Ethnobotanical Study of Food Plant in Bentong Community from Barru Regency, South Sulawesi-Indonesia

Abstract

The Bentong people lives in the village of Bulo-Bulo, Barru Regency, South Sulawesi. About 50 years ago, the community still lived a nomadic life, but today the community has settled. Knowledge about the use of plants as food ingredients by the people of the Bentong Tribe has not been recorded. This study aims to record and describe the utilization of food plant species of the Bentong tribe. Data collection through informant interviews, observations, and collection of herbarium specimens to be identified. Data were analyzed descriptively by examining plant species used as food ingredients and quantitative analysis using the index of cultural importance. The Bentong tribe uses 70 plant species as food ingredients including: 1) as a staple food consisting of 4 types namely 'kenrang' fruit (Ficus racemosa) and 'sikapa' tubers (Dioscorea hispida) when they were still nomadic and rice plants (Oryza sativa) and corn (Zea mays) after settling; 2) as a vegetable 34 species; 3) as a fruits 33 species; and 4) as a drink 5 species. ICS analysis results showed that the species that had the highest cultural importance index value were rice (100) followed by lontar (83), banana (78), coconut (48) and sugar palm (44). ABSTRAKMasyarakat Suku Bentong hidup di Desa Bulo-Bulo, Kabupaten Barru Sulawesi Selatan. Sekitar 50 tahun yang lalu, masyarakat tersebut masih hidup nomaden, namun saat ini masyarakat tersebut telah hidup menetap. Pengetahuan tentang pemanfaatan tumbuhan sebagai bahan pangan oleh masyarakat Suku Bentong belum tercatat. Penelitian ini bertujuan mendata dan menguraikan pemanfaatan spesies tumbuhan bahan pangan masyarakat Suku Bentong. Pengumpulan data melalui wawancara informan, observasi, dan pengambilan spesimen herbarium untuk diidentifikasi. Data dianalisis secara deskriptif dengan mengkaji spesies tumbuhan yang digunakan sebagai bahan pangan serta analisis secara kuantitatif menggunakan persamaan indeks kepentingan budaya. Masyarakat Suku bentong menggunakan 70 spesies tumbuhan sebagai bahan pangan meliputi: 1) sebagai makanan pokok terdiri dari 4 jenis yaitu buah 'kenrang' (Ficus racemosa) dan umbi 'sikapa' (Dioscorea hispida) pada saat masih nomaden serta tanaman padi (Oryza sativa) dan jagung (Zea mays) setelah tinggal menetap; 2) sebagai sayuran 34 spesies; 3) sebagai buah-buahan 33 spesies; dan 4) sebagai minuman 5 spesies. Hasil analisis ICS menunjukkan spesies yang memiliki nilai indeks kepentingan budaya tertinggi adalah tanaman padi (100) diikuti oleh lontar (83), pisang (78), kelapa (48) dan aren (44).

Ethnobotany of the Kombong Agroforestry System and Tongkonan Conservation in the Toraja Tribe, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

“…The sources of food and fruits are divided into four groups: vegetables (e.g., eggplant, mustard greens, prey onions, chayote, cowpea bean, red beans), fruits (e.g., durian, salak, cempedak, langsat), beverages (e.g., palm sugar, tamarillo, passion fruit, coffee), and staple food substitutes (e.g., cassava, sweet potato, taro and breadfruit). Similar findings were reported by Amboupe et al (2019), who found that the Bentong tribe in Baru Regency, South Sulawesi Province, utilized 70 species of plants as food, comprising four species of staple food, 34 species of vegetables, 33 species of fruits; and five species used for beverages.…”

Edible plants of the Batak Karo of Merdeka District, North Sumatra, Indonesia

“…These cultivated plants are the main species planted because they are easy to grow and can be used in a wide variety of dishes. The leaf of M. uttilissima is the most commonly used one as vegetables in many tribes of Indonesia such as Sasak (Sukenti et al 2016), Bentong (Amboupe et al 2019), Sundanese (Cita 2020), and Saibatin (Wakhidah et al 2020). Batak Karo people cooke them for vegetable soups, daun ubi tumbuk, which is prepared by pounding the leaves and adding spices such as Capsicum annum, Allium cepa, Allium sativum, Solanum lycopersicum, coconut milk, the flower of Etlingera elatior and the fruit of Solanum torvum Sw.…”

Phyllanthus emblica L. Phyllanthaceae

“…The fruit is sometimes eaten fresh and also processed into jams or sweetmeat (Morton 1987;Ochse 1927;Prabaningrum et al 2018;Siregar 2006;Uji 2007;van Holthoon 1999). The Samawa community of Sumbawa Island and the Bentong community of South Sulawesi consume the fruits (Amboupe et al 2019;Rahayu and Rustiami 2017). The species is often used as a substitute for tamarind by the Javanese (van Holthoon 1999).…”