INDONESIA FOOD'S

ABOUT INDONESIA FOOD

  Indonesian cuisine is one of the richest culinary traditions in the world, and is full of strong tastes.The richness of its cuisine is a reflection of the diversity of the culture and traditions of the archipelago which consists of around 6,000 inhabited islands, and occupies an important role in Indonesia's national culture in general. Almost all Indonesian dishes are rich in spices derived from spices such as candlenut, chili, key gatherings, galangal, ginger, kencur, turmeric, coconut and palm sugar with the use of cooking techniques according to ingredients, and traditional traditions that have influence through trade originating from India, China, the Middle East and Europe (especially the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain).

  Basically there is no single form of "Indonesian cuisine", but rather, the diversity of regional cuisine which is influenced locally by Indonesian culture and foreign influences. For example, rice is processed into white rice, ketupat or lontong (steamed rice) as a staple food for the majority of the Indonesian population, but for the eastern part it is more commonly consumed sago, corn, cassava and sweet potatoes. The general presentation of most Indonesian foods consists of staple foods with side dishes in the form of meat, fish or vegetables on the side of the plate.

  Throughout its history, Indonesia has been involved in world trade thanks to its location and natural resources.

  Historically, the Indonesian culinary trail has been found in a number of inscriptions from the 8th to the 10th century AD. At that time, the term food was known, namely food related to the kitchen, made with srni touch and giving pleasure. This is mostly found in Javanese and Sumatran inscriptions. But the more east Indonesia, there are not many records, and the material is more homogeneous, namely sago. Cooking techniques, and authentic Indonesian food ingredients developed, and were later influenced by the culinary arts of India, the Middle East, China, and finally Europe. Spanish and Portuguese traders brought various foodstuffs from the American continent long before the Dutch managed to control Indonesia. The famous Maluku island as the "Spice Islands", also donates Indonesian native spice plants to world culinary arts. The culinary arts of the eastern part of Indonesia are similar to the art of cooking Polynesia and Melanesia.

RENDANG

   Rendang is a Southeast Asian spicy meat dish originating from the Minangkabau people of Indonesia.It has spread across Indonesia and to the cuisines of neighboring Southeast Asian countries.One of the characteristic foods of Minangkabau culture, it is served at ceremonial occasions and to honour guests. Rendang is also traditionally served among the Malay community and the Maranao people. Rendang is traditionally prepared by the Minangkabau community during festive occasions such as traditional ceremonies, wedding feasts and Hari Raya (Eid al-Fitr).

Although culinary experts often describe rendang as a curry, rendang is usually not considered as such in Indonesia since it is richer and contains less liquid than is normal for Indonesian curries. In 2011 an online poll of 35,000 people by CNN International chose rendang as the number one dish of their "World's 50 Most Delicious Foods (Readers' Pick)" list. In 2018, rendang is officially recognised as one of 5 national dishes of Indonesia.

NASI GORENG

   Nasi goreng, literally meaning "fried rice" in both the Malay and Indonesian languages, is an Indonesian rice dish with pieces of meat and vegetables added.^[6] It can refer simply to fried pre-cooked rice, a meal including stir fried rice in a small amount of cooking oil or margarine, typically spiced with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), shallot, garlic, ground shrimp paste, tamarind and chilli and accompanied by other ingredients, particularly egg, chicken and prawns. There is also another kind of nasi goreng which is made with ikan asin (salted dried fish) which is also popular across Indonesia. Nasi goreng is sometimes described as Indonesian stir-fried rice, although it is also popular in Southeast Asia. Beyond the Malay Archipelago, it has gained popularity through Indonesian influence in Sri Lanka and via Indonesian immigrant communities in Suriname and the Netherlands. It is distinguished from other Asian fried rice recipes by its aromatic, earthy and smoky flavor, owed to generous amount of caramelized sweet soy sauce and powdered shrimp paste, and the taste is stronger and spicier compared to Chinese fried rice.

Nasi goreng has been called the national dish of Indonesia, though there are many other contenders. It can be enjoyed in simple versions from a tin plate at a roadside food stall, eaten on porcelain in restaurants, or collected from the buffet tables of Jakarta dinner parties.

In 2011 an online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International chose Indonesian nasi goreng as number two on their 'World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods' list after rendang.

BAKSO

   Bakso or baso is an Indonesian meatball, or a meat paste made from beef surimi. Its texture is similar to the Chinese beef ball, fish ball, or pork ball. The word bakso may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup. Mie bakso refers to bakso served with yellow noodles and rice vermicelli, while bakso kuah refers to bakso soup served without noodles.

Bakso can be found all across Indonesia, from street vendors to high-class restaurants. Along with soto, satay, and siomay, bakso is one of the most popular street foods in Indonesia. Today, various types of ready-to-cook bakso are also available as frozen foods sold in supermarkets in Indonesia.

MIE AYAM

   Mie ayam, mi ayam or bakmi ayam (Indonesian for 'chicken bakmi') is a common Southeast Asian dish of seasoned yellow wheat noodles topped with diced chicken meat (ayam). It especially common in Indonesia,Singapore and Malaysia, and can trace its origin to Chinese cuisine. In Indonesia, the dish is recognized as a popular Chinese Indonesian dish, served from simple travelling vendor carts frequenting residential areas, humble street-side warung to restaurants.

SOTO AYAM

   Soto ayam is a yellow spicy chicken soup with lontong or nasi himpit or ketupat (all compressed rice that is then cut into small cakes) and/or vermicelli or noodles, commonly found in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Suriname. Turmeric is added as one of its ingredients to get yellow chicken broth. It is probably the most popular variant of soto, a traditional soup commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. Besides chicken and vermicelli, it can also be served with hard-boiled eggs, slices of fried potatoes, Chinese celery leaves, and fried shallots. Coconut milk is sometimes used as an ingredient. Occasionally, people will add "koya", a powder of mixed prawn crackers with fried garlic or orange colored spicy sambal, krupuk or emping is a very common topping.

PECEL

   Pecel is a traditional Javanese salad, consisting of mixed vegetables in a peanut sauce dressing, usually served with steamed rice or sometimes with lontong or ketupat compressed rice cake. The peanut sauce used in pecel is also similar to gado-gado. Peanut sauce for pecel has no coconut milk. However pecel has been strongly associated with Javanese cuisine, while gado-gado is usually associated with Betawi and Sundanese cuisine. In Malaysia, it is called as pecal which is introduced by the Javanese immigrants. Pecel is also very popular in Suriname, where it was introduced by the Javanese Surinamese.