Note that rapacious duties are added to imported alcohol sold in stores and restaurants, which means that you will be hard-pressed to find affordable Australian wine or British gin on Bali. That bottle of Bombay Sapphire which is US$25 at duty-free shops before your flight is US$100 on Bali, so buy your allowed 1L. Elsewhere, it can be hard to find wine and spirits outside of top end resorts.
Celebrations
Whether a marriage, funeral or party with friends, food – and lots of it – is essential. Celebratory meals can include any combination of dishes, but for special occasions a tumpeng is the centrepiece: a pyramid of yellow rice, the tip of which is cut off and offered to the VIP.
DINING WITH LOCALS
In Indonesia hospitality is highly regarded. If you're invited to someone's home for a meal, you'll be treated warmly and social hiccups will be ignored. Nevertheless, here are some tips to make the experience more enjoyable for everyone:
When food or drink is presented, wait until your host invites you to eat.
Indonesians rarely eat at the table, preferring to sit on a mat or around the lounge room.
Don't be surprised if, when invited to a home, you're the only one eating. This is your host's way of showing you're special, and you should have choice pickings. But don't eat huge amounts, as these dishes will feed others later. Fill up on rice and take a spoonful from each dish served.
While chopsticks are available at Chinese-Indonesian eateries, and a fork and spoon in restaurants, most Indonesians prefer to eat with their hands. In a warung, it is acceptable to rinse your fingers with drinking water, letting the drops fall to the ground. Use only your right hand. If left-handed, ask for a spoon.
In Islamic areas, be sure not to eat and drink in public during Ramadan. Restaurants do stay open, though they usually cover the door so as not to cause offence.
Though antismoking regulations are becoming common, smoking remains acceptable almost anywhere, anytime.
Muslims
For Muslims, the largest celebrations are Ramadan and Idul Adha. Each day of Ramadan, Muslims rise before sunrise to eat the only meal before sunset. It might sound like a bad time to be in Indonesia – you may have to plan meals and go without lunch – but when sunset comes, the locals' appreciation of a good meal is contagious.
The first thing Indonesians eat after fasting is kolak (fruit in coconut milk) as a gentle way to reacquaint the body with food. Then, after prayers, the evening meal begins with aplomb. In some areas, such as in Bukittinggi, cooks set out food on the street. People gather to savour and enjoy their food as a community. Foreign guests are always made welcome.
After Ramadan, much of the nation seems to hit the road to go home to their families and celebrate Idul Fitri (Lebaran) with their families. During this time, ketupat (rice steamed in packets of woven coconut fronds) are hung everywhere, like seasonal ornaments.
Seventy days after Lebaran is Idul Adha, marked by the sight of goats tethered to posts on both city streets and rural pathways throughout the archipelago. Individuals or community groups buy these unfortunate animals to sacrifice in commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at divine command. This is one of Indonesia's most anticipated festivals, as the sacrificial meat is distributed to the poor in each community.
Balinese
The Balinese calendar is peppered with festivals and such celebrations are always observed with a communal meal, sometimes eaten together from one massive banana leaf piled with dishes.
Festivals aside, every day in Bali you'll see food used to symbolise devotion: rice in woven banana-leaf pockets are placed in doorways, beside rice fields, at bus terminals – wherever a god or spirit may reside. Larger offerings studded with whole chickens and produce are made to mark special occasions such as odalan (anniversary of a temple). You'll see processions of women gracefully balancing offerings on their heads as they make their way to the temple.
Eating Out
Outside of larger cities and tourist areas, there are limited choices for dining out in Indonesia. Warungs are simple, open-air eateries that provide a small range of dishes. Often their success comes from cooking one dish better than anyone else. Rumah makan (eating house) or restoran refers to anything that is a step above a warung. Offerings may be as simple as those from a warung but usually include more choices of meat and vegetable dishes, and spicy accompaniments.
