Famous Indonesian Traditional Food, You Must Try
Indonesian Traditional Food is about Indonesian cuisine and recipes, so you can taste it when you visit Indonesia one day
Indonesia as a country with thousands of islands has a variety of cultures and dishes.
Indonesia has fertile land for planting spice trees making Indonesia one of the famous countries for cuisine tourism.
Some of the Indonesian traditional foods have been global and have received appreciation from foreign citizens.
The diversity of Indonesian culture produces a variety of traditional foods that are appetizing.
You must try this typical Indonesian food.
Indonesian traditional foods that you must try-Java’s traditional food
As we know Indonesia has cultural and ethnic diversity. each ethnicity also has its own traditional food.
So there are many variants of foods in Indonesia.
The first menu is from Java island
So this is a list of traditional Javanese food that you must try
1. Gudeg
Gudeg is a special dish from Yogyakarta and Central Java Province.
It’s made from young jackfruit cooked with coconut milk. usually eaten with rice and served with thick coconut milk.
And as addition, side dishes are chicken, egg, tofu, tempeh, and sambal goreng.
By the way, there is a different taste between Gudeg from Yogyakarta and another area in Central Java.
The taste of Gudeg from Yogyakarta is sweet. but if you go to Solo the taste is salty
Price: IDR 15.000-25.000 ( $1-$2 )
2. Gado Gado
Gado-gado is various kinds of boiled vegetables. In addition, side dishes are peanut sauce, egg, tempeh, tofu, krupuk, and Lontong ( rice wrapped in banana leaves then boiled )
So if you are a vegetarian, this food is perfect and you must try
Price: IDR 15.000- 20.000 ( $1-$1,5 )
3. Nasi Liwet
This special food comes from Solo, Central Java.
Nasi Liwet can be found in many corners of the city of Solo. So you can find easily day or night
it’s rice cooked with coconut milk and chicken broth. usually served with chicken pieces, eggs, and fried chili sauce on a banana leaf
The savory coconut milk that seeps into the rice and the spiciness of the fried chilies can arouse the taste buds.
So when you visit Solo City you must try Nasi Liwet
priced: at IDR 15.000 ( $1 ) but it depends on where you buy it, don’t buy and eat in a fancy restaurant because it will cost you more expensive
4. Famous Indonesian Traditional Foods–Rawon
Rawon is an Indonesian dish in the form of black beef soup with a mixture of special spices using Kluwek ( traditional spices )
although known as a typical dish of East Java (Arekan area) but also known by the people of Central Java (Surakarta area).
Rawon is served with rice.
And topped with short-tailed bean sprouts, salty egg, spring onion, prawn crackers, fried beef, and sambal.
Price: IDR 30.000 ( $2-$2,5 )
5. Bakmi goreng Jawa ( Javanese fried noodles )
Bakmi goreng Jawa is a traditional cuisine that you can find easily, especially in Yogyakarta and Solo.
When you visit both cities, this dish is just like a common meal for Javanese people. But the taste is so delicious
usually the stalls are open from 6 pm until midnight. So you can find it in the evening.
There are many stalls that sell bakmi jawa in every corner of the city. but of course, there are different prices in every stall but mostly only IDR 15.000 ( $1 )
Bakmi Jawa is made of yellow noodles, chicken, eggs, vegetables, and spices.
you can choose to order fried noodles or boiled noodles.
6. Sate ayam and sate Kambing ( Chicken Satay and Goat or Lamb satay )
Sate or satai, is a food made from meat that is cut into small pieces and stabbed in such a way with a stick. then grilled using wood charcoal coals.
Satay is served with various spices depending on the variation of the satay recipe.
Actually, in Indonesia, there is some other meat besides chicken and goat or lamb like pork, beef, rabbit, and horse.
but mostly Indonesian people prefer to eat chicken satay or goat/lamb satay
price: IDR 45.000 ($3)
7. Pempek
Pempek is Indonesian traditional food from Palembang, South Sumatra. but actually, it was first made by Chinese descendants in Indonesia.
So that’s why this food is called
Pempek because it comes from the word Empek, or middle-aged Chinese man
Empek Empek is a savory fishcake delicacy, made of fish and tapioca. served with rich sweet and sour sauce called kuah Cuka ( vinegar ) or kuah Cuko ( vinegar sauce )
The price depends on what you choose because there are some variants but mostly between IDR 25.000-45.000 ( $2- $3 )
8. Rendang
Rendang is a Minang dish originating from Minangkabau.West Sumatra.
It’s very popular not only in Indonesia but also worldwide and has even been named the most delicious food in the world.
It is made from beef and has been slow-cooked and braised in coconut milk.
seasoned with a herb and spice mixture until the liquids evaporate and the meat turns dark brown and tender.
becoming caramelized and infused with rich flavors.
You can find it easily in every Padang restaurant in Indonesia.
Price: IDR 15.000-25.000 ( $1-$2 )
9. Pecel
Is a traditional Javanese salad with peanut sauce and is usually eaten with carbs.
If you are vegan, this food is also perfect for you because it is full of vegetables.
I personally really like this food and almost every day I eat this meal, because it is so healthy and cheap.
The price depends on the place or restaurant that you choose but mostly only IDR 15.000 ( $1 )
10. Soto
Soto is just like soup and is a traditional dish from Indonesia. which uses ingredients such as chicken or beef, noodles, and rice vermicelli.
Turmeric is added as one of its main ingredients, which makes the yellow chicken broth.
Besides chicken and vermicelli, it can also be served with hard-boiled eggs, slices of fried potatoes, and Chinese celery leaves.
This food is very common in Indonesia; even in every city all around Indonesia, they have their own Soto along with their characteristics.
You can find it easily in every corner of the city, and the price is also low, but again, of course, it depends on the place or restaurant that you choose.
But even though the price is cheap, I suggest you buy and eat at least in a small restaurant and don’t buy street food.
11. Nasi Goreng ( Fried rice )
Nasi goreng or fried rice, is a very common and famous traditional food in Indonesia, Although every country in Asia has its own nasi goreng, Indonesian nasi goreng is a part of culture in Indonesia .
Fried rice is a dish of rice fried in a wok or frying pan that produces different flavors because it is mixed with seasonings such as salt, garlic, shallots, pepper, certain spices, and sweet soy sauce.
In addition, complementary ingredients such as eggs, vegetables, seafood, or meat are added.
As we know, the Indonesian population’s majority is Moslem so the common food is halal food, but even so, in Indonesia, there are also many non-halal foods.
especially if you visit Bali because the majority of the people there are Hindus.
If you visit Bali, you can try and eat “Babi Guling ” or roasted pork, It’s very common and popular in Bali because the taste is so delicious and unique.
By the way, there are many variations of foods in Indonesia that you can try when you visit Indonesia one day.
And you don’t need to worry because you can find stalls that are open for 24 hours.
So WELCOME TO INDONESIA, cheers.
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