Indonesian cuisine varies by region and has many different influences. Cuisine Sumatra, for example, often have the Middle East and the Indian influence, featuring meat and vegetables like curry, while Javanese cuisine mostly indigenous people, with a few hints of the influence of China. The cuisine of East Indonesia is similar to the Polynesian and Melanesian cuisine. Elements of Chinese cuisine can be seen in Indonesian cuisine: food such as noodles, meatballs, and spring rolls have been completely assimilated.
Throughout its history, Indonesia has been involved in the trade because of its location and natural resources. In addition, techniques and ingredients native to Indonesia are influenced by India, the Middle East, China, and eventually Europe. Spanish and Portuguese traders brought New World produce even before the Dutch came to colonize most of the archipelago. Indonesian islands of Maluku (Moluccas), known as the "Spice Islands", also contributed to the introduction of native spices, such as cloves and nutmeg, to global and Indonesian cuisine.
Indonesian cuisine often shows complex flavors, which are obtained from certain ingredients and seasoning blend of spices. Indonesian cuisine has a rich flavor; most often described as a savory, hot and spicy, and also combinations of basic tastes such as sweet, salty, sour and bitter. Most of the people of Indonesia supports the hot and spicy food, so the sauce, hot chili sauce, and spicy Indonesia with shrimp paste, is a staple condiment in all tables Indonesia. Seven major Indonesian cooking methods are frying, baking, grilling, dry roasting, sautéing, boiling and steaming.
Indonesia is home of satay; one of the most popular dishes in the country, there are many variants throughout Indonesia.
Chicken curry (curry style), goulash, rhombus, diced potatoes with spices and fried onion served during Lebaran (Idul Fitri) in Indonesia
Some popular Indonesian dishes such as nasi goreng, gado-gado, satay and soup everywhere in the country and is considered the national dish. Indonesia's official national dish, however, is a cone, selected in 2014 by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy as a dish that binds the diversity of various culinary traditions of Indonesia. However, later in 2018, the same ministry has selected five national dishes of Indonesia; they soto, rendang, satay, nasi goreng, and gado-gado.
Today, some of the popular dishes that originated in Indonesia are now common for neighboring countries, Malaysia and Singapore. Indonesian dishes such as satay, rendang, and sambal favored in Malaysia and Singapore. Soy-based dishes, such as variations of tofu and tempeh, are also very popular. Tempe regarded as the invention of Java, local adaptation fermented soy-based foods and production. other food fermentation is oncom, similar in some ways to tempeh but using various bases (not just soy), which is made by a different fungus and is very popular in West Java.