Rojak is a fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (where it is called Rujak). The term "Rojak" is Malay for mixture, is also used as a colloquial expression for an eclectic mix, and in particular is often used to describe the multi-ethnic character of Malaysian and Singaporean society.
In Indonesia, especially among Javanese, rojak is an essential part of the traditional prenatal ceremony called "Nujuh Bulanan" (literally: seventh month). Special fruit rojak is made for this occasion, and later served to the mother to be and her guests (mostly her female friends). It is widely known that the sweet, spicy and sour tastes of rojak are adored by pregnant women. The recipe of rojak for this ceremony is similar to typical Indonesian fruit rujak, with the exceptions that the fruits are roughly shredded instead of thinly sliced, and the jeruk bali (grapefruit) is an essential ingredient. It is believed that if the rojak overall tastes sweet, the unborn would be a girl, and if it is spicy, the unborn baby is a boy.
