Foods in Java Island

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.