IndonesIa

Reported by:
Raysun Bondoc
Roger Alair Jr.
 Introduction
Indonesia is the worlds largest archipelagic state and has a total
population of 245.6 million. It is located in Southern Asia
between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Border
countinues include East Timor, Malaysia, and Papua New
Guinea. It has a tropical, hot, humid climate; more moderate in
highlands. The terrain is mostly coastal lowlands; larger island
have interior mountains. Muslims comprise 86% followed by
Protestant 6%, Roman Catholics 3%, Hindus 2% and others 3%.
 Introduction
• From the time that its Srivijaya kingdom commenced trading
with China in the 7th century, Indonesia has been an
important trade region with many foreign powers attracted by
its wealth of natural resources.

• The Indian merchants brought with them the Hindu and

Buddhist religions as well as curries and dried spices such as
cardamom, cumin and caraway. Chinese traders and
immigrants contributed Confucianism, soybean, noodles and
the technique of stir-frying; while Arab traders and scholars
introduced Islam, kebabs and Arabian spices.
 Introduction
• The Europeans, meanwhile, fought amongst themselves for
control of the Spice Islands of Maluku; and Spanish and
Portuguese traders brought produce from the New World
before the Dutch finally colonized Indonesia for three and a
half centuries. During that time, they imported potatoes,
cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, string beans and corn to remind
themselves of home.
Food Ways in Indonesia
 Food Ways in Indonesia

• Indonesian cuisine is diverse, in part because Indonesia is composed of

approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 18,000 in the world's
largest archipelago. Many regional cuisines exist, often based upon cultural
and foreign influences. Indonesian cuisine varies greatly by region and has
many different influences. 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. Five main Indonesian cooking methods are
goreng (frying), bakar or panggang (grilling), tumis (stir frying), rebus
(boiling) and kukus (steaming).
 Food Ways in Indonesia

• Some popular Indonesian dishes such as nasi goreng, gado-

gado, sate, and soto are ubiquitous in the country and
considered as Indonesian national dishes.
• Indonesia’s culinary ties are closet to Southeast Asian
countries strongly influenced by India. Curries- highly spiced
sauces often diluted with coconut milk and served with bite
size bits of meat, fish and vegetables enliven the blandness of
rice that is a staple in meals.
• Arab traders ultimately converted Java from Hinduism to
Islam and experienced their culinary influence as well. Kebabs,
marinated meat cubes threaded on skewers, were
reinterpreted to become satay. Dill and fennel entered the
repertoire of spices.
 Food Ways in Indonesia

• Today Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world.

Not surprisingly , goat and lamb are important meats. While
pork, is forbidden. Pork is eaten only in Hindu Bali and within
the Chinese Community.
• Chinese merchants and traders meanwhile added their own
indispensable contribution to the cook pot. Indonesian food
would be unrecognizable without the wok, stir-frying, the
soybeans and noodles which thread their way throughout the
cuisine in countless ways. Among their many vegetable, the
Chinese brought mustard greens, mung beans, radish (daikon)
and Chinese Cabbage.
Food Ways in Indonesia

Mustard Green
Mung Beans
Food Ways in Indonesia

Chinese Cabbage
Radish
 Food Ways in Indonesia

• Some popular dishes that originated in Indonesia are now

common across much of Southeast Asia. Indonesian dishes
such as satay, beef rendang, and sambal are also flavored 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 fermented
food is oncom, similar in some ways to tempe but using a
variety of bases (not only soy), created by different fungi, and
particularly popular in West Java.
Food Ways in Indonesia

Satay
 Food Ways in Indonesia

• Sumatran cuisine, for example, often has Middle Eastern and

Indian influences, featuring curried meat and vegetables such
as gulai and kari, while Javanese cuisine is mostly indigenous,
with some hint of Chinese influence. The cuisines of Eastern
Indonesia are similar to Polynesian and Melanesian cuisine.
Elements of Chinese cuisine can be seen in Indonesian cuisine:
foods such as bakmi (noodles), bakso (meat or fish balls), and
lumpia (spring rolls) have been completely assimilated.
Food Ways in Indonesia

