Indonesian Influence
Historical Article ✏️ Glenn Junsay Pansensoy · 📁 History · ⏱️ 3 min read Indonesian Cuisine Before Dutch Rule Before Dutch colonization, Indonesian food was already diverse and well established. It developed from Austronesian cooking traditions involving rice, coconut, seafood, bananas, root crops, grilling, boiling, steaming, and fermentation. Trade with India, Arabia, China, and other parts of Southeast Asia also introduced new ingredients, techniques, and spices. Common pre-Dutch culinary traditions included: - Rice-centered meals, rice cakes, and leaf-wrapped rice. - Coconut milk, grated coconut, and coconut oil. - Fermented fish and shrimp pastes. - Grilled and skewered meat, which later developed into satay. - Spice pastes made from garlic, shallots, ginger, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and chilies. - Slow-cooked meat and vegetable dishes prepared with coconut milk. The Dutch later influenced Indonesian cuisine, but they did not create its basic cu...