The story
Rendang comes from the Minangkabau people of West Sumatra, whose heartland lies in the highlands inland from Padang. Beef, or traditionally water buffalo, is cooked slowly in coconut milk with chilli, ginger, galangal, lemongrass and turmeric until the liquid is gone and the spices cling to the meat. The long cooking preserved it, so travellers on merantau, the Minangkabau custom of leaving home to seek one's fortune, could carry it for weeks. The word already appears in a Malay manuscript from the early 1500s, and Padang restaurants later spread it across Indonesia and beyond.
Rival claims
Rendang is a Minangkabau regional dish rather than a city invention: its heartland is the highlands (darek) around Bukittinggi and Batusangkar, while Padang is the provincial capital and the namesake of 'Padang food' that carried it around Indonesia. Malaysia also has old rendang traditions, and the earliest written mention is in a 16th-century Malay manuscript. Padang is a sensible representative pin for West Sumatra.
Also known as beef rendang, rendang daging, randang, rendang Padang.
On the Meridish menu
Rendang was the main course on menu No. 3 on October 3, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Beef slow-cooked in coconut milk and spices until almost dry, a Minangkabau dish from this island's west coast.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
