Our next
stop in Indonesia was the city of Padang on Sumatra’s western coast. Once again
we took an airplane for ease of transport because otherwise we would have had a
journey of over 800 km by car. Padang, meaning ‘The beloved city’ in Indonesian,
is a metropolitan of almost a million citizens renowned for its rather spicy
cuisine.
Padang has
used this reputation for the good, as a matter fact, Padang’s cuisine and its
popularity has spread throughout Indonesia and the world. Especially the Nasi
Padang is very popular and as a result, Padang restaurants have spread
throughout all major cities in Indonesia. As a result, the city’s local economy
relies heavily on its culinary abilities. In Padang, many traditional ingredients
meet, including the very spicey sambal of which Padang has its own variant: sambal
ijo. Having a meal in Padang isn’t something for the faint of heart because
Padang cooks don’t shun the use of ingredients that seem very unorthodox to our
European ways. Hearts, brains and other organs are used in the delicious
looking dishes.
We decided
to take a leap of faith and give the local dishes a go. After all the other
option was to starve. Generally, there are no menus in Padang because the food
is displayed by stacking the plates. You just have to indicate what you would
like to eat and they’ll cook it for you. This makes it a lot harder to actually
know or guess what you are being served. I ordered something that kind of
looked like fish, but it was actually chicken engulfed in a greasy and very hot
and spicy sauce whose fiery taste spread like a wildfire, this isn’t the kind
of dish where you ask for seconds. Nevertheless, I’d better get used to it
because we still have a long way to go through Asia
Thomas
Sources:
I was really happy that we went to Padang. I really wanted to taste the typical Padang's and Indonesian dishes. Personally, I really liked the Nasi Padang because of the various choices of pre-cooked dishes. If I ever come here again, I will certainly eat this again! There is also something I did not like in a dish: organs! That is something I will never eat again!!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenDelphine
The dishes with organs still makes me cringe little bit when I think back to them. The rest was pretty OK although I've never been to big on Asian food, I did enjoy it however. Nevertheless, spicy just isn't good for me, or my bowels!
BeantwoordenVerwijderenThomas