Modern Tastes
If you asked any Balinese what their favorite food is, they will more than likely answer lawar and babi guling. They may also comment on how lucky they are being able to feast on it everyday if they so wish, unlike their parents in the past that could only enjoy it during celebrations. Nevertheless, when you ask them whether they know how or can make it, the answer would be 'No'.
In order to provide the younger Balinese generations with their tradition-related skills, a recent effort was made by high-school students in Denpasar. They were invited to perform a mèbat to make lawar at school together. This activity was part of the celebration of the anniversary of Denpasar city, on February 27. While this effort is certainly important for the younger generation to know how to make authentic Balinese food that has become part of their daily consumption, it is also inseparable from the attempt at the solidarity of their cultural identity.
In addition, one may argue that the modern daily consumption of their authentic food as opposed to the consumption as a part of a ceremonial rite can be understood as a form of the Balinese's attempt to reinvent their tradition amidst the wave of globalization, partly brought about by the tourism industry. However, may you enjoy the authentic tastes of Bali in remembering the tradition behind each dish. Selamat makan!
Showing posts with label Satay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Satay. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Authentic Balinese Cuisine: From Ceremonial Food to Daily Consumption ( 2 )
The final reason that these foods were kept for celebrations, is that preparing Balinese food is expensive. As the food was prepared by dozens of people, the number of people preparing could end up tripling the final product of what was actually required for the offerings. Some of the foods were needed to feed the people involved in mébat when they finish working. Some of the other food was required to serve guests who were attending the celebration. Therefore, a lot of money was required to support both those requirements. Balinese kings served suckling pig to their superior colonizers at particular occasions as they could afford to do so. As ordinary Balinese people could not afford it, they usually had fried eel, tofu, tempè, fish, eggs, sambals, and vegetables for daily consumption. Some of them even only managed to afford rice and salt. For them, the consumption of authentic Balinese food was part of a religious celebration.
Authentic Balinese Cuisine: From Ceremonial Food to Daily Consumption ( 1 )
Authentic Balinese cuisine is the original ceremonial food. The most popular being lawar, saté, and babi guling. Lawar is made of 
minced meat, vegetables, finely cut crackling, mixed with a lot of spices and uncooked-blood as a binding sauce. Saté or satay is grilled chopped meat that can be beef, pork, or chicken. Babi guling is a spit-roasted suckling pig. In the past, these foods were only made for religious rituals, celebrations, or festivals. Their social consumption was the extension of these celebrations. Thus, celebrations like Galungan and Kuningan, that fall every six months, became fiercely awaited by the Balinese, as a good reason to consume their delicious authentic cuisines.
There were other reasons why the Balinese rarely consumed their authentic food in the past. The first being that the preparation of Balinese food is laborious. Making satay, lawar, and suckling pig involved dozens of men in an activity called mébat, another form of the social Indonesian gotong royong or working together. Held in a spacious room such as a community hall (banjar), mébat was usually led by one or two skillful men in food making and preparation. Mébat actually marks the beginning of celebrations.
Not all the men involved in mébat know the complete food making process. Some of them may only be able to cut onions, chilies or chop meat. Others may only spear meat onto satay sticks or shred coconuts. They come to help as part of their communal social obligations. Apart from being laborious, Balinese food preparation is also time consuming. Usually, the spicy ingredients are prepared the night before, as so many things have to be done during actual mébat time, which should be finished by early morning in time for the ceremony.
minced meat, vegetables, finely cut crackling, mixed with a lot of spices and uncooked-blood as a binding sauce. Saté or satay is grilled chopped meat that can be beef, pork, or chicken. Babi guling is a spit-roasted suckling pig. In the past, these foods were only made for religious rituals, celebrations, or festivals. Their social consumption was the extension of these celebrations. Thus, celebrations like Galungan and Kuningan, that fall every six months, became fiercely awaited by the Balinese, as a good reason to consume their delicious authentic cuisines.There were other reasons why the Balinese rarely consumed their authentic food in the past. The first being that the preparation of Balinese food is laborious. Making satay, lawar, and suckling pig involved dozens of men in an activity called mébat, another form of the social Indonesian gotong royong or working together. Held in a spacious room such as a community hall (banjar), mébat was usually led by one or two skillful men in food making and preparation. Mébat actually marks the beginning of celebrations.
Not all the men involved in mébat know the complete food making process. Some of them may only be able to cut onions, chilies or chop meat. Others may only spear meat onto satay sticks or shred coconuts. They come to help as part of their communal social obligations. Apart from being laborious, Balinese food preparation is also time consuming. Usually, the spicy ingredients are prepared the night before, as so many things have to be done during actual mébat time, which should be finished by early morning in time for the ceremony.
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