Cultural Identity in a Plate: Gastrolinguistic Insights into the Naming Strategy of Javanese Sega (Rice) Dishes

Authors

  • Wiwin Erni Siti Nurlina

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Edi Setiyanto

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Riani Riani

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Besse Darmawati

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Resti Nurfaidah

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Wabilia Husnah

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Irmayani Abdulmalik

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Yusup Irawan

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Sutarsih

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Drajat Agus Murdowo

    National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Jakarta 10340, Indonesia
  • Daru Winarti

    Faculty of Cultural Study, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
  • Saras Yulianti

    Faculty of Language, Arts, and Culture, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i11.11450
Received: 3 August 2025 | Revised: 18 August 2025 | Accepted: 26 August 2025 | Published Online: 20 October 2025

Abstract

In Javanese society, sega (rice) forms the foundation of numerous traditional culinary dishes whose names carry profound cultural weight, often reflecting prayers, hopes, commemorations, or specific attributes. Despite widespread recognition of names' cultural importance and the growing field of gastrolinguistics, a systematic analysis of the specific naming models and underlying strategies for naming Javanese sega dishes remains a discernible gap in existing literature. This study, therefore, aims to uncover these diverse naming models and strategies, revealing the cultural cognition embedded within Javanese culinary nomenclature, employing a qualitative descriptive method with findings presented through narrative, explanatory, and elaborative descriptions supported by validated observational and documentation data. The research successfully identified twelve core strategic concepts governing this nomenclature—including color, taste, shape, cooking method, condition/characteristic, main side dish/vegetable, arrangement/serving method, container, origin, acronymization, purpose, and combination—significantly contributing to gastrolinguistics, ethnolinguistics, and cultural studies by offering a nuanced framework for understanding culinary nomenclature in a specific cultural context and deepening insights into the interplay of language, culture, and food. Practically, its applications span cultural preservation, culinary education, and the promotion of Javanese culinary heritage, offering valuable insights for culturally sensitive food tourism, comparative studies of food naming across diverse cultures, and promoting broader global engagement with Javanese culinary heritage as a unique facet of a universally significant staple.

Keywords:

Gastrolinguistics; Sega; Naming Strategies; Javanese Cultural Heritage

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Siti Nurlina, W. E., Setiyanto, E., Riani, R., Darmawati, B., Nurfaidah, R., Husnah, W., Abdulmalik, I., Irawan, Y., Sutarsih, Murdowo, D. A., Winarti, D., & Yulianti, S. (2025). Cultural Identity in a Plate: Gastrolinguistic Insights into the Naming Strategy of Javanese Sega (Rice) Dishes. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(11), 394–410. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i11.11450

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Vol. 7 , Iss. 11 (November 2025): In progress

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Copyright © 2025 Wiwin Erni Siti Nurlina, Edi Setiyanto, Riani Riani, Besse Darmawati, Resti Nurfaidah, Wabilia Husnah, Irmayani Abdulmalik, Yusup Irawan, Sutarsih, Drajat Agus Murdowo, Daru Winarti, Saras Yulianti

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