Indonesian group 'warns' Malaysia not to claim spring rolls as heritage

Another demonstration was held in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta today, and this time around is to 'remind' the Malaysian government to not claim spring rolls as a Malaysian heritage dish, Indonesia media reports.

An activist group 'Forum Masyarakat Peduli Budaya Indonesia' (Formasbudi), claims that spring rolls or lumpia, as it is known there, is originally from Semarang, a city on the north coast of the Java island.

"Formasbudi had to proceed with this demonstration to make sure our spring rolls will not be claimed by Malaysia as one of their national dishes.

"On Oct 17, 2014, our Education and Cultural Ministry had declared that spring rolls from Semarang as a national heritage," Formasbudi Coordinator, Rahmulyo Adiwibowo was quoted by Kompas.com as saying.

He added, Central Java Cultural and Tourism Office will also submit a claim to UNESCO to acknowledge 'Lumpia Semarang' as a world cultural heritage originated from Indonesia.

During the demonstration, the group said their version of spring rolls were first introduced by a Chinese man, Tjoa Thay Joe, whom had settled in Semarang and later married a local woman named Mbok Wasi in 1870.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia, Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim confirmed the demonstration and posted it on his Twitter.

Spring rolls are easily found in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine, with similarities in the way it is made in the Philippines and Vietnam. They are also common in Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Sping rolls in Malaysia, locally known as popiah, has its own history. The culinary influence came along with the arrival of Chinese traders during the era of The Malacca Sultanate. It has since assimilated in local culture during the systematic inclusion of the Chinese community during the British occupation in Penang and Singapore in the 18th century.

In China, spring rolls are believed to be originated from Eastern Jin Dynasty which lasted between the years 265 and 420 AD.

Formasbudi was not the first group to create disputes on heritage commodities, triggering cultural tiffs between Indonesia and Malaysia. In 2009, Indonesia had accused Malaysia of using a visual which showed the 'tarian Pendet', a traditional dance from Bali island, to promote Malaysian tourism.

The matter was later resolved when Singapore-based Discovery TV clarified to both countries that the error was on their end and they had used the wrong visual for their advert.

Over the years, Indonesia has previously argued with Malaysia over who claims the rights to folk music, batik textiles and spicy beef rendang curry.

More recently, at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2014, Indonesia media claimed that Malaysia had showcased a photo of a 'Dayak Kalimantan' dance, whereas that was actually a photo of an Ibanese dancer in Sarawak.