In maintaining family health, the role of women is very necessary. From the substance and pattern of family health, the reasons for the importance of the role of women in health development activities can be formulated.8 First, the scope of family health problems does not only reach the health of men, but also women of all ages. Therefore, who know all the ins and outs of women need relating to health, they are more informed than men. Second, a woman can understand well the needs of her family because she has a big role in addition to her husband to take care of fulfilling family needs, including those related to health and nutrition. Third, at this time women also have the same freedom as men to pursue the highest possible education so that mastery of public health science can also be exercised by women.9 Fourth, women have a different psychological side with men that allow them to be as tenacious and patient educator in the application of clean and healthy living.10,11

Batubara Malay women are very healthy for themselves and their families. Although some of the Batubara Malay women are only housewives, they are not inferior to career women who work outside the home.12 They take care of the house, educate their children, help their husbands, and cook. In maintaining the health of Batubara Malay women, they really pay attention to cleanliness, such as:

• 1)

  Cleanliness of the living environment.

  When they are going to carry out rice farming activities (menotou banjo), the women will first clean the entire area of their house. This is because the house will be abandoned during the growing season. They will settle in the area where they farm. Agricultural land is located far from the area where they live.13

• 2)

  Clean clothes for family members.

  Before they left for the farm/field first prepare the clothes that will be taken. They will separate clothes for work on the farm/field with clothing or equipment used for worship (prayer). The majority of Batubara Malay people are Muslim.

• 3)

  Cleanliness of cutlery

  The cutlery used will be stored in chopsticks so they don’t get dirty. Chopsticks made of woven pandan leaves barbed such that the shape of the bag. Pandan leaves are usually used to make seating mats.

• 4)

  Food hygiene

  The food they consume is very healthy. The food ingredients that are usually consumed in the form of rice and tubers come from their own agricultural land without harmful chemicals. Furthermore, the ingredients are mixed with various spices to add flavor and as traditional medicine.

During the rice planting season (menotou banjo), these women will be busy preparing food for the implementation of the menotou banjo. Starting from the Kenduri. Kenduri had done a week before going down to the farm/field. This event is carried out by each group that will plant rice.

One group is a maximum of 10 people. Everyone in the group and their children and wives are gathered at the house of one of them. Each farmer will bring a chicken, a bowl of rice. The wives have prepared other ingredients to be eaten together, such as vegetables, spices and fruits. In addition to preparing the main meal, usually the wives also cook several types of Batubara Malay cakes as desserts.

The chickens brought by the farmers are usually curried. Chicken curry is a typical food for people in the Malay area. When processing chicken curry, mothers use a lot of spices as additional ingredients for cooking it. These spices are very beneficial for health and increase stamina (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.

Chicken curry kenduri menotou banjo.

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Coconut milk, lemongrass, turmeric leaves, turmeric, lime leaves, galangal, lime, red chilies, shallots, garlic, ginger, candlenut, coriander, cumin, hot cumin, cardamom, tamarind, salt.

• 1.

  Coconut milk benefits: lose weight. coconut milk contains medium chain triglycerides (mct) which researchers believe can lose weight, nourish the heart, and strengthen the immune system

• 2.

  Lemongrass benefits: antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, detoxify the body, reduce the risk of cancer, make digestion healthier, help lose weight, and help reduce anxiety.

• 3.

  Turmeric leaf benefits: heal wounds, flavor food, improve digestive health, act as anti-inflammatory, prevent diabetes, soften and brighten the skin, irritation of the stomach, and thin the blood.

• 4.

  Turmeric benefits: blocking cancer cells, strong antioxidants, reducing the risk of Alzheimer's, as an anti-inflammatory, osteoarthritis pain reliever, reliever indigestion and heartburn, suppress heart disease and diabetes.

• 5.

  Galangal benefits: reduce fever, cure coughs and sore throats, treat asthma, treat diabetes, nourish and rejuvenate the skin, treat male vitality and fertility problems.

• 6.

  Lime leaves benefits: aromatherapy, reduces bad bacteria in the digestive tract, relieves skin problems, nourishes the oral cavity, and increases endurance.

• 7.

  Bay Leaves benefits: treat diabetes, healthy digestion, maintain heart health, maintain nerve function, ward off cancer, are anti-inflammatory, overcome anxiety, stress, and relieve pain.

• 8.

  Red chilies benefits: kill cancer cells, improve digestion, improve brain performance, relieve stress, prevent obesity and help lose weight, help form red blood cells, are anti-inflammatory, and treat heartburn, especially canker sores.

• 9.

  Red onions benefits: maintaining heart health, helping to lower cholesterol, good for diabetics, overcoming sore throat, helping bones to be denser, preventing cancer, and promoting breast milk.

• 10.

  Garlic benefits: warding off colds, improving exercise performance, natural antibiotics, and reducing the risk of lung cancer, relieving heavy metal poisoning, reducing cholesterol levels, lowering blood pressure, and being able to protect the heart.

• 11.

