TAUCO AND SOY SAUCE AS INDONESIAN HALAL CULINARY HERITAGE: ACCULTURATION, FERMENTATION, AND MUSLIM-FRIENDLY FOOD PRACTICES

Agung Wibiyanto; Ichwan Prastowo; Anita Andriantini Mulia; Henny Kustini

doi:10.21274/ar-rehla.v6i1.12028

Authors

Agung Wibiyanto Politeknik Indonusa Surakarta
Ichwan Prastowo Universitas Muhammadiyah Karanganyar
Anita Andriantini Mulia Politeknik Assalaam Surakarta
Henny Kustini Politeknik Nest Sukoharjo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21274/ar-rehla.v6i1.12028

Keywords:

tauco, soy sauce, halal culinary, fermented food, culinary heritage, Muslim-friendly cuisine

Abstract

Abstract: This article revises the discussion of tauco and soy sauce by placing them within the field of Indonesian halal culinary studies. Rather than treating tauco and soy sauce merely as traces of Chinese-Indonesian acculturation, this article asks how fermented soybean condiments can be understood as halal culinary heritage, how their production and use intersect with halal assurance, and why tauco remains less visible than sweet soy sauce in Muslim-friendly food narratives. This study uses a qualitative literature review by combining food history, food anthropology, fermentation studies, and Indonesian halal product assurance literature. The analysis shows that tauco and sweet soy sauce share a genealogy of soybean fermentation but follow different cultural trajectories: sweet soy sauce has been nationalized as an everyday Indonesian condiment, whereas tauco remains attached to particular regional and Peranakan kitchens. From a halal culinary perspective, both condiments have strong potential because their main ingredients are plant based; however, halal certainty is not determined by ingredients alone but also by microbial cultures, additives, processing aids, equipment, storage, and serving practices. The article argues that tauco should not be marginalized as an ethnic seasoning, but repositioned as Indonesian halal culinary heritage through transparent ingredient information, halal-certified production, Muslim-friendly recipe adaptation, and culinary education that acknowledges its cross-cultural origins.

Keywords: tauco; soy sauce; halal culinary; fermented food; culinary heritage; Muslim-friendly cuisine

Abstract: Artikel ini merevisi pembahasan tentang tauco dan kecap dengan menempatkannya dalam kajian kuliner halal Indonesia. Alih-alih hanya memandang tauco dan kecap sebagai jejak akulturasi Tionghoa-Indonesia, artikel ini mempertanyakan bagaimana bumbu fermentasi kedelai dapat dipahami sebagai warisan kuliner halal, bagaimana produksi dan penggunaannya bersinggungan dengan jaminan kehalalan, serta mengapa tauco masih kurang terlihat dibandingkan kecap manis dalam narasi makanan ramah Muslim. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode tinjauan pustaka kualitatif dengan menggabungkan kajian sejarah makanan, antropologi pangan, studi fermentasi, dan literatur jaminan produk halal di Indonesia. Analisis menunjukkan bahwa tauco dan kecap manis memiliki genealogi yang sama dalam tradisi fermentasi kedelai, tetapi menempuh lintasan budaya yang berbeda: kecap manis telah ternasionalisasi sebagai bumbu harian masyarakat Indonesia, sedangkan tauco masih melekat pada dapur regional dan peranakan tertentu. Dalam perspektif kuliner halal, keduanya memiliki potensi kuat karena bahan utamanya berbasis nabati; namun kepastian halal tidak hanya ditentukan oleh bahan, melainkan juga kultur mikroba, bahan tambahan, bahan penolong, peralatan, penyimpanan, dan praktik penyajian. Artikel ini berargumen bahwa tauco tidak semestinya dimarginalkan sebagai bumbu etnik, tetapi diposisikan ulang sebagai warisan kuliner halal Indonesia melalui transparansi informasi bahan, produksi bersertifikat halal, adaptasi resep ramah Muslim, dan edukasi kuliner yang tetap mengakui asal-usul lintas budayanya.

Keywords: tauco; kecap; kuliner halal; makanan fermentasi; warisan kuliner; masakan ramah muslim

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