A FOOD TRADITION

Atoni cuisine

Atoni, also called Dawan, foodways are shared across western Timor, including communities in Timor-Leste’s Oecusse area and neighboring Indonesian Timor; they should not be assigned exclusively to either country. Maize, cassava, rice, beans, pumpkin, leafy greens, pork, dried fish, and freshwater fish are common foundations, with palm sugar, tamarind, and chilies providing flavor. Boiling, simmering, roasting, smoking, and drying are characteristic household techniques, often suited to seasonal farming conditions. Recognizable examples include jagung bose, a maize and bean preparation; catemak jagung, a vegetable-and-maize stew; and se’i, smoked meat commonly associated with Timorese Atoni food culture.

Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.