 Indonesian Cuisine
Indonesia consists of some 13,000 islands which stretch from west to east
along the equator, from the island of Sumatra, directly south of
Thailand, to Irian Jaya, just north of Australia. These islands support the
fourth-most populous nation in the world, a population that is 90% Muslim,
with hundreds of tribes, subcultures, and languages -- and many long
and varied histories. For centuries, these islands have been the center of
international trade. Rich, volcanic soil produces an amazing number of
fruits and vegetables, the seas yield vast numbers of fish. Spices,
however, have been the main source of Indonesia's fame. Nutmeg, clove, and pepper drew traders from India, China, Africa, and
the Arab world, and later, European explorers and colonists from the Netherlands,
Portugal, and England. From the 8th through
the 16th centuries, powerful polities on Java and Sumatra controlled much of
what is today the Indonesian Archipelago. But, by the end of the 16th
century, steady European colonial expansion left the nation a collection
of weak, disconnected fiefdoms, all of which came under direct Dutch
control within two centuries. The Republic of Indonesia was declared at
the end of the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during World War two.
Indonesian cuisine reflects this complex cultural history. Cooking varies
greatly by region and combines many different influences. However, most
Indonesian food shares the nearly universal food trinity of
fish, coconut and chile.
The main meal in Indonesia is usually served at midday. Food
which was cooked in the morning is set
out all at once. Family members help themselves, serving with a
spoon and eating with right hands. There is less family
gathering or ceremony of communal eating than in other cultures,
but there is communal cooking and a strict hierarchy that
determines one's role and comportment at the table. Most
meals are built around a cone-shaped pile of the long-grain,
highly polished rice that Indonesians
prefer. A meal may include a soup, salad, and another main dish. Whatever the meal, it is
accompanied by at least one, and often several sambals, spice relishes that are
mixed with the food. A light meal might consist of rice, some
dried fish and a chile sambal.
Indonesian cooking is rich with coconut
milk. Beverages, sauces, soups, and even rice are prepared
with it. Traditional spicing builds on a base of coriander,
pepper, and garlic. Added to those are turmeric, cassia (the local
bark that is quite close in flavor to cinnamon), bay leaf, star
anise, ginger, tamarind, galangal, cardamom, lemon grass, scallion, shallots,
peanuts, dried anchovies, and prawns. Even ghee
finds its way into many recipes.
Surprisingly, cloves and nutmeg, flavors at the very heart of the
spice trade, play a marginal role, at best, in Indonesian
cuisine. They are more commonly used in local medicine.
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