An artist and writer of popular culture who is perseverance to  write on social media pages often brings up the uniqueness of Soto. Soto is a dish that is easy to find in various cities of Java with all kinds of variations. It is the easiest way to get to know about Indonesia. Ethnic diversity and the process happened have been accompanying the emergence of light menu in many cities, that developed during the colonial period, can be portrayed in a bowl of soto.

Ary Budianto, together with Intan Kusuma Wardhani, are the anthropologists from Brawijaya University who often write about the anthropology of culinary. In an international seminar of Chinese people in Indonesia in November 2013 which took place in Semarang, Central Java, these two anthropologists wrote a rather serious article about soto.

Ary has started from a footnote written by Frenchist Frenchman Denys Lombard who said that this typical Indonesian (Javanese) dish was being a popular 19th century food that originally named Caudo or Jao To. In hokkian dialect, that words mean 'grass' offal or spicy offal. The historical text examined by Lombard estimates that this food was first popular in Semarang during the 19th century.

Another researcher named Aji "Chen" Bromokusumo interpreted soto as coming from the word Shao Du or Sao Tu, which means to cook innards. These two different versions of the translation do not change the main idea of the food that is made from aninal's stomach that contain much fragrant spicy broth (fat). Soto was very popular name in the 19th century that came from the  customers to sellers who usually carry their goods on shoulder.

Lower Class Food

If it is attached to the social conditions of 19th century, Ary dares to say that soto is a special fast food for middle to lower classes. It is very hard to imagine that upper middle class of the 19th century was wanting to eat such an "unhygienic" food, full of dust, and very fatty. Issur of hygiene and food quality had raised big concern of upper middle class of the late 19th century until the early 20th century.

Rudolf Mrazek in his book Engineers of Happy Land (2018) has told a lot about the upper classes of the Dutch East Indies who were more "bourgeois" than their level in Europe. Luxurious and super hygienic lifestyles and even racists were often shown in food dishes that despised the foods of native.

That's why according to Ary's research, in a very popular food recipe book in the late 19th century entitled Drukkerij Lie Tek Long Batavia, the menu of soto was not found. The history shows that this very popular folk food menu was only recorded in the Mustika Rasa recipe book (1967) which was conceived by Bung Karno.

The growth of lower middle class or the growth of small group of bourgeois layer and the labor class in coastal cities of Java throughout the 18th and 19th centuries was the fruit of a high-tech metallurgical-based industrialization scheme and steam engine power which demanded the availability of a working class layer which would increase productivity. The combination of various ethnics in a bowl of soto is a consequence of a cosmopolitan culture developed ever since long ago. The model of serving fast food and practicality only reinforces the hypothesis that Soto indeed originated and is rooted in the 19th century.

Increasing economic growth leads to a fast-paced lifestyle. Food must be able to be served practically and easily. According to various histories collected by Ary, the beginning of soto vendor was always using carrying pole. Fast food menus that had been sold by native workers could always be found in a crowd. Intersection or market is a place where the seller put their trading.

As time went on the carried coffin turned into a stall. An important thing noted by Ary is the tendency of the legendary soto sellers have always been close to Chinatown ranging from Panjunan in Kudus to Bangkong in Semarang or Senggol in Tegal. All of them are not far from the Chinatown area.

It is not Madurese Soto

Lombard in the book entitled Nusajawa; Jaringan Asia (Nusajawa: The Asian Network) had written about the expertise in making soto of Madurese. Many people disagree with Lombard's notes. It is true that all the variations of soto in East Java, the type of soto madura is hegemonic or having very dominant power.

Soto Lamongan, or Blitar to Kediri all show 'Maduranya' colors. Yet according to Ary's notes, Soto Madura is not a food that comes from Madura Island. This Soto found its popularity when it was sold by Madurese. In the 70s to 80s there were no people selling soto in Madura. Even though this Soto Madura in the 60's was very popular in its original place, Surabaya.

However, there is one thing in various forms of soto presentation that is still mysterious. The shape of Soto's pole turns out to be increasingly curved if it's origin is getting to eastern area. Not many field data that can explain the phenomenon of curved pole. One thing that becomes the conclusion of Ary in his article is the specialty of soto which is based on offal. This was the forerunner of soto that is popular today. In terms of quantity this type of soto is more than any other soto. (Y-1)