抄録
This paper describes a socio-historical investigation into the local fermented food, cao, which is widespread in the fishing communities scattered through the Makassar Straits, South Sulawesi. The ingredients of cao are local fish (mairo, lure), cooked rice, salt and malted rice. The fermentation is produced by malted rice, which is thought to have been introduced from southern China.
In this area, people have long engaged in trepang fishing and its trading. For centuries, trepang was a leading maritime product with a high market price in Southeast Asia. Cao was formerly indispensable on fishing expeditions, being convenient to cook on board ship. Wives of punggawa, owner or captain, of trepang fishing ship would prepare enough cao for sawi, crew while their a few months long expedition. In recent decades, however, trepang fishing has declined because of overfishing, it has been replaced by another exportoriented maritime product, ikan sunu. With the drastic influx of foreign modal on ikan sunu fishing in early 1990s, the activities on board ship has changed more practical. Because of its more convenience, instant noodles have replaced cao.
However, women on a small island in the Supermonde Archipelago, the Makassar Straits, have found other uses of cao. Some women have seen commercial value in it and started to sell it on the island. Others cook it when fish vendors do not visit during the rainy season or around full moon nights. Others take cao as a gift when they visit relatives outside the island. By describing such changes in the socio-economic significance of cao, daily life on the small island in the Makassar Straits is depicted.
