THROUGH the years, fewer and fewer farmers cultivate local white or black sticky rice in paddy field. It is inseparable from the practicality. This rice variety takes longer time to harvest than the common hybrid rice variety only taking around 105 days.
To meet the need for sticky rice, Balinese people have alternative namely the hybrid sticky rice. Cultivating this kind of rice virtually takes them the same time as the other hybrid rice varieties. Why is this sticky rice so important? Hindu people in Bali organize various kinds of rituals throughout the year. Contents of their offerings need some cakes made from this sticky rice. This especially happens to those remaining to maintain the tradition of making cakes prior to any religious festival.
Cultivating white sticky rice or ketan (Balinese) will remind people of a variety of farming activities as undertaken in the past time. One of the unique activities is cutting the rice by rice knife one by one. It is done accurately because farmers selectively cut the good ones and without being accompanied by leaves, though there is an option of cutting by sickle and then the process is continued by harvester machine.
Some cakes used in the rituals made from sticky rice are jaja uli (circular and thinly sliced), bantal, renggina, jaja kukus, klepon, gipang, satuh, dodol, jaja sabun, abug, lukis and some others.
Today, local rice varieties tend to be cultivated on highland areas like at Jatiluwih, Penebel, Tabanan. Local farmers get more interested in growing the local variety like white sticky rice and red rice. The latter is in high demand today from restaurants in Bali and also used for body scrub in spa treatment.
Cultivating white sticky rice does not only make the rituals or traditions remain to survive, but also preserves this local variety.
