Kue Karah dan Reproduksi Kekerabatan: Tradisi Kuliner Masyarakat Nagan Raya

Abstract

This study examines kue karah, a distinctive traditional culinary practice of the Nagan Raya community in Aceh, Indonesia, which embodies not only gastronomic value but also local knowledge, cultural identity, and kinship relations. Kue karah is characterized by distinctive ingredients, preparation techniques, forms, flavors, and production processes that have been transmitted across generations. Within the social life of the Nagan Raya community, kue karah is closely associated with various social and cultural occasions that bring together family members and community groups. Accordingly, this study aims to explore how kue karah is practiced as a culinary tradition, the social and cultural meanings embedded within it, and the ways in which knowledge of its preparation is transmitted across generations. The study employs a qualitative approach using ethnographic methods. Data were collected through observations of kue karah production processes, in-depth interviews with makers, family members, community leaders, and younger generations, as well as documentation of its practices and uses in the community's social life. The analysis focuses on the interrelationships among culinary practices, kinship, cultural identity, and mechanisms of local knowledge transmission. The findings demonstrate that kue karah is not merely a traditional food product but also functions as a social medium that brings families together, strengthens kinship ties, and reproduces the cultural identity of the Nagan Raya community. Its production process further reflects a body of local knowledge transmitted through practice, experience, and intergenerational participation. Thus, kue karah constitutes an important form of intangible cultural heritage encompassing knowledge, skills, social practices, and cultural values of the Nagan Raya community. Its protection and preservation should therefore extend beyond the culinary product itself to include the knowledge, practices, and social contexts that sustain kue karah as a living tradition within the community.