Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a
major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java,
Yogyakarta and East Java. If the cuisine of Sumatra are known for its spiciness
with notable Indian and Arabic influences, Javanese cuisine is more
indigenously developed and noted for its simplicity.
Popular Indonesian perceived that Javanese cuisine
tastes rather sweet compared to other Indonesian cuisines, because generous
amount of gula jawa (palm sugar) or kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) favoured by
Javanese. The Javanese food is categorized into Central and East Javanese food,
both serve simple and less spicy food. However Central Javanese food is tends
to be sweeter.
In wider sense, Javanese cuisine might also refer to
the cuisine of the whole people of Java Island, Indonesia; which also include
Sundanese in West Java, Betawi people in Jakarta and Madurese on Madura Island
off East Java. These ethnic groups have their own distinctive cuisines.
Javanese
cuisine is largely divided into three major groups:
Central
Javanese cuisine
East
Javanese cuisine
Common
Javanese dishes
There are similarities in the cuisines but the main
differences lie in the flavors. Central Javanese cuisine is sweeter and less
spicy, while East Javanese cuisine uses less sugar and more chili, possibly
influenced by Madurese cuisine or Arab and Indian cuisine.
Central Javanese cuisine
The food in Central Java is influenced by the two
ancient kingdoms of Yogyakarta and Surakarta (also commonly known as Solo).
Most of Central Javanese dishes are indigenously developed, however in coastal
cities such as Semarang and Pekalongan, notable Chinese influences can be seen,
such as lumpia spring roll and bakmi Jawa. While in royal court of Surakarta
the European influences can be seen, such as bistik Jawa and selat Solo. Many
of Central Java-specific dishes contain the names of the area where the food first
became popular, for example:
Yogyakarta
Ayam goreng Kalasan
with kremes, seasoned fried chicken with crispy granule.
1. Gudeg Yogya: a traditional
food from Yogyakarta[4] and Central Java which is made from young nangka (jack
fruit) boiled for several hours with palm sugar, and coconut milk. This is
usually accompanied by opor ayam (chicken in coconut milk), hard boiled egg
stew, and krechek a spicy beef inner skin and tofu stew. This dish has a unique
sweet and savoury taste. The Yogyakarta gudeg is dryer and have reddish
coloring because the addition of Java teak leaf.
2. Ayam goreng Kalasan: chicken,
stewed in spices consist of coriander, garlic, candlenut, and coconut water
feature strongly, then deep-fried until crispy. Served with sambal and raw
vegetable salad.
3. Sego kucing: rice with side
dishes in small portion.
4. Bakpia: a sweet pastry filled
with sugared mung bean paste. Derived from Chinese pastry. The famous bakpia
producing area is pathok area near Malioboro thus the famous bakpia is bakpia
pathok.
5. Ronde (wedhang ronde): a hot
Javanese dessert containing glutinous rice balls stuffed with peanut paste,
floating in a hot and sweet ginger and lemongrass tea.
6. Angsle (wedhang angsle): a
hot soupy dessert of sago pearls, pre-cooked glutinous rice and mung beans,
putu mayang (brightly-colored, noodle-shaped flour cakes), fried peanuts all
drowned in hot, sweet coconut milk.
7. Kipo: the name derived from
Javanese word iki opo? (what is this?), a small sweet snack from Kotagede made
of glutinous rice flour and coconut milk dough filled with grated coconut and
palm sugar.
East Javanese cuisine
The East Javanese cuisine is largely influenced by
Madurese cuisine - Madura being a major producer of salt, hence the omission of
sugar in many dishes. Many of the East Javanese dishes are also typically
Madurese, such as Soto Madura and Sate Madura, usually sold by Madurese settlers.
Notable Arabic and Indian cuisine influence also can be found such as in
coastal city of Tuban, Gresik, Surabaya, Lamongan and Sidoarjo, since there is
a lot of Arab immigrant in these cities. Although there are many dishes with
town names attached to them, local versions of these are available in every
town. The most popular town-associated dishes are:
Surabaya
Rujak cingur, specialty of Surabaya.
1. Rawon: a dark beef soup,
served with mung bean sprouts and the ubiquitous sambal. The dark (almost black)
color comes from the kluwak (Pangium edule) nuts.
