Mie Aceh is one of the typical culinary delights originating from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam. The characteristic of this culinary dish is the noodles covered in thick curry sauce that tastes of spices, plus various side dishes.
If noodle dishes generally use beef, chicken and various sea animals, Acehnese noodles combine all of these side dishes. This typical Acehnese dish uses a mixture of beef, chicken, goat, and even various processed seafood such as squid and crab.
No need to worry about taste, various typical Acehnese spices such as chili, pepper, cumin, cardamom and turmeric are the basic ingredients for making this culinary curry sauce. So, this culinary delight has a complete taste.
Mie Aceh is different from noodles in general. The basic ingredients for the noodles are chewy, flat and thick and the color tends to be bright yellow, thus adding beauty to the culinary delights.
Apart from that, this culinary dish can be served in three types, namely fried noodles (dry), soup noodles and wet fried noodles. As a complement, a plate of Acehnese noodles will be sprinkled with fried onions, chip crackers, cucumber and lime.
The existence of this typical Mecca verandah culinary delight cannot be separated from the influence of foreign culture. At that time, the port of the Kingdom of Aceh was one of the busiest ports visited by many foreign traders.
These traders then assimilated with the local population, who apart from spreading Islam also brought new flavors to cuisine. In the book entitled "Culture-Based Nutritious Culinary" by Sunarto Kadir (2022), the thick broth in Acehnese noodles is an influence from Indian cuisine. Meanwhile, noodles themselves come from Chinese cuisine.
The presentation of Mie Aceh, which uses goat and beef, cannot be separated from the influence of Islamic values in the land of Aceh. Meanwhile, the addition of various marine animals or seafood in Mie Aceh is influenced by Aceh's geographical location which is surrounded by the ocean. The combination of these cultures ultimately gave birth to Mie Aceh as a culinary specialty of the capital city of Banda Aceh.
The Mie Razali restaurant is said to be the pioneer of Acehnese noodles which are legendary to this day. Reporting from the book "The History of Legendary Acehnese Foods and Seasonings" by Analisa Tempo (2019), Mie Razali has been selling since 1967. Even though it doesn't use the name 'Aceh noodles', Razali's noodle dishes are known to the public as a pioneer of Acehnese noodle culinary delights. still survives to this day. The culinary combination of Chinese noodles with typical Acehnese spices is the favorite menu at this place. The noodles used as the main ingredient are Hokkien noodles or stick noodles which are shaped like small cylinders, like spaghetti. Mie Razali is served with meat, shrimp, squid, chicken or crab. Crab noodles are certainly a favorite menu for customers. The sauce that is characteristic of Acehnese noodles is reddish, shiny and slightly brownish. This place is famous as a pioneer of Acehnese noodles, making this place busy with visitors from various regions. Acehnese noodle culinary itself became increasingly widely known along with the development of world trade routes at that time. Traders brought Acehnese noodles to Java and even to the Malaysian peninsula. Mie Aceh itself is now a culinary dish that can be found anywhere, especially Malay or Acehnese restaurants.
