Bayu Setiaji, Heru Kuswanto, Yusman Wiyatmo, Pramudya Wahyu Pradana, Febrina Siska Widyaningtyas, Purwoko Haryadi Santoso
In this paper, we describe a presentation on the physics of gudeg, a traditional food from Indonesia specifically originated in the special district of Yogyakarta. This learning context is designed for the high school physics curricula. The physics presentation focuses on the making processes of gudeg. Qualitative interviews with gudeg makers were carried out by the researchers to thematise the process of making gudeg and highlight its educational connections for the physics learning. Five extracted learning themes are how the density concept behind peeling the jackfruit skin (main gudeg ingredient), how the relation between the young’s modulus concept and the jackfruit sections, how the texture-torque experiment of the sweet and tasty gudeg, how the effect of boiling mechanism on the texture of the jackfruit, and how the conduction and convection of the preserved gudeg. Using our learning strategy which is so-called ‘Collaborative Project based Teaching’, we provide simple experimentations and demonstrations of the physical concepts behind these gudeg processes that are promising for conceptual physics learning by managing triple educational roles between teachers, students, and gudeg practitioners. This approach can be generally adopted beyond physics to promote the excitement of traditional knowledge which can enhance pedagogical approach in educational setting. © 2026 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved. This article is available under the terms of the https://publishingsupport.iopscience.iop.org/iop-standard/v1.
Department of Physics Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Sleman, 55281, Indonesia; Department of Physics Education, Universitas Sulawesi Barat, Majene, 91413, Indonesia
