Dining Indonesian Style
Dining in Indonesia is varied and has a very diverse taste according to the dish’s place of origin. Although it is not as well known like its other Asian counterparts in China, Japan and Thailand, it is still very worthy of praise. Dining in Indonesia is cheap compared to other places and most travelers and tourists can find a dish that will become one of their favorites. Many facets of Indonesian culture, including food have been influenced by the traders that pass by the trade routes in which the country is strategically located.
Indonesian cuisine is a showcase of exotic dining experience. The dish is highly influenced by its place of origin. For example, West Javanese food are usually accompanied by raw vegetables and the chili sauce with shrimp paste called sambal and is served on a stone or clay crusher called cobek. Central Java dishes have a mild sweetness to it. All of these dishes are accompanied with rice, that’s why every dish is served with rice that is shaped like a cone to symbolize a holy mountain. Many Indonesians still eat with their bare hands so every food order is served with a bowl of warm water for hand washing.
There is a wide variety of well-know Indonesian dishes and if you want to try a little bit of everything, you must try the famous Indonesian feast which is made of an assortment of Indonesian dishes surrounding a cone of rice. Some of these popular dishes are satay, rendang, tempeh, bubur ayam and many more. For street dining, you can have ketoprak which is usually had for breakfast and sold by cart vendors. These meals have
rice cakes, fried tofu, bean sprout, vermicelli and served with peanut sauce similar to gado-gado. Soybean sauce and rice crackers are added on top.
There is also a wide variety of fruits in Indonesia with some seasonal, so you must some whenever possible. Some fruits in Indonesia are belimbing, duku, durian, jambu air, jambu lutuk, mangga, jackfruit and mangosteen. These are only some of the popular friuts with a wide variety of shape, taste and smell.