Merantau: The Padang Restaurant Migration System

*Merantau* — the Minangkabau cultural tradition of young men leaving their home village to seek fortune and experience in the wider world — is one of the most remarkable social institutions in Southeast Asian cultural history, and one of the most consequential for Indonesian and global food culture. The merantau tradition is embedded in Minangkabau adat (customary law) as a rite of passage: a young man who has not merantaued has not fully proven himself. The expected duration is 3–7 years; the expected activity is commerce. For centuries, Minangkabau men traded in textiles, pepper, and gold across the archipelago. From the early 20th century onward, the commerce of choice became food — specifically, the Padang restaurant.

Merantau — The Minangkabau Diaspora and the Global Padang Restaurant