Gulai and Kari bakmi

 Food Ways in Indonesia

• The Dutch attracted by the nutmeg and cloves of Maluku, waged wars over the
Spice Island and ultimately colonized the entire archipelago. Colonization
caused much suffering, but added the finishing touch when it came to flavors.
Chili peppers from Mexico added their unmistakable sting. Peanuts from the
Americas provided sauces for satay and gado-gado. Cassava from the Caribbean
and sweet potatoes from south America Furnished Maluku (the Molucas) and
Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea) with their staples.
Food Ways in Indonesia

Maluku map

Gado-Gado

Irian Jaya Map

 Food Ways in Indonesia

• In this exotic world, Dutch Colonizers sought the flavors of

home. They Imported cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, string
beans, potatoes and corn, adding to the already vast array of
vegetable. They also created an entertainment institution
design to present scores of different dishes at a single sitting.
Rijsttafels (rice table) might contain up to a hundred different
dishes. Servants stood behind the chair to each guest ready to
provide soothing morsels of each guest ready to provide
soothing morsels when necessary to cool a burning palate.
Food Ways in Indonesia

Rijsttafels
 Staple Food in Indonesia

• Rice is a staple for all classes in contemporary Indonesia, and it holds the
central place in Indonesian culture: it shapes the landscape; is sold at
markets; and is served in most meals both as a savoury and a sweet food.
The importance of rice in Indonesian culture is demonstrated through the
reverence of Dewi Sri, the rice goddess of ancient Java and Bali.
Traditionally the agricultural cycles linked to rice cultivations were
celebrated through rituals, such as Seren Taun rice harvest festival.
• Rice is most often eaten as plain rice with just a few protein and vegetable
dishes as side dishes. It is also served, however, as nasi uduk (rice cooked in
coconut milk), nasi kuning (rice cooked with coconut milk and turmeric),
ketupat (rice steamed in woven packets of coconut fronds), lontong (rice
steamed in banana leaves), intip or rengginang (rice crackers), desserts,
vermicelli, noodles, arak beras (rice wine), and nasi goreng (fried rice). Nasi
goreng is omnipresent in Indonesia and considered as national dish.
 Staple Food in Indonesia

• Other staple foods in Indonesia include a number of starchy tubers such as yam,
sweet potato, potato, taro and cassava. Starchy fruit such as breadfruit and jackfruit
and grains such as maize and wheat are eaten. A sago congee called Papeda is a
staple food especially in Maluku and Papua. Sago is often mixed with water and
cooked as a simple pancake. Next to sago, people of eastern Indonesia consume wild
tubers as staple food.
• Many types of tubers such as talas (a type of taro but larger and more bland) and
breadfruit are native to Indonesia, while others are introduced from elsewhere.
Wheat, the base ingredient for bread and noodles were probably introduced from
India or China; yam was introduced from Africa; while maize, potato, sweet potato,
cassava and maize were introduced from Americas through Spanish influence and
reached Java in the 17th century. Cassava is usually boiled, steamed, fried or
processed as popular snack kripik singkong (cassava crackers). Dried cassava, locally
known as tiwul, is an alternate staple food in arid areas of Java such as Gunung Kidul
and Wonogiri, while other roots and tubers are eaten especially in hard times. Maize
is eaten in drier regions such as Madura and islands east of the Wallace Line, such as
the Lesser Sunda Islands.
 Staple Food in Indonesia

Papeda, staple food of Indonesian food includes

eastern Indonesia, many vegetables as
served with yellow soup ingredients like this Sayur Ayam goreng Kalasan,
and grilled mackerel. oyong made with Luffa from Kalasan,
acutangula Yogyakarta.
 Staple Food in Indonesia

