold out as early as 5pm, over an hour before the time to break fast.

A running gag on social media has non-Muslims donning traditional Muslim clothing such as baju koko or hijabs in order to “pose” as Muslims as they seek out takjil.

Popular Chinese Indonesian content creator @lizzebethmuaa, who has more than 11 million followers on TikTok, posted a video last week showing herself and her husband going “undercover” as Muslims and going takjil-hunting as early as 2pm, with the caption, “sorry, we go first guys”.

A similar viral video from Catholic content creator Evelyn Hutani shows her and her family buying takjil right after Ash Wednesday mass on Feb 18, wearing traditionally Muslim gamis or long robes, with the ashes still visible on their foreheads.

Even pastors are joining in the fun – a video from Indonesian Tiberias Church minister Marcel Saerang shows a skit of him and members of his congregation “strategising” for the takjil war, complete with the Mission Impossible soundtrack as background music. “Big victories start with thorough planning,” the caption reads.

While religion-related content can sometimes be contentious in the Muslim-majority nation, these videos are taken in good humour by most netizens, even as they jokingly complain that non-Muslims are snapping up all the good takjil before Muslims can get to them.

“I haven’t gotten any risol ayam (chicken croquettes) in three days, they always sell out, don’t make me stir-fry a Christmas tree,” one commenter on TikTok threatened.

“They go to war when it’s still not crowded, guys, when we’re at our hungriest,” another commenter lamented.

Another common gag has Muslim commenters encouraging the non-Muslim takjil hunters to go all the way and convert to Islam, with comments such as “Repeat after me: Ashadu...”, referring to the start of the Shahada, or Islamic declaration of faith.

Some TikTok users even suggest that vendors test prospective buyers to check if they are Muslim or not. “I’ll tell the sellers so that they quiz you on (Quran verses),” one wrote.

In real life, most non-Muslims do not feel the need to “disguise” themselves, as there is no prohibition – religious or otherwise – on non-Muslims buying takjil.

Public relations professional Yetta Angelina, 43, a Protestant, has enjoyed hunting for takjil during Ramadan since she was a teenager.

“I really love traditional Indonesian snacks and desserts, but it’s difficult to find them on regular days,” she told The Straits Times. “During Ramadan, everything is easily available!”

Ms Yetta’s favourite takjil is kolak, which she finds in various pop-up markets in Jakarta.

Translator Natasha Angelica, 27, also a Protestant, had similar reasons for joining in the takjil war.

“I like to snack, and there are lots of food available during Ramadan that I don’t get to eat every day,” she said.

Her current favourite takjil is panada, a deep-fried pastry filled with fish, which, funnily enough, is a traditional snack from Christian-majority Manado in North Sulawesi. “I found it at a place near my office in Tendean (in South Jakarta) and I was surprised because this the first time I’ve seen panada sold as takjil.”

Ms Natasha’s Muslim friends often poke fun at her for being so enthusiastic about looking for takjil. “They tease me every day because my takjil haul is bigger than that of those who are actually fasting,” she said.

Rosa, a 47-year-old vendor at the popular takjil market in the Bendungan Hilir neighbourhood of Central Jakarta, said she often has non-Muslim customers buying from her stall, which sells kolak, as well as sweets such as klepon (glutinous rice flour balls filled with palm sugar) and lupis (sticky rice cakes served with palm sugar syrup).

“They often come earlier in the afternoon,” said Rosa, who has been selling takjil since 2007. “I think it’s great because it helps us sell more.”

It’s a sentiment shared by those online, too.

“Thanks a lot to our non-Muslim brothers and sisters who help support small vendors, especially during the rainy season like this, when business can be quiet,” TikTok commenter @ngopoik said. “How beautiful my Indonesia is; its (religious) tolerance is so great.”