Excerpt
"Eat Or Not We Stay Together"
In the South Indian Ocean, straddling the equator just south of the
Philippines, and stretching from mainland Asia all the way to Papua New
Guinea, there lies a vast archipelago of perhaps eighteen-thousand
islands. Violent volcanic activity has encouraged these mountains to
rise above the sea and provide niches for ecosystems diverging from dry
and arid savannas to lush and tropical rain forests. Immense volcanic
peaks preside over sapphire coral reefs and jagged coastal valleys
where local populations are isolated even from their neighbors on the
same island. Niches like these have preserved an ethnic diversity that
accounts for over 700 distinct and living languages.
When the hominid Java man walked here 700,000 years ago he may have
faced competition from other nomadic protohumans during an age before
Java, Sumatra and Borneo broke away from the Asian continent and
drifted into the sea. These early human inhabitants must have conducted
experiments with the local vegetation; they probably ate everything in
sight. Eventually they developed lore for incorporating indigenous
seeds, grasses, leaves and roots into their foods. By the first
millennium BC they were cultivating rice and domesticating animals.
The ensuing history of the archipelago is a story of continuous
seasonings from the most advanced cultures of the day. The great
seafaring powers that plied the seas between China and the Middle East
found the archipelago smack in the middle of their trade routes. Not
only was this a convenient port of call, but nature had granted these
islands an exclusive concession in spices that were worth their weight
in gold. As trade increased, foreigners came in ever-greater numbers
and introduced strange religions and philosophies. Some of their
practices involved novel ingredients and cooking techniques that were
eventually adopted and transformed into something uniquely Indonesian.
By the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), Chinese merchants were jabbering
about soybeans and demonstrating how to cook noodles and tofu in a wok.
Nowadays mie goreng (fried noodles) cooked in a wajon (wok) is one of
the most common of Indonesian street foods, and tahu (tofu) is found in
just about every warung. The locals also figured out how to maximize
the protein potential of the soybean by mixing it with an obscure mold
they found growing on hibiscus leaves. The result was the tempeh that
is appreciated today by vegetarians worldwide.
Around the same time, but from the opposite direction, Indian traders
arrived. They must have had more missionary zeal than their Chinese
counterparts, because their model of a Hindu city state took hold on
Sumatra and Java, and empires began to spread far and wide. The Indian
pantheon of Gods and Goddesses was graciously invited to steep for
awhile in the native animism, and to morph with an adapted flavor of
Buddhism. In another cauldron, wondrous curries were embraced and
enhanced to contain coconut milk and local spices. Stowaways on board
ships from India included coriander, cumin, cucumbers, mangos,
eggplants, and onions.
Not long after Islam swept through the Middle East, it began to take
hold in the Islands, especially in the port cities. Missionaries
accompanying Arab merchants advocated Islam as a casteless system with
salvation for all. After curing for a time in the local Hindu-Buddhist
animism, a unique hybrid of Islam took hold that has endured to the
present day to find Indonesia the largest Moslem country in the World.
During those early days, the mutton kebab was also pondered and
eventually embellished to include a marinade of sweet and sour
tamarind, and a topping of spicy peanut sauce.
Anxious to profit directly from the spice trade, Europeans managed to
find their way to the region late in the fifteenth century. After
getting lost for a spell in the new world, Portuguese and Spanish ships
arrived first. While in the Americas, they "discovered" tomatoes, corn,
peanuts, not-to-mention the transformational Eucharist, the chili
pepper. Apparently unaware of what they were instigating, they blithely
handed the little capsicums over to the locals.
Dutch and English ships arrived next with superior naval power. The
Dutch East India Company focused on the archipelago and the initial
profits where enormous. However by 1799 woeful mismanagement lead to
their bankruptcy. Not willing to give up such a bountiful string of
pearls, the government of the Netherlands ponied up and transformed the
entire archipelago into a vast colonial plantation. The locals were
treated to the arrogance and hegemony that was fashionable at the time,
but they did manage to pass some of this difficult period teasing
intoxicating flavors from the carrots, cabbage, and cauliflower brought
from Europe. They also corrupted European pastries into a mystical cult
of sweet kue.
The Republic of Indonesia won its independence in 1949 and today the
culinary horizons have never been brighter. Competition from American
fast food joints has lead to some interesting street food hamburgers
and KFC clones, but thankfully traditional Indonesian dishes are still
in hot demand and readily available on every street corner. Regional
diversity is overwhelming with dishes that change names and ingredients
every 50 kilometers or so. Although you would need several lifetimes to
sample them all, the brave explorer need only step out onto the
sidewalk to encounter one of the world^Òs greatest, albeit little-known
cuisines.