Indonesian Cuisine and Recipes
Indonesian Recipes and cooking
by Country - July 2003
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"original" Spice Islands, Indonesia
is a group of over 13,000 islands which stretch between Asia and Oceania. Dividing the Pacific and Indian oceans, it is officially designated
to be in South East Asia.
6,000 of the islands are actually inhabited, the most well known of these being
Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali. There is a mixture of many peoples, including
European, Indian, Chinese and the native Malays, all of which have influenced
the cuisine which is generally of a very spicy hot nature, utilising the many
exotic fresh produce which grows in abundance in the warm climate.
Times and Historic Influences on Indonesian Cooking
at the crossroads of the ancient world, spanning the trade routes between the
Middle East and Asia, it's not surprising that traders, immigrants and even
pirates were enticed by the riches of these Spice Islands.
the first visitors to arrive were the Indian Traders in the 1st century AD,
primarily from South-east India. During the 1st and 7th centuries AD they not
only introduced the Sanskrit language, Buddhism and Hinduism, but they also
brought with them cucumber, eggplant, and cowpeas and assimilated curries into
the native cuisine.
the spread of Buddhism to China, Chinese pilgrims who sailed to India stopped
off and stayed in Indonesia to learn more about Buddhism and early writings
(c132AD) confirm the existence of diplomatic relations between parts of
Indonesia and China. However it wasn't until the early 17th Century that Chinese
tradesmen, encouraged by the Dutch, and workers came in any numbers. The Chinese
introduced the wok and stir-frying as well as vegetables such as, as cabbage.
their search for spices, Europeans including the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and
British began arriving in the early 16th Century. They introduced many
ingredients to the islands including peanuts, avocado, pineapple, tomato, chilli,
pepper, squash and pumpkin. Their introduction of Christianity also had its
influence on the cuisine, in particular the eating of pork.
Eastern traders and money lenders who have traded and settled in Indonesia since
the 17th Century introduced techniques and ingredients. One such is the use of
small cubes of meat cooked on skewers - Satay or Kebab.
day Indonesian Cuisine
influences from Asia, the Middle East and Europe, plus the abundance of fresh
and exotic produce grown locally, one can expect the cuisine of Indonesia to be
varied. Fish and seafood feature prominently in the diet although customs differ
from region to region and soybeans, beef, chicken and vegetables are also eaten.
Pork is consumed, however being predominantly Moslem, is usually confined to
Chinese restaurants and non-Moslem areas.
is the staple on most of the islands although other traditional staples include corn, sago, cassava and sweet potatoes.
everyday Indonesian meal, often referred to as a "rijsttafel"
which is Dutch for "Rice Table", usually consists of a main rice dish with a combination
of small meat, chicken, fish, vegetable and egg dishes plus several sambals,
pickles and "soup" dishes which are usually all served at the
is an essential ingredient to Indonesian cuisine and most of the main dishes are
"hot". Various spices play a vital role in the flavouring of recipes
including turmeric, coriander and curry powder and other widely used ingredients
include fresh ginger, coconut, peanuts and Kecap Mani (Indonesian Soy sauce).
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