Answer to Question 1
From ancient times people from China and India sailed to different parts of
Indonesia leaving behind cooking techniques and foods from their homelands.
Europeans came hundreds of years later, including the Dutch, the British, and the
Portuguese. They came to get spices and brought their own cooking techniques,
dishes, and foods to give to the people of Indonesia.. To the influences of Western
spice traders, and early Indian and Chinese sailors the Arabs would have to be
added as a fourth cultural influence. To indicate how important the Arab culture
was one could look at the fact that today Indonesia is one of the most Muslim
cultures in the world, with 90 percent of its population being Muslim.
Answer to Question 2
The three main islands of Indonesia are Sumatra, Java, and, and Baliif only the
cuisine is being considered. These three have the most developed and interesting
cuisines. If the size of the islands are being considered, it depends upon whether
the islands have to be completely in Indonesia, or they can include islands which
are shared by other countries. The three islands which are completely in the
country of Indonesia are Sumatra, Java, and Celebes (Sulawesi). If one considers
those land masses which are shared with other countries then the areas of
Sumatra, Irian Jaya (Papua), and Kalmnatan (Borneo) are the largest. What one
can interpret from this is that Indonesia is a complex structure of island cultures
going back for centuries and in some continual state of evolution. For the focus of
this text we would consider Sumatra, Java, and Bali to be the three main islands
because of the development of their cuisines.
Renzo Piano, Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, Nouméa, New Caledonia. 1991–98.
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