Rethinking Local Knowledge: An Epistemological Study of Nasi Adap-Adapan in Batubara

This study examined nasi Adap-adapan in Batubara as a form of local knowledge and investigated how knowledge was constructed, transmitted, and preserved through traditional cultural practice. Previous studies had largely focused on the symbolic and communicative meanings of nasi Adap-adapan, while its epistemological dimension remained insufficiently explored. The study employed a qualitative interpretive approach informed by cultural epistemology and local knowledge perspectives. Data were collected through observation of the nasi Adap-adapan tradition, in-depth interviews with cultural practitioners and community members, and cultural documentation. The data were analyzed thematically by identifying patterns of knowledge, values, meanings, and processes of cultural transmission. The findings showed that nasi Adap-adapan functioned not merely as a ceremonial culinary tradition but also as a medium for producing, preserving, and transmitting local knowledge. Its food arrangement, ritual practices, social roles, and interpersonal interactions embodied knowledge concerning respect, kinship, social responsibility, harmony, morality, and cultural identity. The findings further indicated that this knowledge was transmitted primarily through participation, observation, oral explanation, and intergenerational practice. The study concluded that nasi Adap-adapan represented an epistemic space in which collective cultural experience was transformed into shared knowledge and reproduced across generations, demonstrating that local culinary traditions could serve as significant sources of cultural knowledge.