Rendang daging, a beef,

mutton or goat meat dish Grilling ikan bakar baronang in
cooked with coconut milk Mamuju, West Sulawesi.
 Staple Food in Indonesia

• A number of leaf vegetables are widely used in Indonesian cuisine, such as kangkung,
spinach, genjer, melinjo, papaya and cassava leaves. These are often sauteed with
garlic. Spinach and corn are used in simple clear watery vegetable soup sayur bayam
bening flavoured with temu kunci, garlic and shallot. Other vegetables like labu air
(calabash), labu siam (chayote), kelor, kacang panjang (yardlong bean), terung
(eggplant), gambas and belustru, are cut and used in stir fries, curries and soups like
sayur asem, sayur lodeh or laksa. Sayur sop is cabbage, cauliflower, potato, carrot,
with macaroni spiced with black pepper, garlic and shallot in chicken or beef broth.
The similar mixed vegetables are also stir fried as cap cai, a popular dish of the
Chinese Indonesian cuisine.
• Vegetables like kecipir (winged bean), tomato, mentimun (cucumber) and the small
variety of peria (bitter melon) are commonly eaten raw, like in lalab. The large bitter
melon variety is usually boiled. kecombrang and papaya flower buds are a common
Indonesian vegetable. Urap is seasoned and spiced shredded coconut meat mixed
together with vegetables, asinan betawi are preserved vegetables. Gado-gado and
pecel are a salad of boiled vegetables dressed in a peanut-based spicy sauce, while
karedok is its raw version.
 Staple Food in Indonesia

• The most common poultry consumed is chicken and duck,

however to a lesser amount, pigeon and wild migrating sea
bird are also consumed. Various recipes of ayam goreng (fried
chicken) and ayam bakar (grilled chicken) are commonly found
throughout Indonesia. Other than frying or grilling, chicken
might be cooked as soup, such as sup ayam and soto ayam, or
cooked in coconut milk as opor ayam. Chicken satay is also
commonly found in Indonesia. Popular chicken recipes such as
ayam goreng kalasan from Yogyakarta, ayam bakar padang
from Padang, ayam taliwang from Lombok, ayam betutu from
Bali, and ayam goreng lengkuas (galangal fried chicken).
 Staple Food in Indonesia

• Beef and goat meat are the most commonly consumed meat in Indonesia, while
kerbau (water buffalo) and domestic sheep are also consumed to a lesser amount,
since water buffalo are more useful to plough the rice paddies, while sheep are
harvested for its wool or used as traditional entertainment of ram fighting. As a
country with an Islamic majority, Indonesian Muslims follows the Islamic halal dietary
law which forbids the consumption of pork. However in other parts of Indonesia
where there are significant numbers of non-Muslims, boar and pork are commonly
consumed. Dishes made of non-halal meats can be found in provinces such as Bali,
North Sumatra, North Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, West Papua, Papua, and
also in Chinatowns in major Indonesian cities. Today to cater for the larger Muslim
market, most of the restaurants and eating establishments in Indonesia put halal
signs that signify they neither serve pork or any non-halal meats, nor use lard in their
cooking. With overwhelming Muslim population and relatively small population of
cattle, today Indonesians rely heavily on imported beef from Australia, New Zealand
and United States which often resulted in scarcity and raised prices of beef in
Indonesian market.
 Staple Food in Indonesia

• The meat can be cooked in rich spices and coconut milk such
as beef, goat or lamb rendang, skewered, seasoned and grilled
chicken or mutton as satay, barbecued meats, or sliced and
cooked in rich broth soup as soto. Muttons and various offals
can be use as ingredients for soto soup or gulai curry. In Bali,
with its Hindu majority, the babi guling (pig roast) is popular
among locals as well as non-Muslim visitors, while the Batak
people of North Sumatra have babi panggang that is a similar
dish. Wild boar are also commonly consumed in Papua. The
meat also can be processed to be thinly-sliced and dried as
dendeng (jerky), or made into abon (meat floss). Dendeng
celeng is Indonesian "dried, jerked" boar meat. Raised rabbits
are also consumed as food in mountainous region of
Indonesia.
 Staple Food in Indonesia

