|
Or
how Asli is the Indonesian cuisine......??
Located
at the crossroads of
the trade routes between the Middle East
and Asia, it is not surprising that traders,
immigrants and even pirates were enticed by the
riches of the so-called Spice Islands, in
nowadays Indonesia.
1)
Perhaps the first visitors to arrive were the
Indian Traders in the 1st century AD, primarily
from South East India. During the 1st till the
7th century AD they not only introduced the
Sanskrit language, Buddhism and Hinduism, but
they also brought with them cucumber, eggplant,
and cowpeas and introduced curries to the native
cuisine.
2) With the spread of Buddhism to China, Chinese
pilgrims who sailed to India stopped off and
stayed in Indonesia to learn more about
Buddhism. Early writings (132AD) confirm the
existence of diplomatic relations between parts
of Indonesia and China. However it was not until
the early 17th Century that Chinese tradesmen
and workers, encouraged by the Dutch, came in
big numbers. The Chinese introduced the wok
(wajan) and stir-frying as well as vegetables
such as cabbage.
3) In their search for spices, Europeans
including the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and
British began arriving in the early 16th
Century. The Spanish and Portugues introduced
many ingredients to the islands including
peanuts, avocado, pineapple, tomato, chilli,
maize, cocoa
and pumpkin, these originated from the
South and Central Americas. Coffee and tea were
brought in by the Dutch, to be grown on the
plantations exploited by the VOC (Dutch East
Indies Company) The introduction of Christianity
also had its influence on the cuisine, in
particular the eating of pork.
4)
Middle Eastern traders and money lenders
especially from Jemen, who have traded and
settled in Indonesia since the 17th Century
introduced new techniques and ingredients. One
such is the use of small cubes of meat grilled
on skewers above charcoal - Sate (Kebab)
|
1)
From India we find the next food related
words in bahasa Indonesia:
Gulai, Kari, Martabak, Roti
2)
The Chinese contributed many words
related to food in the Indonesian
language and one can be pretty sure they
introduced most of these foods too.
Bakmi, Bakpia, Ba(k)so, Bakwan, Bapao,
Bihun(Mihun), Cah, Cap Cai, Kuaci, Kuah,
Kue, Laksa, Lumpia (Lun Pia), Mi(e),
Misoa, Pangsit, Sate, Siomai, Soto, Soun,
Swike, Taoco, Tahu, Tauge, Teh, Timlo.
Most of all it were the Europeans who
contributed to the Indonesian cuisine:
3a)
The Portuguese
Acar, Bika, Bolu, Markisa, Mentega,
Nanas, Kaldu, Keju, Ketela, Limau, (buah)
Nona, Papaya, Pastel, Risoles, Serikaya,
Spen, Terigu.
3b)
The Dutch
Alpukat, Apel, Arbei, Biskuit, Bistik,
Bit, Buncis, Coklat, Es, Has, Kastengel,
Kek, Kroket, Kol, Kuk, Lapis, Makaroni,
Mandarin, Margarine, Mayones, Peterseli,
Puding, Rolade, Sardencis, Saus, Schotel,
Selada, Seledri, Semur, Selai, Sengkel,
Sirop, Sirsak, Sitrun, Sop, Sos, Sosis,
Sus, Tart, Tomat, Vanili, Wortel.
3c)
The English
Donat, Es Krim, Jus, Kornet, Lemon, Pai,
Pastri, Stroberi, Wafer – most of these
were introduced only in the 20th
century.
|
The
Portuguese introduced many ordinairy foodstuff
of which one became a culinairy revolution in
Indonesia the base for Sambal the Chili peper
(Capsicum). The Spaniards found that drying and
crushing the pods of the hottest chilli peppers,
made an excellent fiery substitute for the
peppercorn that was so extensively used in
European cuisine.
Despite
Spain's apparent early claim to the chili
pepper, the Portuguese appear to be the first
traders to have spread the chili pepper
globally. Portugal's maritime power, rounding
the Cape of Good Hope and reaching India in
1498, set a course for the chili pepper to leave
South America. The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494
had effectively split the world in half between
Spain and Portugal, and the Portuguese were keen
to exploit their half, especially Brazil. By the
1500's they were regularly exporting chili
peppers from Brazil, the only part of South
America which Portugal could claim under the
Treaty. One botanist of the 16th century
referred to chili peppers from Goa, in the
Indian Ocean, as "Pernambuco Peppers,"
named after the area in Brazil.
By 1540, the Portuguese were trading in
Indonesia; soon after, chili peppers made their
way into this country. Being a lot easier to
grow and a great deal hotter than the
peppercorn, it soon became the more popular of
the two. Because the chilli pepper is now used
as much in Eastern cuisine as it is in South
American cuisine, it is often thought to have
originated in the East rather than in the West.
Londoh
|
