Best Balinese Food; A Must-Try Local Dishes Part 1

by | Aug 4, 2022 | Food | 0 comments

Discover New Food Is A Part Of Traveling

Do you try local dishes when you’re traveling? Well, something I like about traveling is having new culinary experiences where we can explore new flavors and ingredients. Every country in the world offers a wide variety and different types of dishes that are surely appealing and appetizing. When you make a trip to Bali, here is the list of the best local food you shouldn’t want to miss.

For me, food is an essential part of the travel experience. Yes, I love food. We can enjoy scrumptious food from many places throughout the world. Every country and city has unique flavors and extraordinary dishes that make us discover new tastes we never tried before. I was born in the central part of Java, in Semarang, then I spent almost 6 years in Yogyakarta to continue my studies before I decided to permanently move to Bali. Can you imagine, how many local cuisines come from these three different cities, and being a foreigner makes you need to discover and adapt to the new tastes. 

Adapting To New Taste, Tips for Adjusting

Indonesia is known for its rich flavors and cultures. Indonesian cuisine can be classified according to the island, province, and city. Each has its own different characteristics, flavors, special ingredients, spices, herbs, serving styles, and unique recipes from its own ancestors. Discovering new flavors around the world means we experience and learn about the history, traditions, and local cultures that go beyond the taste.

When we visit a new place for a holiday or traveling, we will find not only a hundred but a thousand choices of restaurants. How to discover good food when traveling? Well, you will never know unless you try it. The first thing to do is to find recommendations and information about the local food, then learn and observe how they do the food seasoning and what ingredients they use helps you to imagine what the food looks like, and how it tastes. 

There will be millions of reviews worldwide for each restaurant, but no worries! Some bloggers give their best experiences and recommendations which helps travelers to find culinary gems. So, keep on scrolling down and read more of my blog (LOL).

Once you got all the information and recommendations of the local food, prepare yourself for the new taste, especially when this is your very first time experiencing it. Don’t be afraid to try new things. You can start slowly, as sometimes you will experience some discomfort. The good thing is when the food tempted you and becomes familiar, then finally, you found your new favorite food.

Balinese Cuisine; An Introduction

Beyond stunning beaches and mesmerizing temples, Bali is also rich in flavors and cultures. Most Balinese cuisine uses a variety of spices and special ingredients. The uniqueness is, that it still uses indigenous traditions from its ancestors. Balinese dishes are spectacular, from the iconic and also the must-try local food from its district and region, especially the pork menus. 

Each district and region in Bali has different flavors and uniqueness. You might experience dining with the same food, but each is served using different signature spices and serving styles. Sometimes each region inspires and influences the other. Well, Balinese cuisine is indeed unique yet delicious. 

Authentic Balinese Food; Best Dishes You Need To Try

Babi Guling

The first dish is the Balinese suckling pig or known as “Babi Guling”, which is the most iconic and has become a favorite of tourists. This is the authentic and classic pork dish that become a Balinese legendary cuisine. No one can resist this succulent dish. It features chunks of spit-roasted pork served with steamed white rice, and an assortment of pork sides (pork soup, crunchy pork skin, pork satay, sate lilit, fried pork liver, crispy pork belly, pork sausage, and also Balinese traditional mixed vegetable (we call it lawar). 

There are many best local warung and restaurants available to enjoy this traditional roasted pork that you can find almost everywhere in Bali. Here’s my recommendation to try Babi Guling; Babi Guling Pak Dobiel (Nusa Dua), Babi Guling Ibu Ella(Taman Giri Jimbaran), Babi Guling Chandra (Denpasar), Babi Guling Pak Malen (Seminyak), Babi Guling Ibu Oka (Ubud), Babi Guling Ibu Ari (Jl. Raya Andong, Ubud).

Sate Babi – Pork Satay

This is my favorite food and there are many choices of pork satay in Bali. It comes in many varieties. I have my favorite local warung that sells delicious pork satay in Bangli Regency. Mostly it’s served with sliced tipat, or known as ketupat and chili. For those who don’t know what tipat is, tipat or ketupat is a kind of Indonesian rice cake. It is shaped like a diamond, wrapped in a palm leaf pocket.

What makes this satay extra tasty is the sauce and the marinated ingredients. Mostly, chicken satay is served with peanut sauce, while pork satay comes with spiciness and is surely full of flavors. Just like Babi Guling, you can find pork satay almost everywhere. Here are my recommendations; Sate Babi Bawah Pohon, Sate Babi & Plecing Arjuna, and some local warung in Bangli and Marlboro Denpasar which I can’t remember the name (LOL). 

Sate Lilit Bali

Another Balinese dish that should be put on your bucket list; Sate Lilit Bali. Unlike the other Indonesian skewers, sate lilit is quite different. The main ingredient to make sate lilit is fish, it can be tuna or tenggiri. Fish and pork are commonly used as the main ingredients because they have soft textures which can blend well with the Balinese spices to create a fragrant aroma. But the meat used to make this satay may vary. Instead of fish, some Balinese also use minced seafood, pork, chicken, or duck. 

The meat used to make this satay is processed by finely ground. To add more flavors and aromatic, the meat is mixed with various spices, coconut, and other secret ingredient. Then the meat is wrapped around in lemongrass or a flat wooden stick. The final step is, to be grilled and then served with Balinese dipping sauce. You can find this delicious satay lilit almost everywhere. 

Tipat Kuah Ayam

Well, this is a better choice for lunch should you wish to have a light menu. usually served in a small portion, this dish should be put on your bucket list. I have never found or even tried this menu before I moved to Bali. The main ingredient is “Tipat” or “Ketupat”, it’s served with kuah ayam betutu (Balinese Spiced Chicken), some vegetables, boiled egg, and sate lilit. The taste is good, rich, and full of Balinese herbs and spices. 

My recommendation where to find this delicious Tipat Kuah Ayam; Warung Kayu Manis Renon, Joglo Bali, and Men Gege. Mostly, some local Warung provides this menu, and they’re delicious too. You can find them almost everywhere in Bali. 

Thank you so much for visiting my website and reading my blog ^^ I will share another culinary journey on the next blog (part 2) please do not hesitate to leave your comment below should you wish to communicate with me. 

Written by mariafebronia

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