• In an archipelagic nation, seafood is abundant, and it is commonly consumed

especially by Indonesian residents in coastal areas. Fish is especially popular in the
eastern Indonesian regions of Sulawesi and Maluku, where most of the people work
as fishermen. Both areas have a vast sea which brings them different kind of seafood.
Popular seafood in Indonesian cuisine among others; tongkol or cakalang (skipjack
tuna), tuna, ikan kembung (mackerel), bawal (pomfret), tenggiri (wahoo), bandeng
(milkfish), kuwe (trevally), baronang (rabbitfish), kerapu (garoupa), kakap merah (red
snapper), teri (anchovy), todak (swordfish), hiu or cucut (shark), pari (stingray), sotong
or cumi-cumi (squid or cuttlefish), udang (shrimp), kepiting (crab), rajungan (blue
crab), and kerang (mussel). Seafood is commonly consumed across Indonesia, but it is
especially popular in Maluku islands and Minahasa (North Sulawesi) cuisine. Seafood
are usually being bakar (grilled), rebus (boiled) or goreng (fried). Ikan bakar is a
popular grilled fish dish that can be found throughout Indonesia. However another
method of cooking like stir fried in spices or in soup is also possible. Ikan asin (salted
fish) is preserved seafood through cured in salt, it is also can be found in Indonesian
market.
 Staple Food in Indonesia

• Fresh water fisheries can be found in inland region or area

with large rivers or lakes. Fresh water fishes are popular in
Sundanese cuisine of West Java, caught or raised in Lake Toba
in Batak lands of North Sumatra, or taken from large rivers in
Malay lands of Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra, or large rivers
in Kalimantan. Popular fresh water fish among others; ikan
mas (carp), gurame (gourami), lele (catfish), patin (pangasius),
gabus (snakehead), sepat (trichogaster), betok (climbing
gourami), nila (Nile tilapia), and mujair (Mozambique tilapia).
 Spices and other
flavorings
• "Rempah" is Indonesian word for spice, while "bumbu" is the
Indonesian word for spices mixture or seasoning, and it commonly
appears in the names of certain spice mixtures, sauces and seasoning
pastes. Known throughout the world as the "Spice Islands", the
Indonesian islands of Maluku contributed to the introduction of its
native spices to world cuisine. Spices such as pala (nutmeg/mace),
cengkeh (clove), daun pandan (Pandan leaves), kluwek (Pangium
edule) and laos (galangal) are native to Indonesia. It is likely that lada
hitam (black pepper), kunyit (turmeric), sereh (lemongrass), bawang
merah (shallot), kayu manis (cinnamon), kemiri (candlenut), ketumbar
(coriander), and asam jawa (tamarind) were introduced from India,
while jahe (ginger), daun bawang (scallions) and bawang putih (garlic)
were introduced from China. Those spices from mainland Asia were
introduced early, in ancient times, thus they became integral
ingredients in Indonesian cuisine.
Spices and other
flavorings

• In ancient times, the kingdom of Sunda and the later sultanate of Banten
were well known as the world's major producers of black pepper. The
maritime empires of Srivijaya and Majapahit also benefited from the lucrative
spice trade between the spice islands with China and India. Later the Dutch
East India Company controlled the spice trade between Indonesia and the
world. The Indonesian fondness for hot and spicy food was enriched when
the Spanish introduced cabai chili pepper from the New World to the region
in 16th century. After that hot and spicy sambals have become an important
part of Indonesian cuisine. Sambal evolved into many variants across
Indonesia, ones of the most popular is sambal terasi (sambal belacan) and
sambal mangga muda (unripe mango sambal). Dabu-dabu is North Sulawesi
style of sambal with chopped fresh tomato, chili, and lime juice. Traditionally
prepared laboriously ground upon stone mortar, today sambals is also
available as industrial processed products in bottles or jars. Terasi or belacan
(shrimp paste) is also an important ingredients for flavouring, usually used in
sambal, rujak, or various vegetables dishes.
Spices and other
flavorings

• Soy sauce is also an important flavorings in Indonesian cuisine.

