Straddling the equator for 5000 kilometers, the islands of Indonesia promise an endless edible adventure. The archipelago is home to empires, rice, poverty, tea, rebellion, soybeans, corruption, catfish - all vital elements to discover, explore, embrace, avoid and ingest.
If you partake of Indonesia’s foods you’ll absorb its essence. For this nation is, in a sense, defined by its cuisine. The abundance of rice reveals the country’s fertile land, its spices recall times of trade and invasion and its fiery chilies - among the hottest in the world - reflect the warmth and spirit of its people.
One of the “World Food” series by Lonely Planet Publications for people “who live to eat, drink and travel,” World Food Indonesia is brimming over with local recipes - from the boldness of buffalo curry to the artistry of Balinese dishes that look like temple offerings to appease the spirits both good and bad.
Although there are distinct similarities, food on these islands has its unifying elements. Unlike the food of its northern Southeast Asian neighbors, Indonesian food is not as complex, with flavors remaining separate, simple and substantial. The author suggests, “considering that any one dish can appear in many variations, you could never try everything that Indonesia has to offer - but just trying is reward in itself.”
Cuisine dramatically changes depending upon who you dine with and on what island you happen to be on. But whatever the ethnic fare offered, Indonesian food is certain to enlighten, astound and keep you guessing: How was that fish kept fresh without refrigeration? Why does my dessert taste like avocado? How in the world is tempe made?
World Food Indonesia will guide you to the real thing with advice on how to choose the best place to try Balinese black rice pudding, how to order tea without the accompanying ton of sugar and how to fix a jackfruit curry in the middle of the Muslim fasting month.
This little book is rich in photographs, maps, recipes and local cultural insights into Indonesia’s lush islands and their vast culinary repertoire. There are profiles of Indonesian family life and festivities, funeral protocol, how to buy fish in Pagandaran, taking you from boat to wok in minutes, suggested bicycle tours of small local producers making rice wine, soy sauce, tempe and tofu. As a bonus there’s a language guide consisting of pronunciation tips, useful phrases, an English-Indonesian glossary and an Indonesian culinary dictionary.
With the variety born of its thousands of islands and hundreds of ethnic groups, this impossibly fragmented nation is a cornucopia of literally hundreds of flavors, countless cooks and a surplus of audacious stomachs.
The wonderful cuisine of Indonesia - its realm of flavors that stretches from mountain gardens through manic markets, temple feasts and across the Spice Islands - is delightfully presented in this highly readable culinary guide.
World Food Indonesia, Lonely Planet Publications 2002, 1st Edition, ISBN 1-74059-009-0, 273 pages, color section, useful phrases, glossary, dictionary, index.
Available for Rp125,000 at Periplus Bookshops in the Bali Galleria and in the Matahari in Kuta, Warung Made in Seminyak, Ngurah Rai Airport (both international and domestic terminals), in Gramedia Bookstores, and in Ary’s and Ganesha bookshops of Ubud.
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