Indonesian food – Flavors of Indonesia
You would better get your taste buds ready when coming to Indonesia. The variety of mouth-watering cuisine is almost limitless since the country is boasting of the most colorful foods in the world, full of intense flavors. If you are the rice lover, you’ll especially enjoy your journey to Indonesia.
This can be traced from its rich cultural background of more than 300 ethnic groups. The location of the country in the tropics also means that they never fall short of ingredients leading to more recipes that you would bother to count. Therefore, it is no wonder that the country is listed in the TOP 50 countries with most indigenous foods in the world.
Some of the most delicious typical Indonesian meals that you must taste if you get the chance to visit this food paradise are Indonesian Satay, Fried Rice, Beef Rendang, Pempek, Nasi Uduk, Sweet Martabak, Indomie, Sop Buntut and Nasi Rawon.
Tumpeng, which is the national dish of the country, was officially chosen by their Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. However, the staple food in the country is Sago along with wheat, potatoes, cassava, and maize. Additionally, anyone who cares to look will not miss the vast rice fields and well-stocked marketplaces.
Food variety in Indonesia
Variety of food tastes in Indonesia mostly originates from different indigenous ethnic groups who had their own typical ways of food preparation. Once they mixed their methods, some of the best meals were prepared. Even though Indonesia is known as the country of rice, there is a wide variety of tastes which are also based on the usage of wheat, meat and fish, spices, coconut milk and various vegetables. If you are wondering how these ingredients became commonly used in Indonesia, you should keep on reading!
The Dutch brought the wheat
The wheat in the Indonesian food cuisine was inspired by the Dutch and the Chinese through trade and during their time under colonialism. The most common meals in Indonesia (and probably anywhere else in the world) based on the wheat usage are the instant noodles.
The food is very cheap going for as low as 25 cents. The unique thing in Indonesia is the mixture of the noodles with the hundreds of different flavors typical for this country.
It goes without saying that wheat is also used to make bread and other bakeries that have grown to be the preferred alternatives for breakfast.
Typical vegetables in Indonesia
There is a wide variety of vegetables in Indonesia, ranging from kangkung, papaya, ginger, spinach and cassava leaves. These are used as stews for dry foods such as wheat and wheat products.
There are also some vegetables such as kecipir and tomatoes, which are eaten raw. It is also common that some vegetables are boiled with bitter lemons and mixed with meat to create a delicacy such as Sop Buntut.
Meat and fish
The most common kinds of meat eaten in Indonesia are beef and goat meat. Given that the majority of the country’s population is Muslim, you can be sure that they are not big fans of pork. This is inscribed in their Halal dietary laws. As you would expect in a land with its variety of spices, the meat can be cooked using various spices or coconut milk, which is commonly used to make the popular lamb meat or rendag. In addition, you will find some exotic game meat and some more unusual meals such as frogs and snakes; which are the meals borrowed from the Chinese.
Given that the country is composed of many islands, you should not be surprised by the heavy presence of seafood in the menus. Individuals in the eastern part of Indonesia are mainly fishermen providing seafood for the other parts of the country, including fish such as tuna, milkfish, trevally, rabbit fish, blue crab, etc. In some parts, such as West Java, you will find fresh water fish from the rivers and lakes.
External influences on the Indonesian food
Indonesia cannot take the credit for all the food being native. Some foods have been influenced by different communities under different circumstances. These include influences from all around the planet, but mostly, they are Chinese, Indian and Dutch influences. The Chinese immigration to Indonesia was facilitated by the Dutch creating a fusion of cuisines from the three communities.
A family meal in Indonesia
Most families in Indonesia commonly belong to the middle class. During an ordinary day, you will find a large plate of rice on their table. All of the family members come to the table with their own smaller plates and serve themselves from the main plate. According to customs, the elders should serve themselves first, starting from the male family members – this is usually the father of the house.
In Indonesia, most of the meals are accompanied with soup. Soup should be on your right-hand side and a fork on the left. In case you come across seafood such as fish and fried chicken, then the meal will probably be eaten with bare hands. In some rare cases, you will find adaptations of Asian foods which are eaten using chopsticks.
Meal time in Indonesia
In Indonesia, there is no specific time when people get together to eat. For this reason, you will find that most of the meals prepared are designed to stay fresh for a longer period. Food is usually prepared early in the morning and it should be eaten during midday. Even after being left at room temperature the whole day, the same food is heated and eaten as the evening meal, as well. This means that the ordinary Indonesian family only makes their meals once a day, which sound very economical, doesn’t it?
There is no place, no matter its location on the globe, that goes year round without a fair share of feasts on its calendar. Indonesia is no exception, and in fact, if you get the chance to witness their traditional customs and ceremonies, you may think that the food is actually a piece of art. The most prominent of these feasts is the Tumpeng which is served as thanksgiving for a good harvest or blessings. This is celebrated through cone-shaped rice served at the feast, signifying the mountains.
It is said that the way to a man’s heart is through the stomach. That said, most of the people envy men in the Indonesian society since they get a chance to experience some of the most colorful and flavored food in the world in their everyday life. The rich mixture of different food types is pleasing in all of its aspects – with its amazing colorfulness, smell and taste, it can assure you that when it comes to food variety, Indonesia is truly blessed.