Kecap asin (salty or common soy sauce) was adopted from
Chinese cuisine, however Indonesian developed their own
kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) with generous addition of palm
sugar into soy sauce. Sweet soy sauce is an important
marinade for barbecued meat and fish, such as satay and
grilled fishes. Sweet soy sauce is also an important ingredient
for semur, Indonesian stew.
Spices and other
flavorings

• Coconuts are abundant in tropical Indonesia, and since ancient

times Indonesians developed many and various uses for this plant.
The broad use of coconut milk in dishes throughout the archipelago
is another common characteristic of Indonesian cuisine. It is used in
recipes ranging from savoury dishes - such as rendang, soto, Mie
Koclok, sayur lodeh gudeg, and opor ayam - to desserts - such as es
cendol and es doger. Soto is ubiquitous in Indonesia and considered
as one of Indonesia's national dishes.
• The use of coconut milk is not exclusive to Indonesian cuisine. It can
also be found in Indian, Samoan, Thai, Malaysian, Filipino, and
Brazilian cuisines. Nonetheless, the use of coconut milk is quite
extensive in Indonesia, especially in Minangkabau cuisine, although
in Minahasan (North Sulawesi) cuisine, coconut milk is generally
absent, except in Minahasan cakes and desserts such as klappertart.
Spices and other
flavorings
• Bumbu kacang or peanut sauce represents a sophisticated,
earthy seasoning rather than a sweet, gloppy sauce.It should
have a delicate balance of savoury, sweet, sour, and spicy
flavours, acquired from various ingredients, such as fried
peanuts, gula jawa (coconut sugar), garlic, shallots, ginger,
tamarind, lemon juice, lemongrass, salt, chilli, peppercorns,
sweet soy sauce, ground together and mixed with water to
form the right consistency. The secret to good peanut sauce is
“not too thick and not too watery.” Indonesian peanut sauce
tends to be less sweet than the Thai version, which is a hybrid
adaptation. Gado-gado is a popular dish particularly
associated with bumbu kacang, and is eaten across Indonesia.
Spices and other
flavorings

• One of the main characteristics of Indonesian cuisine is the wide

application of peanuts in many Indonesian signature dishes, such as
satay, gado-gado, karedok, ketoprak, and pecel. Gado-gado and
Sate for example have been considered as Indonesian national
dishes.Introduced from Mexico by Portuguese and Spanish
merchants in 16th century, peanuts assumed a place within
Indonesian cuisine as a key ingredient. Peanuts thrived in the
tropical environment of Southeast Asia, and today they can be
found, roasted and chopped finely, in many recipes. Whole, halved,
or crushed peanuts are used to garnish a variety of dishes, and used
in marinades and dipping sauces such as sambal kacang (a mixture
of ground chilies and fried peanuts) for otak-otak or ketan. Peanut
oil, extracted from peanuts, is one of the most commonly used
cooking oils in Indonesia.
Cooking Methods
Cooking Methods

• Most of common Indonesian dishes are named according to

its main ingredients and cooking method. For example ayam
goreng is ayam (chicken) and goreng (frying), which denotes
fried chicken. Mie goreng is fried noodle, ikan bakar is grilled
fish, udang rebus is boiled shrimp, babi panggang is roasted
pork and tumis kangkung is stir fried water spinach. Cooking
methods in Indonesian kitchen are goreng (frying) either in
small amount of oil or deep frying with a lot of cooking oil,
tumis (stir frying), sangray (sauteing). Roasting methods are
bakar (grilling) usually employing charcoal, firewood, or
coconut shell, panggang (baked) usually refer to baking
employing oven. Other methods are rebus (boiling) and kukus
(steaming).
Cooking Methods

