34 Typical Indonesian Traditional Foods and Their Origins

Indonesian Traditional Food

The following is a list of Indonesian specialties and their origins, as reported by the book Explore 34 Typical Foods of Provinces in Indonesia, published by the Ministry of Education and Culture Language Agency.

1. Mi Aceh, Province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

As the name implies, Mi Aceh is a typical Aceh food made from thick yellow noodles with sliced beef, lamb or seafood, such as shrimp and squid.

Mi Aceh is served with a savory and spicy curry sauce. Then sprinkled with fried onions and served with chips, pieces of red onion, cucumber and lime.

2. Bika Ambon, North Sumatra Province

Bika ambon is a typical snack from Medan, North Sumatra. This food is made from tapioca flour, eggs, sugar, and coconut milk.

Bika Ambon is cooked for 12 hours and can last a maximum of four days. This snack has many flavors, ranging from pandan, durian, cheese and chocolate.

3. Rendang, West Sumatra Province

Rendang is a food that comes from West Sumatra. This food is made from meat and cooked with various spices and coconut milk.

The rendang cooking process itself takes up to hours. Once cooked, rendang can last for weeks.

4. Catfish curry, Jambi Province

As the name suggests, this curry is made from catfish which is seasoned with spices and then cooked. Not only delicious, this food is also rich in nutrition.

Catfish curry is suitable as a complement to a meal served with a sprinkling of fried onions and white rice.

5. Pendap, Bengkulu Province

From Bengkulu there is a traditional food called pendap or also called ikan pais or pepes ikan. That’s because this food has similarities in making fish paste.

The difference is, pendap uses taro leaves as a wrapper. Pendap has a spicy and savory taste and is suitable as a side dish.

6. Belacan curry, Riau Province

Belacan curry is a traditional Riau food, made from shrimp and seasoned with a variety of selected spices. Besides shrimp, belacan curry can also be made from chicken and fish.

7. Otak-otak, Riau Archipelago Province

Otak-otak is a typical dish of the Ria Islands Province which is made from sago flour, mackerel and spices. Otak-otak has a savory taste and is perfect served with peanut sauce.

8. Empek-empek, South Sumatra Province

Empek-empek or also known as pempek is a food made from fish meat that is finely ground. Then mixed with sago flour and added several ingredients such as flavoring, salt, eggs, and others.

This snack is served with a vinegar sauce that has a sour, sweet and spicy taste.

9. Mi Bangka, Bangka Belitung Province

Mi Bangka or also known as Bakmi Bangka is a traditional dish from Bangka Belitung Province. This culinary is usually added with various toppings such as beef meatballs, shrimp, chicken slices, and others.

10. Seruit, Lampung Province

Seruit is a traditional food typical of Lampung. This food is made from fish that is fried or grilled and then mixed with chili paste, mango, or tempoyak, which is processed durian.

11. Milkfish Satay, Banten Province

From Banten, there is a traditional food, namely milkfish satay. This satay is made from the basic ingredients of milkfish which have their spines removed.

Then the meat is mashed and mixed with spices and put back into the milkfish skin. After that, it is burned on hot coals.

12. Egg crust, Jakarta Province

Next is the egg crust originating from Jakarta. This snack is made from white sticky rice, grated coconut, chicken or duck eggs, and added dried shrimp and fried shallots.

13. Serabi, West Java Province

Serabi is a typical West Javanese snack made from rice flour, grated coconut, coconut milk, suji leaves and salt.

Besides being plain, Serabi also has several flavors, such as oncom, peanuts, eggs, and others.

14. Lumpia, Central Java

Lumpia is a typical Central Javanese snack made from spring roll skin filled with bamboo shoots, eggs, and chicken or already.

This one meal is a blend of Chinese and Indonesian culture.

15. Gudeg, Yogyakarta Province

Gudeg is a typical dish of Yogyakarta province and is made from young jackfruit cooked in coconut milk. The process of cooking gudeg also takes hours.

This food is usually served with thick coconut milk, free-range chicken, eggs, tempeh, tofu, and krecek fried chili sauce.

