The art of baking in Indonesia

A report by Hans-Herbert Dörfner, an expert with the Senior Experts Service (SES)* in the Foundation of German Industry for International Cooperation, Bonn, who was seconded by the SES to a vocational college in Cibadak/Sukabumi on the Island of Java (Indonesia).

+When talking about Indonesia and the consumption habits existing there, one immediately discovers that the latter differ very greatly from the customary European diet. This is due firstly to the fact that the country extends across a width of 5,120 km in an east-west direction and its population has various different religious beliefs (Muslims 87%, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and Animists). Another special feature is the fact that the country’s territory is spread across 17,508 islands, of which approx. 6,000 are inhabited. Thus there are sometimes very individual specific consumption habits on the various islands. The fact that the government of this island sovereign state is interested in European baked goods has two main reasons:

The first of these is the indigenous population’s very unbalanced diet, which is very largely rice-based. Rice is eaten at practically every mealtime. Even breakfast very often consists of rice dishes with various accompaniments which – in a country where pepper and other exotic spices grow – sometimes contains very hot seasoning. Bread, if it is available at all, mostly exists as toast-bread. Secondly, approx. 10 million

++ BOLU AMOR bakery in Sukabumi is a business offering a wide assortment of very beautifully presented baked products. The locals like to use the attached café as a meeting point. Free Internet access in the café ensures that meetings in the café are easy to arrange. (A marginal note: there are 126 mobile phone contracts for every 100 residents in Indonesia. This puts the communicative Indonesians in 4th place in the worldwide ranking) tourists/year visit the Indonesian islands. Many are from Europe and love the Indonesian ambience, but very often miss their German/European bread. Thus there is a series of reasons for adding European baked goods to enrich the Indonesian menu.

++ Considerable flavor differences must be expected when eating this delicacy. The guidelines in the German Foodstuffs Code for making a Black Forest cherry gateau prescribe the use of an amount of Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps) that can be perceived clearly by the senses. It’s different on the Island of Java, however, where the great majority of the population are traditional Muslims, for whom consuming alcohol is forbidden for religious reasons. To compensate for this, there’s no lack of sweet chocolate (even around the sides of the gateau)!

The time spent on the Island of Java also offered an opportunity to visit a bakery, to observe the production of indigenous baked goods and confectionery, and to learn about new, unusual recipe ideas.

++ There’s no lack of color when coating hemispherical sponge cakes with various frostings

Basically, Indonesians love soft, very sweet baked products with no crust, and confectionery products which, if possible, is also colorfully decorated. And a European observer will encounter real surprises in the combination of ingredients and in the flavor. +++

*SES is a Foundation of the German Industry for International Cooperation GmbH. This not-for-profit company sends retired specialist and management staff to carry out work throughout the world. All Senior Experts work on an honorary basis. Nearly 12,000 are registered with SES, including around 100 staff specializing in the bakery and confectionery field.