• The fire used in cooking can be either strong fire or small fire for slow
cooking. Cooking nasi goreng usually employ strong fire, while authentic
rendang for example employ small fire for slow cooking of beef, spices, and
coconut milk until the meat caramelized and all the coconut milk's liquid
evaporates. Traditional Indonesian dapur (kitchen) usually employ
firewood-fuelled kitchen stove, while the contemporary household today
uses liquefied petroleum gas-fuelled stove or electric stove. The ingredients
could be cutted in pieces, sliced thinly, or ground into paste. Cooking
utensils are wajan (wok), penggorengan (frying pan), panci (cauldron),
knives, several types of spoon and fork, parutan (shredder), and ulekan and
lesung (stone mortar and pestle). Traditionally Indonesians uses stone
mortar and pestles to grind the spices and ingredients into coarse or fine
pastes, today most households might uses blender or food processor for the
task. Traditional Indonesian cookingwares usually are made from stone,
earthenware pottery, wood, and woven bamboo or rattan container or
filter, while contemporary cookingwares, plates and containers uses metals,
iron, tin, stainless steel, aluminum, ceramics, plastics, and also glass.
 Some Regional
Dishes
West Java
Main article: Sundanese cuisine
•A textural specialty of Sunda (West Java) is karedok, a fresh salad made with long
beans, bean sprouts, and cucumber with a spicy sauce. Other Sundanese dishes include
mie kocok which is a beef and egg noodle soup, and soto Bandung, a beef and vegetable
soup with daikon and lemon grass. A hawker favourite is kupat tahu (pressed rice, bean
sprouts, and tofu with soy and peanut sauce). Colenak (roasted cassava with sweet
coconut sauce) and ulen (roasted brick of sticky rice with peanut sauce) are dishes
usually eaten warm.
 Some Regional
Dishes
Madura
•Madura is an island on the northeastern coast of Java and administered as
part of the East Java province. Like the East Java foods which use petis udang,
Madura foods add petis ikan which is made from fish instead of shrimp. The
Madura style satay is probably the most popular satay variants in Indonesia.
Some of its popular dishes are Sate Ayam Madura(Chicken Satay with Peanut
Sauce), Soto Madura (Beef Soup). Madura dishes are often saltier than other
East Java foods.
 Some Regional
Dishes

Bali
Main article: Balinese cuisine
•Balinese cuisine dishes include lawar (chopped coconut, garlic, chilli, with
pork or chicken meat and blood). Bebek betutu is duck stuffed with spices,
wrapped in banana leaves and coconut husks cooked in a pit of embers.
Balinese sate, known as sate lilit, is made from spiced mince pressed onto
skewers which are often lemon grass sticks. Babi guling is a spit-roasted pig
stuffed with chilli, turmeric, garlic, and ginger. Basa gede or basa rajang is a
spice paste that is a basic ingredient in many Balinese dishes.
 Some Foreign
Influences
• Dutch influences
Through colonialism, Europeans introduced bread, cheese, barbecued steak and
pancake. Bread, butter and margarine, sandwiches filled with ham, cheese or
fruit jam, poffertjes, pannekoek and Dutch cheeses are commonly consumed
by colonial Dutch and Indos during colonial era. Some of native upperclass
ningrat (nobles) and educated native were exposed to European cuisine; This
cuisine was held in high esteem as the cuisine of the upper class of Dutch East
Indies society. This led to adoption and fusion of European cuisine into
Indonesian cuisine. Some dishes created during the colonial era were
influenced by Dutch cuisine, including roti bakar (grilled bread), roti buaya,
selat solo (solo salad), bistik jawa (Javanese beef steak), semur (from Dutch
smoor), sayur kacang merah (brenebon) and sop buntut. Many pastries, cakes
and cookies such as kue bolu (tart), lapis legit (spekkoek), spiku (lapis
Surabaya) and kaastangel (cheese cookies) come from Dutch influence. Some
recipes were invented as Dutch Indies fusion cuisine, using native ingredients
but employing European pastry techniques. These include pandan cake and
klappertaart (coconut tart). Kue cubit, commonly sold as snack at schools and
marketplaces, are believed to be derived from poffertjes.
 Some Foreign
Influences