  Ginger benefits: relieves muscle pain, relieves menstrual cramps, helps relieve pain, calms the digestive system, reduces mild nausea, overcomes inflammation, and lowers blood sugar.

• 12.

  Candlenut benefits: preventing heart disease, smooth digestion, strengthening immunity, preventing premature aging, preventing skin damage, maintaining healthy hair, overcoming fungal infections, and overcoming inflammation.

• 13.

  Coriander benefits: to ward off prostate and breast cancer, relieve anxiety, lower blood sugar levels, relieve inflammation, maintain brain health and memory, nourish the intestine and digestive system, increase appetite, and ward off bacterial infections.

• 14.

  White cumin benefits: lose weight, overcome stress, good for digestion, contain antibacterial, help maintain diabetes, and lower cholesterol.

• 15.

  Black cumin benefits: high blood pressure for people with hypertension, cholesterol control, cope with diabetes, has anti-inflammatory effects, fight infection, maintain heart health, and minimize the risk of cancer.

• 16.

  Tamarind benefits: lose weight, prevent heart attacks, treat earaches, increase endurance, and increase appetite.

• 17.

  Salt benefits: dealing with sinuses, relieving sore throats, mouthwash, removing wax in the ears, keeping wounds clean, overcoming fungal infections of the feet, maintaining clean body areas that are pierced (body piercing).

The ingredients of the spices above are some of the spices commonly used by mother for cooking in the kitchen. If we look at the benefits, actually the Malay women are already using healthy ingredients to maintain the health of family members.

All parts of Indonesia have traditional food or local food that is characteristic of the area. The culinary wealth is one of the identity of a group of people so it is easy to find and easy to recognize. Traditional food or local culinary is a type of food that is closely related to an area and passed down from generation to generation as part of tradition.2 Local food typical of regions in Indonesia has been around for a long time and has survived until now, so it is highly valued as a cultural heritage. The recipes used have also been passed down from generation to generation, even the way of cooking is still preserving the old way. Although there is a modification or variation, but the main ingredients and cooking procedures are not changed.

Traditional food or local culinary delights are food products that are often consumed by a group of people or served in certain celebrations and times, and passed down from generation to generation, made according to recipes from generation to generation, made without or with little engineering, and has certain characteristics that distinguish it from other regional culinary delights.3 Traditional food means that it can be said as a local identity because of its existence which is part of the community's culture, such as certain procedures for processing ingredients. Likewise with traditional food or local culinary in the Malay community in Batubara Regency. Many traditional foods are still around and able to survive among the variety of modern foods.

Some of these traditional foods are served at the Menotou Banjo performance. At the stage the rice has been planted and is already “pregnant”, the farmers make a thanksgiving event. They get together and each brings a cake to eat together. The cakes that are brought cannot be fried. All cakes that are brought must be cooked by boiling/steaming or roasting/grilling. As for the cakes they usually carry, they are:

• 1.

  Tepung Torak is made from rice flour, coconut milk, sugar and salt (Fig. 3).

  
  

  Fig. 3.

  Tepung torak.

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• 2.

  Apem is made from rice flour, sugar, salt, vanilla, yeast, coconut (Fig. 4).

  
  

  Fig. 4.

  Apem.

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• 3.

  Dange is made from pulut flour, coconut, sugar, salt, vanilla (Fig. 5).

  
  

  Fig. 5.

  Dange.

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• 4.

  Lapis Talam: made from wheat flour, salt, coconut milk, sugar, pandan leaves, vanilla. It is called kur talam because since a long time ago the mold used when cooking this cake is the layer of trays/pans (Fig. 6).

  
  

  Fig. 6.

  Lapis talam.

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• 5.

  Kekaras is made from rice flour, sugar, salt, coconut milk, vanilla and ancient molds were made from the cranium (Fig. 7).

  
  

  Fig. 7.

  Kekaras.

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• 6.

  Lempeng Sagu are made from sago starch, water, and salt (Fig. 8).

  
  

  Fig. 8.

  Lempeng sagu.

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• 7.

  Lempeng are made from wheat flour, water, sugar, salt (Fig. 9).

  
  

  Fig. 9.

  Lempeng.

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• 8.

  Bubur Pedas is made from almost all existing cooking spices. These spices are useful for health and warm the body, and make the body refreshed. As for other ingredients that are cooked, namely the type of tubers, nuts, seeds, vegetables, seafood (shrimp, squid, crab), chicken and meat. Spicy porridge is often served with anyang pakis. This dish is intended to restore stamina that has decreased due to hard work. Bubur Pedas is a special food spicy Malay community. Almost all Malay people in North Sumatra have a tradition of making this bubur pedas even though the ingredients used are slightly different from one another. Bubur Pedas is now often made by the Malay community when the month of Ramadan arrives (Fig. 10).

  
  

  Fig. 10.

  Bubur pedas.

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After the rice harvest, another celebration was held. Food that must be available is black tape pulut or white tape pulut. While other side dishes may be anything that is important halal (Fig. 11).

Fig. 11.

Tape.

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