Indonesian cuisine has the most variation taste on its. most of them come in a unique characteristic where you can only find them in Indonesia. Some of them may look like other Asian cuisines, but the taste is completely different.
Indonesian cuisines well-known worldwide with its great and unique taste. The cuisine even claims as one of the best taste cuisines in the world. The great taste in Indonesian cuisine has to vary because it comes from different tribes.
Since Indonesia consists of so many tribes, the cuisine also comes in a different taste. That makes Indonesian cuisine has more variation in the range of its characteristics. Now, we will give you some of the lists of Indonesian cuisine’s characters that timeless from time to time. Let’s check them out!
1. Spices
Indonesia is a tropical country which herbs and spices are well grown perfectly. That is why Indonesian use them as an additional flavor to their cuisine. The taste of the cuisine will come so great and delicious.
Commonly Indonesian use turmeric, galingale, pepper, candlenut, coriander, and many more as their species. They will mix them properly in the cuisine. Every cuisine has a different mixture of spices so that you will find the variety of Indonesian cuisine’s taste.
2. Tasteful
Indonesian cuisine can be so tasteful in some regions such as for soup or some stir-fries. Commonly the soup will be using the coconut milk to have the tasteful of its. you can find this kind of tasteful cuisine in Sayur Lodeh, Konro soup from Makasar, or some Betawi cuisine.
The tasteful of Indonesian cuisine you will not only find them in the main dish but also some snacks. Indonesian commonly call them as Jajanan Pasar which you can find them in the traditional market.
3. Spicy
Most Indonesian love spicy food there is no wonder you will find so many spicy foods in Indonesian cuisine. Most of Sumatera cuisines are spicy so that the cuisine from Bandung, Surabaya, Bali, or Makasar.
You can find the spicy food such as the Seblak from Bandung, Rendang from Padang, Aceh noodles, Sambal Matah from Bali, or Oseng-Oseng Mercon from Yogyakarta as the Indonesian famous main dish.
4. Greasy
Greasy foods or commonly Indonesian call them as the oily food is the most characteristic of Indonesian cuisine that you can find everywhere. Even though the food is spicy, tasteful, or even sweet, they must be oily inside.
The greasy foods are more tasteful and rich in great taste that you can find in Indonesian cuisine. Even though the cuisine looks like Chinese food but the taste is so different. It is so Indonesian completes with the seasoning inside them.
You can find the fatty food such as in Mie or Nasi Goreng, Gudeg from Yogyakarta, Rendang from West Sumatera, and many more.
5. Sweet
The sweet taste of Indonesian cuisines commonly you can find them in Yogyakarta cuisine. Commonly, even though the food comes spicy but the sweetness still comes inside the food. The cooking technique on some Yogyakarta cuisine also comes in a different way comparing with other regions.
Usually, Yogyakartanese makes the cooking process longer than usual. So that the sweetness can be fully tested in the cuisine. For example, to cook the Gudeg they need more than about eight hours to make the sweet come to the Gudeg.
6. Salty
The salty cuisine commonly you can find in most of east or west Java cuisine. As the east Java regions have the biggest product of salt so that influence their food characteristic. They are using more salt than other regions but the taste comes in a good way such as in the Indonesian seafood dishes.
For the west Javanese, they are commonly like the saltier one so that even though the cuisine is tasteful, the salt can you taste properly inside the food with the most delicious Indonesian staple food.
7. Spicy-Sweet
Indonesian usual mixture the seasoning in their cuisine that is why this spicy-sweet food exists in Indonesia. commonly you can find this cuisine in central Java and Yogyakarta. For them who are not into the spicy things in their food, they adding some sugar to it. The combination of chilies and sugar makes the cuisine rich in the spicy-sweet taste.
You can find the spicy sweet in Gado-Gado, Lotek, Karedok, Bakmi Jowo in Yogyakarta or some Mie Goreng in central Java cuisine.
8. Milky Food
Commonly milky food is the combination of food that cooks perfectly with coconut milk. The taste will come to vary such as spicy in the most of Sumatera cuisine, sweet in the central Java and Yogyakarta, salty in the east and west Java.
You can find the milky food in Opor Ayam in almost Indonesian regions, Kare Kameng from Aceh, Lempah Kuning from Bangka, Gulai in most of Java island, and many more.
So, there is some glance about the characteristic of Indonesian cuisine which is timeless from time to time. Most of them not only become Indonesian favorites but also foreigners who come to Indonesia. That is why we need to preserve the cuisine as the only characteristic you can find in typical Indonesian cuisine.
As Indonesian, we have to proud of the characteristics of Indonesian cuisine. Nowadays, there are so many western foods in Indonesia even though the chef is Indonesian which is not surprising anymore in those some unique facts about Indonesia.
That because the cuisine from western comes easier to cook comparing the Indonesian cuisine that using so many species. It needs more practice to learn the great taste of Indonesian cuisine.
