The thousands of islands and hundreds of dialects have given rise to many traditions. It turn have created an unaccountable naming of dishes, many are similar but differences abound.
As in France, most kinds of so-called authentic dishes are named according to their place of origin – Soto Madura, Soto Ayam Lamongan, Coto Makassar, Sroto Banyumas and Sop Konro are all soups, but from different regions of Indonesia. Generally, soup is known as soto, but some regions call it coto, soto or sop. These differences in nomenclature are often even confused by Indonesians themselves. There are also numerous popular regional dishes whose names bear no indication of the regions they represent, such as, Nasi Uduk (Jakarta), Gudeg (Yogyakarta), and Nasi Jamblang (Cirebon, Western Java).
Basically, the Indonesian palate takes an extreme shine to fried and grilled dishes such as charcoal grilled sate, which is prepared using small cuts of chicken, beef or goat meat skewered with bamboo sticks. It originated as an economical way to treat meat so that there would be no waste.
Malaysians use the word satay and Indonesian sate. There are countless numbers of sate version in Indonesia, ranging from Sate Padang, beef offal sate, Sate Pentul Bali, drumstick sate, and Sate Babi Manado: chili spicy sate. They are just a few from only three regions out of the many sate versions found across Indonesia. The materials and shape of skewers also vary from one region to another; with Bali having the most variety of Skewers.
Sate is often served with lontong (rice is wrapped in a cylinder formed from a banana leaf, and steamed). On a side note, ketupat is rice moulded inside a small cube woven from coconut leaf, and eaten with peanut sauce, or sweet soya sauce – complemented with chili, fresh shallots and a lime concoction – or a mixture of both, again having many other variations. It is less common to find beef sate than goat, chicken or pork. This is because it is hard to tenderize the beef and aged beef cattle are not commonly consumed, as in the west. On a daily basis, the average Indonesian is happy with simply a plate of rice (one dish meal) accompanied by different side dishes, especially when not at home. Nasi Campur (mixed rice), rice with soto (soup), rice with soto (soup), rice with sate or rice with gado-gado is considered as a satisfying lunch.
Uniqueness can be found in the various ways the dishes are eaten. Nasi Campur is usually eaten with hands, pinching, the sambal and then the rice and then the meat. However, others can do their own eating sequences. In addition, the cracking sound of kerupuk (nut, shrimp, and flour crackers) creates a one-of-a-kind sensation, creating different flavors and textural expressions.
CEREMONIAL FOODS
When itu comes to ceremonial rituals, Indonesians tend to take the food preparation and content more seriously than their own daily set. Sadly, many inherited ceremonial ritual rule have been lost due to lack of information resources. The Balinese are among the most serious in continuing their day-to-day offering practices.
The most popular ceremonial rice type is Nasi Tumpeng, which is a white is yellow rice cone, although often people do not fully follow the ritual expectations. During the ceremony the tip of the rice cone should be neatly cut off, and offered to the guest of honor.
Nevertheless, the ritual use of these cones of rice is still as evident in contemporary observances as in the past, such as women safely reaching the seventh and ninth months of pregnancy. Today it is still important and customary to follow established ceremonial rituals, which are performed by the elderly, who still carry the traditional knowledge, or ceremonial specialist who may be engaged as advisors.
It is still common practice to serve cone rice at modern ceremonies which are observed by everyone from the president of Indonesia to ordinary people. The differences lie in the sizes and varieties of accompaniments. The best fragrant rice with finest quality fresh turmeric is used to begin with. Then are added the selected mixed vegetables with spiced meat mutton curry, caramelized tempeh and potato chips, all of which are added as decorations set on a large round bamboo tray with a yellow or white cone of rice monumentally standing in the center like volcano.
There are new versions of Nasi Tumpeng that do not follow the traditional rules, but are instead done in a most imaginative way. I call this Nasi Tumpeng, contemporary style.
Apart from Nasi Tumpeng, which is common in Javanese traditions, Aceh in the northernmost part of Sumatera also has unique ceremonial dishes. This special region is probably most known for its civil war and the devastating Tsunami it suffered a while ago. But its culinary wonders are still a mystery to many.
The restaurant in Aceh, and throughout many parts of Sumatera, serve every dinner with a plate of rice and then fill the table with a large assortment of delicacies on its own small plate, staked on the table in pyramids. You eat only what you want, and pay only for what you eat. A table could come as many as 25 different offerings.
The Acehnese breakfast staple is Nasi Gurih. It is rice cooked in coconut milk and sold in coffee shops everywhere. In many places in Indonesia, a similar style of cooking rice has been given different names. It is known as Nasi Liwet in Central Java, Nasi Lemak in Medan, Nothern Sumatera, or Nasi Uduk in Jakarta. The differences are the profound aroma –of clove and cinnamon or cardamom used during the cooking process- and texture, where one can be a lot oiller than the other.
Commonly used ingredients in Aceh include keumamah. It is dried bonito dusted with chalk dust or ashes for preservation. A similar ingredient to this is the more sophisticated katsuobushi from Japan. The difference is that katsuobushi is used as seasoning in Japan where in Aceh, it is slow dried bonito soaked in water to reconstitute the texture of a fish and cooked together with fish as a protein source. War heroes such as Tjut Nyak Dien used to carru dried bonito when she fought against the Duths Insurgence
Ayam tangkap is among the very few Achenese specialities known by non-Achenese folk. It means “chiken that is caught”, which is logically pretty obvious because otherwise the chicken would not be cooked and devoured. After being caught, the chiken is chopped into pieces and fried with lots of bay leaves and spices.
The concept is similar to that of fried Chinese five spices chicken. But the story with the Chinese chicken dish involves a chicken caught by a poor beggar who covers the whole chicken with mud and slowly roasts it in the ground. When the chicken is cooked, the clay – to which its feathers are stuck – is broken. What remains is the white succulent chicken meat.
For more adventures on Acehnese cuisine, try their Anyang Bunga Kates (stir fried tender papaya flowers), Kepiting Gulai Aceh (crab in Acehnese sauce) and their lamb curry. The extensive use of spices by the Acehnese is undoubtedly due to their extensive contact with the Arab and Indian traders during the spice trade era.
OFFERING TRADITIONS
The foods in the archipelago aren’t only consumed by people, but also by the gods and the ancestors. The making of food offering are an integral part of the daily lives of many Indonesians. The society that has the most visible offering traditions is that of the Balinese.
The ubiquitous small and brightly colored sacrificial offerings are almost like natural decorations on the “island of gods”. After completing house chores, Balinese housewives make sure the gods and the spirits are fed, usually in the form of small coconut-leaf bowls containing cooked dishes, many of which are beautifully crafted.
For bigger festival preparations, the duty is shared among the community. It is indeed time-consuming. The women form clubs (alad or anyaman in Balinese and Indonesian respectively) where they gather to cook rice cakes, play music and discuss family matters.
These women, having done the ritual throughout their lives, are highly skilled artists and cooks. The work wonders with coconut leaves, cutting them to the right form, bending them, folding them and making them into the right shape and size for everything from cake boxes to bamboo poles (penjor in Balinese).
Fruits, flowers, cakes and rice are hung as fertility symbols forming towers, which are carried on the head by the women to the temple, serenaded by drums, gongs and cymbals. The bigger and more important the festival, the heavier and taller the offering towers! These precarious structures stay in one piece due to a central wooden support.
“Flavor of Indonesia.” William Wongso’s Culinary Wonders. 2016
