Indonesian Food – the Spice Islands
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Loading... - Akemi Ando
- 26 Apr 2023
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No country in the world has the variety of food that Indonesia has. There are 800 languages spread over Indonesia’s 17,000 islands.
Each language represents a culture, a culture with its own special food. There are 30,000 species of spices in Indonesia! The more one thinks about it, the more amazing it is.
For those of us living in Indonesia, we have the culinary opportunity of a lifetime. But, for us expats, the picture is more complicated. For example, an American friend of mine has lived in Indonesia for 20 years and has never eaten the local food. For many, it is “too spicy”. Often, when my wife and I meet new Indonesian people, one of the first things they ask is how I like the food. “Can he eat it?” they ask. They are accustomed to Caucasians or “bules” not liking their best dishes, the food that is so much a part of their lives. It brings a lot of smiles when my wife tells them I love the food.
I want my fellow expats to also enjoy this amazing culinary culture. One needs to be a bit courageous and also patient. Do you remember the first time you drank a beer? What was that like? Not so great if I remember right. Approach Indonesian food like that. Take your time; try small portions. There is so much variety you are sure to find things you like very much. Build on that.
Sambal is a challenge. It comes in “sedang” and “pedas”, which means normal and hot. Many Javanese people like it the hotter the better. Not I, as I don’t want the heat to overwhelm the taste. But I have come to admire sambal and appreciate it fully. Sambal is made with a lot of ingredients, the most important being chilli peppers. It is a very complex and deep recipe. Some of the other ingredients are crushed garlic, shallots, lemongrass, limes, coconut oil, tamarind paste, salt, pepper, and sugar. And there is more to it, especially the fish sauce called terasi. Terasi comes from small shrimps that are dried, soaked, and mixed into a paste. It is slightly fishy which can also be daunting to those not accustomed. Read More…
