Indonesian cuisine

Lore & Background

Indonesian cuisine has a long history, though most of it is not well-documented and relied heavily on local practice and oral traditions. An exception is Javanese cuisine, which has a quite well-documented culinary tradition. Ancient dishes were mentioned in Javanese inscriptions from the 8th to 10th century Kingdom of Mataram era, including hadaŋan haraŋ (minced water buffalo meat satay) and dundu puyengan (eel seasoned with lemon basil). The 9th century Old Javanese Kakawin Ramayana mentions cooking techniques, and several foods identified with present-day Javanese foods appear in inscriptions from the 10th to 15th centuries, such as pecel, pindang, rawon, rujak, krupuk, wajik, dodol, and dawet.

Reader's Guide

Indonesian cuisine varies greatly by region and has many different influences. Sumatran cuisine has Middle Eastern and Indian influences, featuring curried meat and vegetables such as gulai and curry, while Javanese cuisine is mostly indigenous with some hints of Chinese influence. The cuisines of Eastern Indonesia are similar to Polynesian and Melanesian cuisine. Throughout its history, Indonesia has been involved in trade, and its indigenous techniques and ingredients were influenced by India, the Middle East, China, and Europe. Spanish and Portuguese traders brought New World produce before the Dutch colonized most of the archipelago. The Moluccas Islands, famed as 'the Spice Islands', contributed to the introduction of spices such as cloves and nutmeg. Today, popular dishes that originated in Indonesia, such as satay, beef rendang, and sambal, are common in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

Did You Know?

• Tempeh is regarded as a Javanese invention, a local adaptation of soy-based food fermentation.
• The Moluccas Islands are famed as 'the Spice Islands' and contributed to the introduction of cloves and nutmeg.