A FOOD TRADITION
Betawi Cuisine
Betawi cuisine is the food tradition of the Betawi people of Jakarta and its surrounding area. It reflects long interaction among local communities and migrants, with Malay, Sundanese, Javanese, Chinese, Arab, and other influences visible in its use of rice, coconut milk, beef, offal, noodles, fermented ingredients, and aromatic spices. Techniques include slow braising, thickening with coconut, grilling, frying, and preparing celebratory rice dishes. Representative examples include kerak telor, soto Betawi, and nasi uduk. Its urban, historically layered character makes it more than a generic Jakarta food category and distinguishes it from neighboring Sundanese and Javanese traditions.
Dishes linked to this cuisine
1–5 of 5
Asinan Betawi
A Betawi vegetable salad of cabbage, bean sprouts and lettuce with a sour, savoury and spicy peanut dressing.
Bir Pletok
A non-alcoholic Betawi spiced drink made with ginger and sappan wood.
Gabus Pucung
A Betawi snakehead-fish dish in a dark kluwek broth seasoned with turmeric, coriander and galangal.
Kerak Telor
A crisp Betawi rice-and-egg snack topped with dried shrimp, toasted grated coconut and spices.
Soto Betawi
A Jakarta soup of beef and beef offal in a rich broth combining coconut milk and cow's milk, served with potato, tomato and garnishes.
Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.