Being a foodie and a traveller expects you to know everything about the cuisines of a place before you visit it so that you do not miss of any of their specialties. Indonesia is no exception while trying out the spicy and delicious cuisines which have been passed on from generations. Indonesia grows its own spices which makes their dishes unique and different from the rest of the world. Some of the dishes have been influenced by the ancient India, China, and Middle East. With their own traditional secrets and modern practices, they have pretty interesting facts which you might have never learned before.

“Indonesian Cuisine” is not real

Indonesia is a pretty diverse country and has unique recipes from different parts. The actual cuisines are known as Padang cuisine, Javanese Cuisine, and other local names according to the land, spices and climate. Padang dishes are usually spicy whereas Javanese dishes have more of sweetness in the flavour. Another reason is that the dishes can have multiple versions of itself. A dish called satay has over 20 versions, each tasting different and cooked at different parts of Indonesia. So we cannot say that Indonesian cuisine is an actual thing as the gets more and more complicated as we go deep in the streets.

Rice is essential

A real meal in Indonesia has to have rice in it, or it is not accepted to be a meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Java and Bali are famous for their rice cultivation and due to the fact that Indonesia sort of represents rice cultivation, it is also a necessity in every meal. You can get snacks and fast foods like pizza, bread, or rolls which do not come with rice, but on anything which is called as real food will have rice in it. They use rice to make some delicious desserts like rice pudding. Other than rice, you can also find sweet potato, cassava, and corn in many dishes.

Indonesian cuisine is highly influenced by Chinese cooking

Indonesia has inherited a lot of knowledge from China due to a long history of immigrants who brought their culture with them. Many of the recipes can be related to the Chinese cuisines, such as Nasi Goreng which was adopted by the Chinese Tradition of frying the leftover rice in the morning. Other such dishes include siomay, bakso meatballs, and bakmi.

Mughlai food

Many might not know, but Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world, so it is pretty obvious that the food will have a lot of meat. There are many traditional recipes which have been forwarded from centuries to keep the taste alive.

Sambal and Krupuk is a complimentary dish

Sambal and Krupuk are the two spices which is a necessity in many dishes in Indonesia. It can make anything taste better during a meal. Most of the Indonesians use sambal in every dish they cook, and without it, the dish is considered incomplete. They are okay with eating anything as long as it has sambal and krupuk in it.