Indonesian Cuisine has the Potential to be Legendary Abroad

Indonesian cuisine is special because it has diverse tastes. That was what Sisca Soewitomo, a culinary expert who has published 77 cook books, said in Seminar ?The Trend and The Rise of Indonesian Culinary Tourism? on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH).

Although Indonesian cuisine is very diverse and has extraordinary taste, Indonesia cuisine has not been widely known abroad. Sisca mentioned that it is not inherited and preserved. Edwin Lau, a professional chef, also added that Indonesians are not introduced with Indonesian culinary by their parents. ?In Bali, every person knows how to cook suckling pig. Cooking suckling pig is an inherited tradition,? explained Edwin.

It is very unfortunate to know this fact as Indonesia has diverse cuisine. Each area has its own unique cuisine. ?Promote Indonesia through culinary,? told Edwin. Promote by preserving the Indonesian cuisine. Edwin explained that there are two kinds of Indonesian cuisine; cultural and street food. With culture, a cuisine can be well known. ?For instance, Korean food is known because of K-Pop culture,? Edwin told.

Sisca suggested to preserve the culinary, Indonesians, especially the tourism students, must master the original Indonesian spices. Indonesian spices are extremely well-known to produce unique taste. In addition, Indonesian cuisine has its own unique philosophy that can attract the tourists.

The huge potential to develop Indonesian culinary tourism became the main topic of the seminar that also invited Frans Teguh, M.A. (Deputy Director of Planning and Law, Directorate General of Tourism Destination Development, Ministry of Tourism)), Dewanta Manik, M.A. (Food Safety Consultant), and Cristian Rahadiansyah (Editor in chief of Majalah Jalan-Jalan and Garuda Inflight Indonesia). This seminar was a part of the event Taste and Travel Indonesia held for two days starting from October 31, 2011. Besides seminar, the event also featured culinary, tour, and travel expo. (dee)

UPH Media Relations