From Local Culinary Knowledge to the Nature of Science: An Ontological, Epistemological, and Axiological Analysis of Lentog Tanjung for Science Education

Abstract

The relationship between local knowledge and science has been largely understood through the identification of scientific concepts embedded in community cultural practices. This approach is important for demonstrating the link between culture and science, but it does not fully explain how local knowledge is constructed, inherited, and recognized in social life. Based on this, this study aims to examine Lentog Tanjung, a traditional culinary specialty of Tanjungkarang Village, Kudus Regency, through the perspectives of ontology, epistemology, and axiology and examine its relevance in understanding the nature of science and science education. The study uses a qualitative approach by combining literature studies and in-depth interviews with Lentog Tanjung sellers as key informants. Data are analyzed descriptively and interpretively using a philosophy of science framework to uncover the realities present in culinary practices, the processes of knowledge formation that accompany them, and the values ​​that exist within the community. The results show that Lentog Tanjung represents not only a cultural product but also encompasses various natural phenomena related to concepts in biology, chemistry, and physics, such as plant-based food processing, fermentation, colloidal systems, and heat transfer. Knowledge about Lentog Tanjung develops through empirical experience, observation, experimentation, evaluation, and intergenerational inheritance processes that occur in the community's daily practices. Furthermore, these practices contain cultural, social, economic, educational, and ecological values ​​that contribute to the sustainability of the local community. Research findings indicate that the characteristics of the knowledge developed in the practice of making Lentog Tanjung align with several aspects of the nature of science, particularly its empirical, creative, and tentative nature, and its connection to the socio-cultural context. This research confirms that local culinary knowledge can be utilized not only as a context for learning science concepts but also as a means to understand how knowledge is constructed, maintained, and interpreted in human life.