Google doodle celebrates the rendang, a Indonesian popular dish of meat stewed in coconut milk

The doodle celebrates rendang, a rich Indonesian stew made with coconut milk. It is officially recognized as Indonesia’s national dish and is listed as an intangible cultural heritage by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.

On this day, the Governor of West Sumatra received the trophy for the largest ever online rendang cooking event from the Indonesian Archives. The origins of rendang date back to the 16th century. The Minangkabau employed curry techniques such as using lots of spices and coconut milk, but would cook the dish for a fairly long time until it thickened and reduced the amount of sauce.

With migration and trade booming in Southeast Asia, rendang has also become popular in countries like Malaysia and Singapore. Different cultures have also added their own twists to the classic dish. For example, the Philippines uses local spices mixed with palapa and adds white sugar.

Rendang is still a local delicacy today.