peparut

Peparut is a term used in Indonesian and Malay to refer to a grater, the kitchen tool used to shred or finely grate food. The word can denote either the device itself or the act of grating, depending on context. In Indonesian cuisine, the coconut-specific grater is more commonly called parutan kelapa, but peparut appears in regional usage as well.

Peparuts are typically made of metal or plastic and consist of a handle and a grating surface with small holes or raised blades. There are flat handheld models with multiple sides offering different grating sizes, and there are traditional coconut graters that rely on rubbing the coconut meat against a textured surface to produce shredded coconut.

Common uses include grating fresh coconut flesh to obtain grated coconut for coconut milk, serundeng, and other dishes. They are also used to grate vegetables such as carrots and to grind ingredients like cheese, ginger, or garlic, depending on the blade size and design. The tool is valued for enabling fine or coarse shreds required in various regional dishes and desserts.

Care and safety are important: peparuts should be cleaned promptly after use and dried thoroughly to prevent rust or corrosion. Blades or surfaces should be handled carefully to avoid injury, and storage should keep the grater dry and protected from damage.

Peparut-related terms appear in several Southeast Asian cuisines and are part of the broader family of kitchen graters. They are often found in home kitchens, markets, and cooking schools where grated ingredients are a common preparation step.