Food in Indonesia has been influenced over the centuries by China, Europe, and even India. European traders were drawn to Indonesia in search of expensive native spices such as nutmeg and cloves; the Portuguese introduced peanuts during their colonization. Indians brought curries with them and the Chinese contributed noodles and soybeans.
The rich ocean waters between the islands mean that seafood can be found in abundance and the equatorial climate provides the perfect weather for growing rice and soybeans.
Eating Out in Indonesia
Many restaurants in Indonesia serve main meals with kerupuk, light crackers made from prawns, and a fried egg (telur). Vegans should be aware that even dishes advertised as not containing meat are commonly prepared with eggs.Food in Indonesia is commonly cooked ahead of time and then served at room temperature throughout the day to accommodate the irregular eating schedules of most people.
Outside of Chinese food stalls, chopsticks are rarely used as utensils in Indonesia. More commonly, meals are eaten with a spoon in the right hand and a fork in the left. Restaurants away from tourist areas and signed simply as "Rumah Makan" (eating house) may expect you to eat with your hands as many locals do. Begin by dipping only your right hand in the bowl of water with lime found on the table and keep your left hand - associated with toilet functions - in your lap to be polite.
Unless specified, food in Indonesia is rarely spicy. Chili condiments known as sambal are provided in small dishes or bottles so that you can spice your own food to taste. Some sambal is made from fermented shrimp or fish; smell it first if you are not sure!
Popular Food in Indonesia
Nasi Goreng
Like most of its neighbors, Indonesia's main staple is rice - served either plain or fried with spices. No traveler can pass through Indonesia without eating their weight in nasi goreng, Indonesia's tasty version of fried rice. This popular, low-cost dish is eaten by Indonesians regularly for dinner and sometimes even breakfast. Garlic, shallot, tamarind, and chili lend nasi goreng its delicious flavor.
Mie Goreng
Mie goreng - pronounced "mee goreng" - is the Indonesian
version of fried noodles and is interpreted differently across the
archipelago. Restaurants in tourist areas will serve thin, stir-fried,
yellow noodles with spices and vegetables. Mi goreng in Flores or other rural areas may mean simply a pack of instant, ramen-style noodles that are high in fat and MSG.Gado-Gado
A great choice for vegetarians, gado-gado actually means "hodgepodge". Gado-gado usually consists of stir-fried vegetables coated with a thick peanut sauce for protein.
Satay
Satay, skewered meat grilled over glowing charcoal, is one of the most common smells encountered while walking the streets in Indonesia. Commonly made from chicken, beef, goat, pork, or anything else that can be grilled on a stick, satay can serve as a quick snack or a main meal depending on the quantity of small skewers purchased. Satay is usually served with peanut sauce or sambal.
Tempeh
Ayam Goreng
Fried chicken is comfort-food for all parts of the world. Ayam goreng typically consists of one or two pieces of chicken that are fried to a crispy brown and served on rice.
Laksa
Takabonerate lies southwest of Selayar island and is the third largest coral atoll in the world (the largest is Kwajalein in the Marshall islands and the second largest Suvadiva in the Maldives). Spread over 2,220 square kilometer (21 small islands) in the Flores Sea, there are coral reef and seagrass ecosystems. The atoll offers some very good wall diving. Visibility is normally around 30 meter. The atoll rises sharply from the side of a submerged ridge 2,000 meter below the surface. It is said to have been a huge volcano, that has since subsided, leaving a wide ring of coral. The area is an Indonesian National Marine Park and as such there should be no fishing.
This beach is one of Bangka Island's prides. The beach is located in Sungailiat district. The visitors can find various forms of boulders in this beach, which add its beauty. This beach is very ideal for having swimming, sun bathing and relaxing. Parai Tenggiri beach has the complete facilities in Bangka Island. There are luxurious hotels and water sport facilities. The Visitors will enjoy this beach with the local fishermen who always spend their days by looking for fishes in the sea. The calmness and fresh sea wind will greet the visitor when they arrive there. This make you feel comfortable to stay here.
Dodola Island is surrounded by the wide of white sand that connect Dodola Besar Island and Dodola Kecil Island. The nature panorama around and the clear water are suitable for swimming and diving. There are also other islands that can visit by the tourists. Dodola beach is about 5 miles from Daruba, the capital of South Morotai districts.
If United States has Grand Canyon, Indonesia has Green Canyon, one of tourism object in West Java which is located in the Village District Kertayasa Cijulang, Ciamis Regency ± 31 km from Pangandaran. Well, green canyon is only a pun of the name of the Grand Canyon in Colorado, United States. This attraction is the river flowing through Cijulang cave with stunning stalactite and stalagmite, flanked by two hills with rocks and trees provide a unique and challenging natural attraction. The color of the river water that greenness was the reason of this place to be acknowledged as Green Canyon. The name of The Green Canyon itself was popularized by a french tourist in 1993, but local citizen called it cukang taneuh or The Land Bridge in Indonesian language because of the existence of a long and wide bridge that connected between the Kertayasa Village and the Batukaras Village.
The northern tip of the island, Bintan Resorts (Lagoi), 45 minutes from Singapore by ferry, full of expensive resorts and manicured lawns. As it has very little in common with the rest of the island, the resorts are covered in the Bintan Resorts article. Separated from the resorts by checkpoints and armed guards, the rest of the island is "real" border town Indonesia, home to electronics factories, fishing villages and local style resorts (beach and adventure type) along the East Coast Bintan.
Lake Toba is the largest volcanic lake in the world and is in Sumatra, Indonesia. Samosir island within the lake is the island within the island of Sumatra. Lake Toba is an immense volcanic lake covering an area of 1707 sq km (1,000 sq km bigger than Singapore) with an island in the center. Formed by a gigantic volcanic eruption some 70,000 years ago, it is probably the largest resurgent caldera on Earth. Some studies say it might have been associated with causing previous ice age/climate change and the largest human population bottleneck ever. Genetic estimates suggests that there where only a few thousand individuals that survived the catastrophe. The island in the middle - Pulau Samosir - was joined to the caldera wall by a narrow isthmus, which was cut through to enable boats to pass; a road bridge crosses the cutting. Samosir island is the cultural centre of Batak tribe who are mostly Christians in the modern days.
Another paradise island in Indonesia, Umang Island, situated in Banten province, is a small island perfect for your tropical getaway. Especially when you've done some business in Jakarta, since Umang Island is only 4 to 5 hours away from the bustling city.
The Raja Ampat Island in Irian is group spreads out over a huge area and consists of over 610 islands. The four largest islands are Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool. The name of Raja Ampat based on the legend. This area had begun with 6 eggs that found by King Waikew in Waigeo Island. But from the 6 eggs, just 5 eggs had crack. The last was become an egg stone till now on.
Bunaken is one of Indonesia's most famous diving and snorkeling areas and it draws visitors from all over the world. In addition to banana-shaped Bunaken Island itself, the 890 km2 of marine national park includes the neighboring islands of Manado Tua (a distinctive cone-shaped extinct volcano), Siladen (which will be described later), Montehagen, Nain, and Nain Kecil.
As part of Bunaken National Park, Siladen is indeed the little paradise island that everyone has ever dreamed of.Siladen is a small island to the northeast of Bunaken, it offers deep coral covered walls and great marine life. With its long white sandy beaches fringed by coconut trees, coral reefs and bottomless walls just a few meters from the shore, its small fishing village of approximately 300 inhabitants and its few bungalows, Siladen, secluded and off-the-beaten-track, is the perfect place for sea and nature lovers. Walking around the whole island takes about one hour.