Kipsate met friet, Dutch

take on Indonesian chicken
satay, served with Peanut
sauce, fried onions,
kroepoek, friet, and
mayonnaise.
 Some Foreign
Influences
• Chinese influences
Main article: Chinese Indonesian cuisine
Chinese immigration to Indonesia started in the 7th century, perhaps even
earlier. This migration accelerated during colonial times, thus creating the
fusion of Chinese cuisine with indigenous Indonesian style. Similar Chinese-
native fusion cuisine phenomena is also observable in neighboring Malaysia
and Singapore as peranakan cuisine. Some popular Indonesian dishes trace
its origin to Chinese influences such as; bakmi, bakso, bakpau, nasi goreng,
mi goreng, tahu goreng, siomay, mpek-mpek , lumpia, nasi tim, cap cai, fu
yung hai and swikee.

Siomay, popular
Indonesian Chinese
influenced dish.
HEALTH
 HEALTH

Nutrition
•Much carbohydrate intake in Indonesian cuisine comes from rice, while in
eastern parts of Indonesia, yam and sago are common. Indonesian protein
intake comes from bean soy products that are processed into tofu and
tempeh. Chicken eggs, poultry and meats are also consumed. Most of the fat
intake comes from cooking oil (coconut oil) of fried dishes, coconut milk,
peanuts, as well as meats and offals.
•Some Indonesian fruit and vegetable dishes such as fruit rujak, gado-gado,
karedok, pecel, lalab, capcay, tofu and tempeh are known as healthy foods
with low fat and high fiber. Tempeh, for example, is known to be a vegetarian
substitute for meat. On the other hand some dishes, especially gorengan
(deep-fried fritters) and those dishes infused or caramelized with coconut
milk, such as rendang and gulai, might taste succulent but are rich in fat and
cholesterol. The goat meat and offals cooked as gulai and soto are definitely
categorized as unhealthy dietary choices as they are rich in saturated fat and
cholesterol.
 HEALTH

Food safety
•The authentic traditional Indonesian home cooking is freshly made and
consumed daily with minimal or no processed, canned or preserved
foods, which means there is a minimal amount of preservatives and
sodium. Most ingredients are bought fresh very early in the morning
from local traditional markets, cooked around the late morning and
consumed mainly for lunch. The leftovers are stored in the cupboard in
room temperature to be heated and consumed again for dinner.
Traditionally, Indonesian dishes are rarely stored for long periods of
time, thus most of these dishes are cooked and consumed in the same
day. Some exceptions apply to dried, salted, and processed food. For
example, dry rendang may still be safe to consume for several days.
Modern refrigeration technology is available in most households.
 HEALTH

Hygiene
•While most Indonesian grocery products and food served in mid
to upperscale eating establishments maintain food hygiene
standard ranges of hygiene levels from good to acceptable —
regulated and supervised by Badan Pengawasan Obat dan
Makanan (Indonesian Food and Drug Administration) — some
warung traditional foodstalls and street vendors might have poor
hygiene. The tropical microbes also might contribute to food
poisoning cases, especially among foreigners during their stay in
Indonesia. It is advisable to drink bottled or boiled drinking
water, or choose cooked hot food instead of uncooked room
temperatured ones sold by street vendors. For example, when
consuming food sold by street vendors, consuming hot cooked
mie ayam or soto is much safer than having gado-gado or fruit
rujak.
ధన్య
్యవాదాలు
(Thank You)