ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the history of Javanese slametan, a communal ritual meal. I attempt to gain new insights into the origins of slametan by comparing Javanese and Balinese ritual meals and by using textual evidence of kakavins, epic poems composed in Java between the ninth and fifteenth centuries. I argue that the origins of Javanese slametan can be traced to pre-Islamic participatory animal sacrifice. In Java before 1500 ce, sharing of meat dishes and alcoholic beverages was crucial in binding community members together and sealing oaths between them and protective guardian spirits. I also demonstrate that Javanese ritual cooking has more in common with East Asian rather than South Asian culinary tradition.
