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Food
in Bali
Sustenance
and sacrifice: the island cuisine on context
The extravagant
beauty of Bali and its vibrant culture first captured the
imagination of the world in the 1930s when it was visited
by a few adventurous Dutch colonists, artists and the international
jet set (who in those days actually traveled by ship). Since
the arrival of mass tourism during the 1970s, hundreds of
thousands of tourists have descended upon the "Island
of the Gods", yet most leave without having eaten one
single meal of genuine Balinese food. How could this peculiar
situation have come about?.
Bali,
then made up of nine separate kingdoms, was conquered by the
Dutch in 1908. This was later than most of the other islands
of the Dutch East Indies which, together with Bali, now make
up modern-day Indonesia. As early as the 8th century, Hinduism
and Buddhism arrived on the island. Although Java converted
to Island in the 16th century, Bali has remained to this day
staunchly devoted to the Balinese form of the Hindu religion,
which continues to govern every aspect of life on the island.
With its
volcanoes periodically scattering the land with fertile ash,
rivers watering the rice fields and its balmy tropical climate,
the Balinese are able to grow a superb array of fresh produce.
Food, like everything else in Bali, it’s a matter of
contrast, jus as there is male and female, good and evil,
night and day, there is ordinary daily food and festival food
intended for the gods. Regular daily food is based of nice,
with a range of spicy side dishes including vegetables, a
small amount of meat or fish, and a variety of condiments.
Rice and
the accompanying dishes are cooked in the morning, after a
trip to the market, and left in the kitchen for the family
to help themselves to whenever they're hungry. Daily meals,
which are eaten only twice a day (with plenty of snacks in
between), are not sociable affairs. The Balinese normally
eat quickly, silently and alone, often in a corner of the
kitchen or perhaps sitting on the edge of one of the open
pavilions in the family courtyard. In contrast with this matter-of-fact
approach to daily food, food prepared for festive occasions
is elaborate, often exquisitely decorated and eaten communally.
Dining
out is not a social custom; therefore, unless the visitor
is invited into a Balinese home, or samples festive favorites,
such as spit-roasted pig or stuffed duck roasted in banana
leaf offered at a tourist restaurant, he or she is not likely
to experience real Balinese food. Nevertheless, the spices,
seasonings and secret touches that make Balinese food unique
are just awaiting discovery.
Copyright
by The Food of Bali, Authentic Recipes from the Island of
the Gods
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