Food with Indonesian Flavors Prepared for Hajj Pilgrims

Name: Food with Indonesian Flavors Prepared for Hajj Pilgrims
Uploaded: 2024-05-10T10:59:56Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: Food with Indonesian flavors is prepared to make Indonesian Hajj pilgrims comfortable and able to devote themselves to worship.

Food with Indonesian flavors is prepared to make Indonesian Hajj pilgrims comfortable and able to devote themselves to worship.

This article has been translated using AI. See Original .

STEPHANUS ARANDITIO

· 5 minutes read

— Ministry of Religion continues to prepare facilities in Medina and Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to accommodate the needs of 241,000 members of the 2024 Indonesian Hajj pilgrimage. The food that will be served will also be adapted to the tastes of the archipelago.

The menu of prepared foods includes, among others, yellow rice, fried chicken with butter sauce, scrambled eggs, coconut milk steamed rice, omelet, chicken in coconut milk curry, beef stewed with spices, green chili tuna fish, and chicken curry.

Some other dishes with a local flavor include catfish with balado seasoning, beef rendang, beef stew, fried catfish, beef gepuk, as well as not forgetting tofu and tempeh.

These menus are matched with stir-fried vegetables and added with fruits and mineral water. All of it is to maintain the nutritional intake of the pilgrims so that they can worship with devotion.

Also read: Elderly Friendly Hajj, Anticipate Crucial Points

Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, in a press statement, said that all caterers serving Indonesian Hajj pilgrims are now able to prepare a number of these dishes. Pilgrim companions will also ensure that all meals are in accordance with the plan.

"We continue to strive to bring the best for the pilgrims. I hope that the hotel services and consumption in Medina this year will be better and elderly-friendly," said Yaqut when checking the readiness of hotel and catering services in Medina, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday (9/5/2024).

In this visit, Yaqut checked the readiness of the catering service from Meez Mary Kitchen for Serve Meals in the Hatim area of Madinah. The kitchen will serve approximately 11,000 Indonesian pilgrims per day.

This catering kitchen will serve 20 percent of special meals for elderly congregants. The food is served with the same menu, only the rice and dishes are cooked to be smoother and softer. One of the options is in the form of steamed rice.

"Last year, this kitchen's performance was good. I also see that there is already a separate allocation for meals for the elderly congregation. I hope this kitchen can provide the best service for the congregation," he said.

Also read: Accommodation in Mecca Ready to Welcome Indonesian Hajj Pilgrims

Meez Mary Kitchen for Serve Meals is headed by a chef named Wan Abdurahman from Cipanas, Bogor, West Java. Several other cooks and kitchen assistants are also present in the kitchen, mostly from Indonesia.

We continue to strive to provide the best for the congregation. I hope that the hotel services and consumption in Medina this year will be better and elderly-friendly.

Wan Abdurrahman ensures that Indonesian vegetables and spices, such as tempeh and tofu, are always available in his kitchen. Because, both of them are favorites for the congregation, not only when performing the Hajj pilgrimage, but also when performing the Umrah pilgrimage.

"One day hundreds of tempeh and tofu boards can be consumed which are also produced by Indonesians," said Wan Abdurrahman.

DOKUMENTASI KEMENTERIAN AGAMA
Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas checks the hotel where Indonesian pilgrims are staying while in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday (7/5/2024).

In addition, the storage always has typical Indonesian herbs and spices available, such as lemongrass, galangal, ginger, pandan leaves, lime leaves, bay leaves, coconut milk, tamarind, and peanuts. Food ingredients such as beef, chicken, fish, and eggs are also available in the air-conditioned room.

Hotel readiness

In addition to checking the food readiness, Yaqut also examined one of the hotels that will be occupied by pilgrims, namely Emaar Elite with a capacity of 1,400 members of the Jama'ah. The hotel is located in the Syamaliyah area about 50 meters north of the Masjid Nabawi.

Of all the rooms at Emaar Elite Hotel, there are around 100 rooms with bathrooms equipped with bathtubs. Yaqut asked that elderly pilgrims not be placed in these rooms because it would make it difficult for them to bathe.

"I ask that elderly congregants be placed in rooms with bathrooms that use showers. If bath up, there must be a companion. "This is for the comfort of the congregation, especially the elderly," said Yaqut.

Also read: Maintaining the Fitness of the Congregation through Hajj Exercises

Indonesian hajj pilgrims will start arriving in Medina on May 12, 2024. They will stay for nine days in the city of Nabawi before departing to Mecca. The Saudi Arabian Hajj Organizing Committee (PPIH) has already contracted with 106 hotels as pilgrim accommodation in Medina this year.

Accompanying Yaqut were the Director General of Hajj and Umrah Organization from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Hilman Latief, and the Minister of Religious Affairs' Special Staff for Media and Public Communication, Wibowo Prasetyo.

DOKUMENTASI KEMENTERIAN AGAMA
Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas inspects the bus that will transport Indonesian Hajj pilgrims during their stay in Mecca at the Syib Amir Terminal in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday (5/7/2024).

The Minister of Religion was also accompanied by Menag's Special Staff for Legal Affairs, Abdul Qodir, Hajj Consul of the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah, Nasrullah Jasam, Head of the Medina Region Office (Kadaker), Ali Mahzumi, and Head of the Catering Department, Sutikno.

Health condition

This year there are 241,000 members of the congregation, consisting of 213,320 regular congregation members and 27,680 special hajj congregation members. The Ministry of Religion's data recorded that this year there are around 45,000 regular hajj congregation members aged 65 years and above.

Amidst the hot weather in the Holy Land, pilgrims need to maintain their physical condition to stay fit and healthy. Based on the notes from the Crisis Handling and First Aid Team for Hajj Pilgrims (PKP3JH), there are several diseases that pilgrims are vulnerable to while in the Holy Land.

"Some illnesses are often experienced by hajj pilgrims, such as acute respiratory infections (ARI) due to the large crowds, air pollution, and drastic temperature changes in Mecca and Medina," said the Head of the Elderly, Disability, and PKP3JH Section of the Medina Working Area, Leksmana, in Medina on Thursday (9/5/2024).

"Digestive disorders, such as diarrhea and vomiting caused by changes in diet, different drinking water, and inadequate sanitation, need to be watched out for," he said in a press statement. In addition, dehydration poses a serious risk, especially if pilgrims do not drink enough water due to the hot weather in Mecca and Medina.

Skin diseases, fungal infections, and wounds due to friction from clothing can occur due to high heat and humidity. Infectious diseases such as flu and fever from interacting with pilgrims from several countries also need to be anticipated. Moreover, some of the pilgrims have chronic comorbidities.

Therefore, hajj pilgrims are advised to bring a number of medicines, namely anti-diarrhea medicine, digestive medicine, pain relievers, allergy medicine, medicine for skin problems, flu and cough medicine, as well as medicine usually consumed for certain health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions, or other medical conditions.

Editor:

EVY RACHMAWATI

Food with Indonesian Flavors Prepared for Hajj Pilgrims

About AI Translated Article

Hotel readiness

Health condition