Indonesia as a country is made up of various tribes and cultures in province and even within a province there can be striking cultural differences between districts. Each province has unique food that is characteristic of the area. The consumption of dog meat is associated mainly with the Minahasa culture of northern Sulawesi and the Bataks of northern Sumatra, where dog meat can be considered a festive dish usually reserved for occasions such as weddings and Christmas.
In the North Sulawesi province located on the northern tip of the island of Sulawesi is the capital city Manado. This is where the Tomohon Market recently reported in the national newspapers is located. Before being killed by hanging from a tree, the dogs are kept in tiny cages They are made to watch other dogs being killed, butchered and roasted. Dead animals are laid out on tables, with pained expressions on their faces.
The majority of the population of North Sulawesi are Minahasa who have ethnic peculiarities rarely found in other regions in Indonesia is “rintek wuuk” the main ingredient of which is dog meat, and there are also other foods such as snake meat, pork and Paniki (bat meat).
Almost all ethnic Minahasa communities scattered across Indonesia open restaurants providing the typical Minahasan food. As in other countries pets are often stolen to provide the trade and the government lets such incidents occur repeatedly partly because of the absence of adequate legislation.
Dog consumption in Indonesia gained attention in United States where dog is a taboo food, during 2012 Presidential election when incumbent Barack Obama was pointed by his opponent to have eaten dog meat served by his Indonesian stepfather Lolo Soetoro during his stay in the country.
Common Indonesian dog-meat dishes are rica-rica, also called rintek wuuk or “RW”, rica-rica waung, and guk-guk. On Java, there are several dishes made from dog meat, such as sengsu (tongseng asu), sate jamu, and kambing balap.
This year has seen the commencement of the Indonesian campaign ‘Dogs Are Not Food’ which has the support of some celebrities.
Indonesian Animal Groups Campaigning Against Dog Meat Trade
AFMI Animal Friends Manado Indonesia
BAWA Bali Animal Welfare Association
Dogs are friends not food,