Indonesian food is rich in spices or rempah. Indonesian cooking has been influenced over the centuries by many nationalities and cultures, particularly Chinese, Indian and Dutch. Indonesian spices that are native to Indonesia include pepper, mace, cloves, cinnamon, galangal, ect. The many other spices that are used have been introduced over the centuries, mainly from India and China, but are now regarded as true Indonesian spices.
Despite having such an extremely diverse cuisine, Indonesian spices are integral to all the regional dishes. Indonesian cooking has become popular in other parts of Southeast Asia, particularly classics such as rending, sambal and satay, which are widely consumed in Malaysia and Singapore.
From the simplest dish like sauce (in Bahasa is “Sambal”) to the complicated, slow-cooked Rendang, spices are indeed important cooking is very difficult, it’s not really true. In fact it’s really easy, if you know the types of spices you are going to use in the cooking, and how to use them.
Below are some of the essential spices or essential herbs (in Bahasa is “bumbu dapur”) used in Indonesian dishes, that you might be not familiar with. This time we will discuss two kinds of spices in Indonesia that is pepper and cloves.
Do you know about kind of Pepper and Cloves spices ? Have you ever found in the food that you consume ? Let’s see the explanation in detail!
PEPPER
The data statistic shows the production of pepper in Indonesia from 2011 to 2015, with an estimate for 2016 and 2017. In 2017, it was estimated that approximately 65 thousand metric tons of pepper would be produced in Indonesia. Pepper flourishes well in hot and humid climate along with good rain. Southern India and Vietnam favors pepper production very well. This is the reason that 95% of the world pepper grows in these countries. Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil, Vietnam and Sri Lanka are also other major pepper producing countries. In Indonesia, pepper is a small holder estate crop and labor intensive commodity mainly cultivated in Lampung for black, Bangka Belitung and Kalimantan for white pepper. Peppers add a flavourful kick to your meal, plus they’re loaded with vitamins and disease-fighting properties.
Check out these health benefits of black and white peppers!
Black pepper is a rich source of minerals like manganese, copper, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, iron, pottassium, and vitamins like riboflavin, vitamin C, K, and B6. Black pepper has a high content of dietary fiber and has a moderate amount of protein and carbohydrates too. Black pepper aids in weight loss, and treats sinus, asthma, and nasal congestion. It also reduces the risk of cancer, and heart and liver ailments.
White peerper health benefits can not be underestimated, just like other spices, white pepper also can prevent cancer and useful for weight loss. Same a black pepper, White pepper contains saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat. Its composition also includes sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper and manganese. White pepper is a source of fiber and protein.
CLOVES
Cloves are the dried flower buds of an evergreen tree native to eastern Indonesia. Cloves are a versatile spice that can be used in drinks and in both sweet and savoury dishes. Cloves have many health benefits, and have been used for many purposes over the years. Some of the most common medicinal uses of cloves include treatment for toothache pain, stress relief (usually in the form of aromatherapy) and inflammation reduction for arthritis and other inflammation. mIn many alternative medicine traditions, cloves are considered to be warming and stimulating.
Cloves can be cooked into various foods and drinks for some health benefit. Clove oil can be applied topically or used in aromatherapy. You must know! The nutrients found in 100 grams of cloves include 65 grams of carbohydrate, 6 grams of protein, 13 grams of total lipids, 2 grams of sugars, 274 kcal of energy and 33 grams of dietary fibers. Minerals in cloves include calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, and zinc. The vitamins found in them include vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, and vitamin K.
Indonesia Cloves Production in 2016 – 2017 is expected to be around 85,000 Metric Tons, Excluding 5,000 Metric Tons carry forward stocks from the last year crop of 2015 – 2016. Hence bringing the total availability of Cloves from Indonesia up to 90,000 Metric Tons for year 2016 – 2017
If you have further inquiries or in case you want more information about Indonesian spices, please feel free and do not hesitate to contact us at: info.nudira@gmail.com