Lepet: Cultural Significance of Indonesian Glutinous Rice Snack in Different Area

Abstract

Lepet is a traditional snack made of rice or glutinous rice that covered with coconut or banana leaves and processed through boiling or steaming for a few hours. Nowadays, lepet is just sold as a snack but still had significant value in Indonesian society and used in many ceremonies and festivals. Most of the ceremonies are held in Java's island, such as seserahan meleki and bersih desa, which use lepet as offerings. Aside from lepet, there are another similar food with similar name, such as leupeut in West Java, lepat bugi in Sumatera, and lapa-lapa in Sulawesi. From historical view, lepet is receiving an influence of immigration and religions along Indonesian history.