16. Rujak cingur, East Java Province

The next traditional food comes from East Java, namely rujak cingur. This food consists of several types of sliced fruit, such as cucumber, yam, young mango, pineapple, and kedondong.

The accompaniments are lontong, tofu, tempeh, bendoyo, cingur, and vegetables such as kale and long beans.

17. Chicken betutu, Province of Bali

Ayam betutu is a traditional Balinese food made from seasoned chicken meat which is then boiled and grilled to produce a distinctive aroma.

Besides betutu chicken, other Balinese specialties are satai lilit, mixed rice, and others.

18. Taliwang Chicken, West Nusa Tenggara Province

From West Nusa Tenggara, there is a traditional food called ayam taliwang which is made from young native chickens. This chicken is grilled then seasoned.

Taliwang chicken is usually served with other West Nusa Tenggara specialties, such as plecing kangkung.

19. Catemak corn, East Nusa Tenggara Province

Catemak corn is a dessert originating from East Nusa Tenggara. This dish is made from nuts which is complemented by various vegetables.

20. Sambas spicy porridge, West Kalimantan Province

Sambas spicy porridge is a dish in the form of traditional porridge from West Kalimantan. This porridge consists of various vegetables and is served with anchovies, fried onions, and fried peanuts.

21. Juhu Singkah, Central Kalimantan Province

Juhu singkah is a typical food of the Dayak people in Central Kalimantan Province. This food has a unique taste, namely savory, sour and bitter.

22. Soto Banjar, South Kalimantan Province

This food is called soto Banjar because it is a typical food of the Banjar tribe, South Kalimantan. This meal is made from the main ingredient of chicken with various spices.

23. Cincane chicken, East Kalimantan Province

Cincane chicken is a traditional food typical of East Kalimantan Province. This food is usually found at big events such as weddings and receptions of honored guests.

24. Soka crab, North Kalimantan Province

Crab soka is a typical snack of North Kalimantan Province, namely crabs that are smeared with various spices.

25. Sup konro, South Sulawesi Province

Konro soup is a typical Indonesian beef rib soup that comes from the Bugis and Makassar traditions, South Sulawesi. This dark brown soup is usually eaten with burasa and ketupat which are cut into pieces first.

26. Banana heart fish, Central Sulawesi Province

As the name implies, this food is made from fish and banana heart. The fish used is snapper and added with various spices and herbs.

27. Lapa-lapa, Southeast Sulawesi Province

Lapa-Lapa is a typical food of Southeast Sulawesi Province which is made from coconut, rice and salt cooked using banana leaves.

28. Binte Biluhuta, Gorontalo Province

Binte Biluhuta is a traditional soup from Gorontalo Province. This food is made from corn and is served by dousing it with gravy.

29. Tilutuan, North Sulawesi Province

Tilutuan is Manado porridge which is a mixture of various kinds of vegetables. This one porridge does not contain meat so it can be eaten by anyone.

30. Asar fish, Maluku Province

Asar fish is shredded fish that is seasoned and sautéed with ground spices. This culinary from Maluku Province is suitable to eat with warm rice.

31. Gohu fish, North Maluku province

Gohu fish is a typical food of Ternate, North Maluku which is made from tuna or cakalang. Not only delicious, this food is also healthy because it contains high nutrition.

32. Manokwari grilled fish, West Papua Province

Ikan Bakar Manokwari is a typical food from West Papua which is served with raw chili sauce which is mashed and sprinkled on top.

33. Sago cake, Central Papua Province

As the name suggests, sago cake is made from sago flour mixed with peanuts and spices. This snack from Central Papua is suitable to be enjoyed with hot tea.

34. Papeda, East Papua Province

Papeda is a food in the form of sago porridge typical of East Papua which is usually served with tuna or mubara fish seasoned with turmeric. Papeda itself has a white color and a sticky texture resembling glue with a bland taste.

This culinary is rich in fiber and low in cholesterol, so it is suitable for a meal that is not only delicious but also healthy.