Indonesian cuisine reflects the vast variety created by the people who live on the 6,000 populated islands that make up the modern nation of
Indonesia. There is not a single "Indonesian" cuisine, but rather, a diversity of regional cuisines formed by local
Indonesian cultures and foreign influences. Indonesian cuisine reflects its complex cultural history. Cooking varies greatly by region and combines many different influences.
[1]
Throughout its history, Indonesia has been involved in trade due to its location and natural resources. Additionally, Indonesia’s indigenous techniques and ingredients were influenced by India, the Middle East, China, and finally Europe. Spanish and Portuguese traders brought
New World produce even before the Dutch came to colonize most of the
archipelago. The Indonesian islands The Moluccas (Maluku) which are famed as "the Spice Islands", also contributed to the introduction of native spices, such as
cloves and
nutmeg, to Indonesian and global cuisine.
Some popular Indonesian dishes such as
nasi goreng,
[2] gado-gado,
[3] sate,
[4] and
soto[5] are
ubiquitous in the country and considered as Indonesian
national dishes.
Sumatran cuisine, for example, often shows Middle Eastern and Indian influences, featuring curried meat and vegetables, while
Javanese cuisine is rather more indigenous. The cuisines of Eastern Indonesia are similar to Polynesian and Melanesian cuisine. Elements of Chinese cuisine can be seen in Indonesian cuisine: items such as
bakmi (noodles),
bakso (meat balls), and
lumpia have been completely assimilated.
The most popular dishes that originated in Indonesia are now common across much of Southeast Asia. Popular Indonesian dishes such as
satay, beef
rendang, and
sambal are also favoured in
Malaysia and
Singapore. Soy-based dishes, such as variations of
tofu (
tahu) and
tempe, are also very popular.
Tempe is regarded as a Javanese invention, a local adaptation of soy-based food fermentation and production. Another soy-based fermented food is
oncom, similar to
tempe but created by different fungi and particularly popular in
West Java.
Indonesian meals are commonly eaten with the combination of a
spoon in the right hand and
fork in the left hand, although in many parts of the country (such as
West Java and
West Sumatra) it is also common to eat with one's hands. In restaurants or households that commonly use bare hands to eat, like in seafood foodstalls, traditional
Sundanese and
Minangkabau restaurants, or East Javanese
pecel lele (fried
catfish with
sambal) and
ayam goreng (fried chicken) foodstalls, they usually serve
kobokan, a bowl of tap water with a slice of lime in it to give a fresh scent. This bowl of water with lime in it should not to be consumed, however; it is used to wash one's hand before and after eating. Eating with
chopsticks is generally only found in foodstalls or restaurants serving Indonesian adaptations of Chinese cuisine, such as
bakmie or
mie ayam (chicken noodle) with
pangsit (wonton),
mie goreng (fried noodle), and
kwetiau goreng (fried flat
rice noodles).
- ^ "Indonesian Cuisine". Diner's Digest. http://www.cuisinenet.com/glossary/indon.html. Retrieved 2010-07-11.
- ^ a b "Nasi Goreng: Indonesia's mouthwatering national dish". http://www.bali-travel-life.com/nasi-goreng.html. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
- ^ a b "National Dish of Indonesia Gado Gado". http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/natl-indonesia.html. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
- ^ a b "Indonesian food recipes: Satay". http://indonesianfoodrecipes.com/indonesian-satay-variants/. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
- ^ a b "A Soto Crawl". Eating Asia. http://eatingasia.typepad.com/eatingasia/2009/03/soto-crawl.html. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