2. Rujak Cingur, a marinated cow
snout or lips and noses (cingur), served with vegetable, shrimp prawn. It is
then dressed in a sauce made of caramelized fermented shrimp paste (petis),
peanuts, chili, and spices. It is usually served with lontong, a boiled rice
cake. Rojak Cingur is considered traditional food of Surabaya in East Java.
3. Lontong kupang: lontong with
small cockles in petis sauce.
4. Semanggi: A salad made of
boiled semanggi (M. crenata) leaves that grow in paddy fields. It is dressed in
a spicy peanut sauce.
Common Javanese dishes
Humble
street-side Javanese chicken satay vendor near Borobudur.
1. Gorengan ("fried
snacks") in a market at Dieng Plateau, Central Java.
2. Nasi kuning with urap, fried
beef, anchovy and peanuts, potato and shrimp in sambal.
These are the common Javanese dishes,
which can be found throughout Java regardless of the location :
1. Sate: skewered meat is a
common dish in Java. The Javanese variants are Sate Tegal, Sate Ambal, Sate
Solo, Sate Buntel, Sate Madura, Sate Ponorogo, etc.
2. Soto: this Indonesian soup
dish is also a common dish in Java. The Javanese variants are common Soto ayam
and Soto babat, Soto Kudus, Soto Madura, Soto Lamongan etc.
3. Tumpeng: a rice served in the
shape of a conical volcano, usually with rice colored yellow using turmeric. It
is an important part of ceremony in Java. Tumpeng served in important events
such as birthday, moving house, or other ceremonies. Traditionally, Tumpeng is
served alongside fried chicken, boiled egg, vegetables, goat meat on a round
plate made from bamboo called besek.
4. Tempeh: a meat substitute
made from soy bean fermented with mold. It is a staple source of protein in
Java and popular in the world as an excellent meat substitute for vegetarians.
5. Kripik tempe: tempeh chips,
made from thinly-sliced,lightly battered, then deep fried tempeh (soybean
cake).
6. Gorengan: assorted fritters
such as tempeh, tofu, yam, sweet potato, cassava, and chopped vegetables.
7. Pecel: a type of peanut sauce
with chili is a common ingredients in Javanese cuisine. It is used in various
type of Rujak and Gado-gado. It can also be used as stand alone sauce with rice
and prawn, egg and vegetables as Nasi Pecel (Pecel rice).
8. Urap sayur: Vegetables in spiced
grated coconut dressing.
9. Lotek: Almost identical with
Gado-gado with sweeter taste. It is similar to pecel, but includes different
vegetables as well as boiled egg slices and a garnish of fish or shrimp
crackers and emping (Gnetum gnemon L. nut, flattened, dried, and fried into
small thin crackers).
10. Sayur Lodeh: assorted
vegetable, stewed in coconut milk.
11. Buntil: a traditional
Javanese dish of scraped coconut meat mixed with teri (anchovies) and spices,
wrapped in a papaya leaf, then boiled in coconut milk.
12. Botok: a dish made from
shredded coconut flesh which has been squeezed of its coconut milk, often mixed
with other ingredients such as vegetable or fish, and wrapped in banana leaf
and steamed.
13. Nasi rames: Rice with
accompaniments, usually some curried vegetable stew (sayur lodeh), a selection
of cooked fish or chicken or meat and offal pieces, and a dollop of spicy
sambal. (See similar dish Rijstaffel)
Nasi kuning is similar to nasi rames or nasi campur,
but the rice is cooked in coconut milk and colored bright yellow using turmeric
and scented with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves
14. Gule kambing: mutton cooked
in a curry-like coconut milk soup.
15. Sop Buntut: Oxtail soup.
16. Tumis sayuran: Stir-fried
vegetables, usually mixed with chili and a spice paste.
17. Klepon: A glutinous rice ball
stuffed with palm sugar, colored green using pandanus leaf, and rolled in fresh
grated coconut.
18. Jajan pasar: Several types of
shaped and colored flour, rice flour, and glutinous rice flour cakes, sprinkled
with desiccated coconut and drizzled with melted palm sugar. Jajan literally
means snack, and pasar means market, as this snack is usually only found in
traditional markets.