As Indonesia's middle class grows, the warung is also going upmarket. In urban areas, a restaurant by any other name advertises itself as a 'warung', and serves good local dishes to customers that become more demanding by the year.
Indonesia's markets are wonderful examples of how food feeds both the soul and the stomach. There's no refrigeration, so freshness is dependent on quick turnover. You'll also find a huge range of sweet and savoury snacks. Supermarkets and convenience stores are common in cities and tourist areas.
Indonesia's national dish is nasi campur, which is essentially the plate of the day. Served in stalls, warungs and restaurants, it is always a combination of many dishes and flavours. At warungs you often choose your own combination from dozens of tasty items on offer (15,000Rp to 40,000Rp).
Quick Eats
As many Indonesians can't afford fine service and surrounds, the most authentic food is found at street level. Even high rollers know this, so everyone dines at stalls or gets their noodle fix from roving vendors who carry their victuals in two bundles connected by a stick over their shoulders: a stove and wok on one side, and ready-to-fry ingredients on the other.
Then there's kaki lima (roving vendors) whose carts hold a work bench, stove and cabinet. 'Kaki lima' means 'five legs': two for the wheels of the cart, one for the stand and two for the legs of the vendor. You'll find any and every type of dish, drink and snack sold from a kaki lima. Some have a permanent spot, others roam the streets, calling out what they are selling or making a signature sound, such as the 'tock' of a wooden bakso bell. In some places, sate sellers operate from a boat-shaped cart, with bells jingling to attract the hungry.
Vegetarian Fare
Vegetarians will be pleased to know that tempeh and tahu (tofu) are in abundance, sold as chunky slabs of tempe penyet (deep-fried tempeh), tempe kering (diced tempeh stir-fried with sweet soy sauce) and tahu isi (deep-fried stuffed tofu). Finding fresh vegies requires more effort. Look for Chinese establishments; they can whip up cap cai (mixed vegetables). Vegetarian fried rice or noodles can be found at many other eateries. And there's always the iconic gado gado.
A huge number of places, including Padang restaurants, offer what's essentially the national dish: nasi campur (rice with a variety of side dishes). Here you can skip meat options and go for things like tofu, tempeh, jackfruit dishes, egg dishes and leafy vegies.
And there's always fantastic fruit available at the local market.
FRUITY DELIGHTS
It's worth making a trip to Indonesia just to sample the tropical fruits:
Belimbing (star fruit) is cool and crisp; slice one to see how it gets its name.
Durian is the spiky fruit people either love or hate.
Jambu air (water apple) is a pink bell-shaped fruit with crisp and refreshing flesh.
Manggis (mangosteen) is a small purple fruit with white fleshy segments and fantastic flavour.
Nangka (jackfruit) is an enormous, spiky fruit that can weigh over 20kg. Inside are segments of yellow, moist, sweet flesh with a slightly rubbery texture. The flesh can be eaten fresh or cooked in a curry.
Rambutan is a bright-red fruit covered in soft spines; the name means 'hairy'. Break it open to reveal a delicious white fruit similar to lychee.
Salak is recognisable by its brown 'snakeskin' covering. Peel it off to reveal segments that resemble something between an apple and a walnut.
Sirsak (soursop or zurzak) is a warty, green-skinned fruit with a white, pulpy interior that has a slightly lemonish taste.
Eating with Kids
There's always the fear tha
t a hidden chilli is going to make your child explode. But most Indonesian children dread chilli attacks, so a proprietor will often warn you if a dish is spicy. In any case, you can always ask 'Pedas tidak?' ('Is it spicy?') or 'Makanan tidak pedas ada?' ('Are there nonspicy dishes?').
Children may enjoy nasi goreng, mie goreng (fried noodles), bakso (meatball soup), mie rebus (noodle soup), perkedel (fritters), pisang goreng (banana fritters), sate, bubur (rice porridge), fruit and fruit drinks. Indonesia's sugar-rich iced drinks are useful secret weapons for when energy levels are low. All of these are available at street stalls and restaurants. Not available, however, are highchairs and kiddy menus. That's not to say children aren't welcome; in fact, they'll probably get more attention than they can handle.
