SAMBAL – Indonesia’s staple condiment

INDONESIAN CUISINES CATEGORIES:

1. SUMATRAN CUISINE – Its influences are from Middle East

Term 3 – SEMESTER 2
and South India.
SY 2022 - 2023
Ex: curried meat and vegetables such as gulai, rendang
SOCIAL STUDIES 4
and kari

GLOBALIZATION OF INDONESIAN FOOD 2. JAVANESE CUISINE - mostly originated from indigenous

Indonesian people with a bit of Chinese influence
Indonesian cuisine is one of the most colorful and flavorful
cuisines in the world. It is full of intense flavor. Ex: Samur, Gudeg, Bacem, Pepes, Soto, etc.

MAIN CHARACTERSITICS OF INDONESIAN CUISINES: 3. EASTERN INDONESIAN CUISINE - similar to Polynesian

and Melanesian cuisines
• DIVERSE – This is because Indonesia is composed of
approximately 6000 populated islands with more than a 4. INDONESIAN – CHINESE CUISINE - the food such as
thousand of ethnic groups and 34 provinces. noodles, meat balls, fried rice and spring rolls

• WITH COMPLEX FLAVORS – This is due to the mixture or

combination of bumbu spices and ingredients that they CHARACTERISTICS OF INDONESIAN SPICES:
put in the dishes.
WITH CONTRASTING FLAVORS (spicy, sour, sweet and hot) AND
• WITH RICH FLAVORS – The dishes are often described as TEXTURES (wet, coarse, spongy and hard)
HOT and SPICY, SAVORY, and the COMMON TASTES in
Indonesian dishes are: SWEET, SALTY, SOUR and BITTER.
 TYPES OF INDONESIAN SPICES:
A. ASAM /TAMARIND – the main herb for Sayur Asam
- commonly used to get rid of the fishy
aroma/smell in fish and seafood
B. CENGKEH / CLOVES - Indonesia is the biggest producer of
cloves in the world (Maluku and Ambon).
- with distinct taste, commonly used to
add flavor to the food
- widely used in Europe and Asia
- used as raw materials for clove
cigarettes here in Indonesia
- also used in meats, stocks, sauces,
baking soup and Soto
C. JAHE / GINGER – aromatic, pungent, spicy are the tastes
of ginger that is used to add flavor and
Zest to Asian stir fries and many fruit and
vegetable dishes
D. BIJI PALA / NUTMEG – native to several Indonesian islands
- it comes from the same plant of
mace
- it has a warm, spicy aroma and
flavor and can be used in sweet,
savory cooking
E. MERICA / WHITE PEPPER – comes from Lampung (highest
pepper producer in Indonesia)
- its spicy taste can warm our
bodies and its aroma can cure
influenza
- there is also a black pepper but
Indonesians used white pepper
more than the black one
F. CINNAMON – this is not just an ingredient for some dishes
but it is also used as blood sugar controller,
relieving headache for rheumatic patient,
and infection prevention
- its aroma is sharp, sweet and quite spicy
G. KAPULGA / CARDAMON - one of the famous spices in
Indonesia
- used as traditional medication
ingredient to cure
stomachache, cough, etc.
- it has two types: JAVA and
INDIA cardamom
H. KUNYIT/TURMERIC, LENGKUAS / GALANGAL, KENCUR,
SEREH/LEMON GRASS, DAUN JERUK / LIME LEAF, DAUN
SALAM / SALAM LEAF, CABE / CHILLIES are the other
famous or commonly-used spices in Indonesia.
 INDONESIAN BASIC PASTE:
➢ WHITE PASTE – with CANDLE NUT and GINGER
➢ YELLOW PASTE – with CANDLE NUT, TURMERIC and
GINGER
➢ RED PASTE – with RED CHILI and TOMATO
The common ingredients in these three pastes are GARLIC and
SHALLOT.
The most common cooking methods in Indonesia are: FRYING,
STIR FRYING, BOILING, STEAMING, MAKING SOUP, GRILLING
and SAUCED-DISHES.
Indonesia’s STAPLE FOOD are: RICE, POTATO, SWEET POTATO,
CASSAVA, VEGETABLES, SATE and SOUP DISHES.
GLOBALLY-RECOGNIZED INDONESIAN FOOD/DISHES:
1. RENDANG
Rendang is one of the most delicious Indonesian
dishes that is known globally because of their
deliciousness. The meat (beef) is smeared with
traditional spices and coconut milk which takes days
in its process. If you cook it well, it can even last for a
week. This traditional Indonesian food that
originated from Sumatera Barat is well known
internationally.
2. SATAY
This dish usually uses chicken, beef, or lamb that is
arranged on a wooden stick then grilled on a pile of
charcoal. This wonderful dish is perfect to be
consumed for lunch or even dinner. Nowadays satay
also uses ox tongue or other kinds of meat. There
are various kinds of satays now, there are even satay
for vegetarians as well!
3. SOTO
This wonderful culinary dish is best consumed when
it’s raining or when the temperature is cold.
Commonly, soto is served with yellow broth and
would be even more perfect with crackers or
emping. Soto is one of the cuisines that is renowned
even to foreign countries.
4. FRIED RICE
Indonesians usually eat fried rice for breakfast or
dinner. It’s the simplest dish whose taste could be
adjusted to fit each person’s appetite. Fried rice is
also one of the dishes that is popular to many people
in foreign countries. There are a lot of international
tourists who include fried rice into their food bucket
list when they visit Indonesia.

5. GADO-GADO
Gado- gado consists of various vegetables which are
poured with peanut sauce that is perfect to be
consumed for lunch. Since there are many
international tourists who are vegetarian, gado-gado
becomes famous among them.
6. NASI PADANG
Nasi Padang is a flavor-rich dish originated from
Padang, Indonesia. It is a rice-based meal topped
with various dishes, including curries, chickens,
fishes, and various parts of cow meats (sometimes
even cow’s feet). Nasi Padang’s flavorful sensation
even reaches overseas to Singapore – to which point
even Singaporean often say they can’t live without it.
7. ASINAN (PICKLED VEGETABLES AND FRUITS)
Asinan is another one of the most popular foods in
Indonesia that often stuns people with its making
process. In a nutshell, asinan is a type of pickled food
made by curing the food with vinegar or salt. There
are two signature types of Asinan in Indonesia:
Asinan Betawi and Asinan Bogor.
8. INDOMIE (INSTANT NOODLES)
While technically Indomie is a brand of instant
noodles, it is one of the most famous foods that has
ever come out of Indonesia. Even if you live in the
United States, chances are you have encountered
Indonesia’s most beloved instant noodles in your
favorite grocery stores.
9. BAKSO (MEATBALLS)
Meatballs are universal and can be found worldwide,
but bakso is Indonesia’s unique take that combines
meatballs and soup. Bakso typically contains
meatballs, fried dumplings, tofu, and fried tofu
served with soup.
10. TEMPEH GORENG (FRIED TEMPEH)
Tempeh is one of the most famous South-East Asian
cuisines that you can find all over the world. One of
the easiest and best ways to cook tempeh is by
simply frying it in sizzling hot cooking oil with a pinch
of salt as seasoning. Tempeh is made from soybeans
and therefore offers a considerable amount of
protein for your daily needs.