Jipang (food)

Jipang is a traditional snack made out of rice or glutinous rice. This traditional snack is also sometimes called bipang or berondong beras.

The word bipang is taken from Hokkien bí-phang^[1] (米芳; pinyin Mandarin = mǐ fāng), which means "rice which is fragrant or aromatic", refers to it being a confection.^[2] Jipang is one of the most popular traditional snacks from China.^[2] Chinese immigrants introduced and sold jipang in Indonesia as a snack. A few of these traditional jipang businesses are still active; one of these is Toko Bipang Jangkar in Pasuruan, East Java which has operated continuously since 1940.^[2]

The process of making jipang varies from place to place and even from family to family because jipang is such a widespread snack. Adding onto that, the processes used in the large-scale production of jipang vary largely from the traditional way of making it.

The main ingredients in making jipang is rice and sugar.^[3] The best rice for making jipang comes from unhulled rice which has been stored for 3-4 days. According to major jipang producers, jipang is most sought after in the monsoon seasons instead of summer where sales drop.^[3] The reason for this is that people tend to avoid snacks that make them thirsty in the summer months.^[3]

The making of jipang in major factories usually utilizes highly specified equipment where the rice is roasted over a high-pressure gas stove or gas burner.^[3] Next, the rice is popped and mixed with caramelized sugar to give it the sweet flavor traditional jipang has. Before it hardens, the mixture is laid on a table and cut to size for packaging.^[3]

In Lahat, South Sumatra, jipang is popular in the lebaran season where the making process of the jipang differs from the methods used in major factories.^[4] The jipang from Lahat is made manually from glutinous rice.^[4] This unique jipang is also washed, submerged, covered with brown sugar, and dried under the sun before it is finally fried.^[4]