In touristy areas and cities you'll find plenty of familiar fast food joints and convenience stores selling international snacks. A Magnum bar can quell the worst tantrum.
Cradle of Flavor by James Oseland (the editor of Saveur magazine) is a beautiful tome covering the foods of Indonesia and its neighbours.
FOOD GLOSSARY
acar pickle; cucumber or other vegetables in a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar and water
air water
arak spirits distilled from palm sap or rice
ayam chicken
ayam goreng fried chicken
babi pork; since most Indonesians are Muslim, pork is generally only found in market stalls and restaurants run by the Chinese, and in areas where there are non-Muslim populations, such as Bali, Papua and Tana Toraja on Sulawesi
bakar barbecued, roasted
bakso/ba'so meatball soup
bandrek ginger tea with coconut and pepper
brem rice wine
bubur rice porridge
cassava known as tapioca in English; a long, thin, dark-brown root which looks something like a shrivelled turnip
colenak roasted cassava with coconut sauce
daging kambing goat
daging sapi beef
es buah combination of crushed ice, condensed milk, shaved coconut, syrup, jelly and fruit
gado gado very popular dish of steamed bean sprouts and various vegetables, served with a spicy peanut sauce
gudeg jackfruit curry
ikan fish
jajanan snacks
karedok salad of long beans, bean sprouts and cucumber with spicy sauce
kelepon green rice-flour balls with a palm-sugar filling
ketoprak noodles, bean sprouts and tofu with soy and peanut sauce
ketupat tahu pressed rice, bean sprouts and tofu with soy and peanut sauce
kopi coffee
krupuk shrimp with cassava flour, or fish flakes with rice dough, cut into slices and fried to a crisp
lombok chilli
lontong rice steamed in a banana leaf
martabak a pancake-like dish stuffed with meat, egg and vegetables
mie goreng fried wheat-flour noodles, served with vegetables or meat
nasi rice
nasi campur steamed rice topped with a little bit of everything (some vegetables, some meat, a bit of fish, a krupuk or two; usually a tasty and filling meal)
nasi goreng fried rice
nasi liwet rice with coconut milk, unripe papaya, garlic and shallots, served with chicken or egg
nasi uduk rice cooked in coconut milk, served with meat, tofu and/or vegetables
nasi putih white (putih) rice, usually steamed
pecel peanut sauce
pecel lele deep-fried catfish served with rice and pecel
pempek (empek-empek) deep-fried/grilled fish and sago balls (from Palembang)
pisang goreng fried banana fritters
rica-rica, rintek wuuk, RW dog meat
roti bread; nearly always white and sweet
sambal a hot, spicy chilli sauce served as an accompaniment with most meals
sate small pieces of various types of meat grilled on a skewer and served with peanut sauce
sayur vegetables
serabi coconut-milk pancakes topped with chocolate, banana or jackfruit
soto meat and vegetable broth; soup
soto Bandung beef-and-vegetable soup with lemon grass
soto Betawi beef soup
soto Madura beef soup with lime, pepper, peanuts, chilli and ginger
tahu tofu or soybean curd
teh tea
teh pahit tea without sugar
telur egg
tuak palm-sap wine
udang prawns or shrimps
ulen roasted sticky rice with peanut sauce
Environment
It makes sense that Indonesians call their country Tanah Air Kita (literally, 'Our Land and Water'), as it is the world's most expansive archipelago. Of its 17,500-plus islands, about 6000 are inhabited. These diverse lands and surrounding waters have an impressive collection of plant and animal life. Yet this very bounty is its own worst enemy, as resource exploitation threatens virtually every corner of Indonesia.
