An Indonesian man gave cooking oil to his new bride as her wedding dowry last week.
Supadi, a 60-year-old groom from East Java, gave his wife-to-be, 54-year-old Sumariati, a liter of cooking oil for her dowry during their wedding ceremony on Feb. 22, reported Mashable.
Muslim dowries traditionally include a prayer rug, gold jewelry and a Quran. Whether the man intended it or not, his unique gift has highlighted the severe shortage of palm-based cooking oil in Indonesia – even though the Southeast Asian country is known as the largest exporter of palm oil in the world.
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“Although one liter isn’t much, it’s still valuable,” said Meki Hasan Tachtarudin, religious affairs officer for the Sooko District of East Java and the wedding ceremony’s facilitator. ”It’s a necessity – everyone needs it for cooking.”
Palm-based cooking oil has become a scarce commodity in Indonesia partly due to the increase in palm oil exports and the demand for biodiesel, a combination of palm oil and diesel fuel, according to The Straits Times.
Along with the cooking oil, Supadi also reportedly gave Sumariati a cash dowry of 1 million Indonesian rupiahs (approximately $64.46).
Featured Image via Jateng Pedia
