Indonesian cuisine

tips on Indonesian
food & beverages

 

Why
Indonesian Cuisine
is special

The food is chili hot and complexly seasoned with aromatic herbs and spices. "Bland" is not in an Indonesian chef's vocabulary. Freshness and taste are.

Bali is Indonesia's
finest regional cuisine

Seasoning

Cooks make a bigger and more beguiling flavor statement in Bali than elsewhere in Indonesia.

Pork

One of many culinary differences is that Balinese readily cook with pork. Whereas most Indonesians do not eat that meat because they are Moslem, over 90% of Balinese are of the Hindu-Dharmaism faith, which does not prohibit eating pork.

Chili

Balinese foods are even more chili-scorching than other Indonesian cooking styles (which is saying a lot).

Famous Indonesian
traditional specialties

Dishes

These four Indonesian Cuisine dishes
are widely popular, including in Bali.

Satay
Meat or prawns charcoal-grilled on mini-skewers
Nasi Goreng
A fried rice mixture with finely chopped vegetables and either meat or prawns

Mei Goreng
Same as Nasi Goreng except noodles are substituted for rice
Gado Gado
Parboiled fresh vegetables flavored with a spicy peanut sauce

Fruits

Indonesians use a wide variety of delicious tropical fruits, eaten raw or used as a cooking ingredient.

Famous traditional
specialties of Bali

Babi Guling

Spit-roasted, crispy skinned suckling pig.

Bebek Betutu

Spiced duck slowly cooked in palm or banana leaves.

Lawar

Minced innards mixed with chopped vegetables.

Bubuh Injin

Black rice pudding (served with sweetened coconut cream).

Beverages of Bali

Alcohol

It is more widely available in Bali than in Indonesia in general because over 90% of Balinese are not Moslems.

Traditional alcoholic beverages

They have been around for ages.

Tuak
Sweet palm wine with low potency
Brem
Sweet non-distilled rice-based drink with modest potency
Arak
Distilled rice-based drink with strong potency

Relatively recent additions

These rapidly become popular.

Beer
This brew is Bali's best selling alcoholic beverage
Coffee
Bali grows one of the world's best coffee beans in the rich, mellow, moderate-acid style.

Test yourself

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