The Land
Just as the mash-up of cultures that form the political entity of Indonesia happened not too long ago, the mash-up of land that Indonesians call home also occurred relatively recently – geologically speaking. If Sulawesi looks a bit like an island caught in a blender, that is because it is where three major chunks of Earth converged in a vortex of tectonic chaos. About 30 million years ago, the Australian plate (carrying Papua and the Mulukus) careened into the Sunda Shelf (carrying Sumatra, Java and Borneo) from the south, while the twirling Phillipine plate was pushed in from the east by the Pacific plate. The result: a landscape and ecology as diverse and dynamic as the people who live here.
Volcanoes
Much of Indonesia is defined by its 150 volcanoes: spectacular peaks towering above the forests and people below. Some trekkers are drawn to their steaming summits, while others flock to their colourful lakes and bubbling mud pits. For the locals, nutrient-rich soils provide high crop yields, allowing for higher population density – a benefit that comes with significant risk.
Over five million Indonesians live within the 'danger zone' of active volcanoes. Large and small eruptions are a near constant occurrence, and some have literally made history. Ash from the cataclysmic 1815 eruption of Gunung Tambora in Sumbawa killed 71,000 people and caused crop failures in Europe. The 1883 eruption of Krakatau between Java and Sumatra generated tsunamis that killed tens of thousands. Super-volcano Toba on Sumatra, which may have halved the world's human population 75,000 years ago, quietly reawakened in 2015.
Understandably, volcanoes play a pivotal role in most Indonesian cultures. In Bali and Java, major places of worship grace the slopes of prominent volcanic cones, and eruptions are taken as demonstrations of divine disappointment or anger.
RING OF FIRE & FLOOD
Indonesia is stretched along part of the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. Tectonic forces cause the Indo-Australian and Pacific plates to plunge under the Eurasian plate, where they melt 150km beneath the surface. Some of this molten rock works its way upward where it can erupt in violent and deadly explosions.
Even more pernicious, as these plates slide past each other, they can cause devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. The 2004 tsunami in Sumatra was caused by an offshore earthquake, the third-largest ever recorded, and generated waves up to 10m tall. The tsunami killed 167,799 Indonesians and displaced half a million more.
Wild Indonesia
From tiny tarsiers to enormous stinking flowers, Indonesia's natural diversity is astounding, and we still don't know the complete story. Scientists continually discover new species such as a fanged frog in Sulawasi in 2015, an owl in Lombok in 2013, and three walking sharks since 2007 in the Malukus. Meanwhile, the 'lost world' of Papua's Foja mountains is a constant source of firsts, including the world's smallest wallaby, recorded in 2010. Unfortunately, the pace of discovery lags far behind the rate of habitat destruction, meaning some of Indonesia's rich biological heritage will pass unrecorded into extinction.
&
nbsp; British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace was the first to notice Indonesia's duelling ecozones during eight years of exploration, which he describes with gentlemanly prose in The Malay Archipelago.
Animals
Great apes, tigers, elephants and monkeys – lots of monkeys – plus one mean lizard are just some of the more notable critters you may encounter in Indonesia. Here you can find an astonishing 12% of the world's mammal species, and 17% of its bird species.
The diversity is partly a result of evolution occurring in two distinct ecozones, the Australian and Asian, which were later brought together by tectonic migration. This is why you won't find marsupials on the western islands, or tigers in the east.
Orangutans
The world's largest arboreal mammal, Indonesia's orangutans (Click here) are an iconic part of the nation's image. Although they once swung through the forest canopy throughout all of Southeast Asia, they are now found only in Sumatra and Borneo. The shaggy orange great apes rarely come down from the trees. They spend most of their day searching for and eating forest fruit before building their characteristic nests for the night. Some populations use tools to raid termite colonies (for a rare protein-rich delicacy), and researchers have observed individuals learning new behaviour from others, suggesting an intelligence rare in the animal kingdom.
Orangutans have long reproductive cycles, with mothers caring for their young for up to eight years. This makes them particularly susceptible to population decline, and less than 60,000 individuals remain in the wild. Researchers fear that the isolated populations will not survive the continued loss of habitat due to logging and agriculture.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 146