It is already well-known that seaweed has many benefits. This plant is used for cosmetics, medicines, and as a main ingredient of many kinds of meals. Since bulung (seaweed, Kappaphycus alvarezii in botany) contains many fibers it is good for daily consumption especially for those in diet program, and it keeps you away from cancer since it contains antioxidant.

Pudding and Seaweed ice are kinds of seaweed products that Balinese usually consumes. Balinese are so familiar to these healthy products. However, Balinese who lived outside Denpasar haven’t known yet that people in Denpasar have another seaweed product. It is more original and tastier.

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Have you ever tasted Lawar – Balinese traditional food? Lawar is one of the most favorite foods after roasted pork in Bali which contains pork, green jackfruit, grated coconut, frying oil, coconut milk, citrus leaf, and complete Balinese spices (turmeric, ‘kencur’ (kaempferia galangal), ginger, pepper, ‘kemiri’ (candlenut), ‘ketumbar’ (corriandrum sativum), ‘pala’ (myristica fragrans), brown coconut tree, ‘jangu’, salt, and lime), chilies, onion, and garlic.

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Lawar was usually made one day before the Galungan day (Christmas a la Balinese), it is called ‘Penampahan day’. The pig is slaughtered as the symbol of killing the animal’s nature in the human individuality, so it was not consumed every time and every where. But with the passing of the time as the development of the tourism sector it becomes one of the daily cuisines.

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The traditional Balinese cuisine is a rare art that cannot be learn perfectly at cooking course, it has to be learn in the preparation of a ceremony since the traditional Balinese cuisine is dedicated mainly for the ceremonial purpose and the authenticity of the flavor cannot be achieved in the cooking course.

The basic obstacle in learning traditional Balinese cuisine is the spices. There are many kind of spices used in the traditional Balinese cuisine and there is no exact measurement on the quantity of spices used in a cooking process, all depends on the chef preference. Moreover, there is no standard for the traditional Balinese cuisine every village has its own way of cooking and the use of spices.

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Colossal megibung at Taman Ujung Sukasada Karangasem broke the world record of largest communal eating, 19,768 people participated in this megibung (communal eating) event. The participants came from all over Karangasem regency. The participants of megibung were divided into groups called sela; each group consists of eight people of same gender, sitting cross-legged in circle on the grass. There were 2,452 sela (group of eight people) and 152 wanci (a special table for one person).

Food for megibung was arranged in accordance with the philosophy of Balinese cosmogony. The food consisted of a big portion of nasi (steam rice) completed with the variety of side dishes like pork satay, lawar (mixture of vegetable and pork) and some vegetable. The side dishes were arranged based on the Balinese cosmogony. The gegecok putih (white mixture of vegetable and pork) was placed on the east side of the nasi (steam rice), gegecok kuning (yellow mixture of vegetable and pork) was placed on the west side of the nasi (steam rice), urab barak (red mixture of vegetable and pork) was placed on the south side of the nasi (steam rice), and the star fruit leaves lawar (black mixture of vegetable and pork) was placed on the north side of the nasi (steam rice).

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The word “megibung” is from the Balinese dialect meaning people eating communally. It is traditional custom of the Karangasem regency and normally occurs when there is a lot of work to be done in the village like a temple ceremony or social work. The megibung usually involves hundreds of people. The participants of megibung are divided into groups; each group consists of eight people of same gender, sitting cross-legged in circle on a mat or banana leaves and enjoying the delicious food. The participants eat with their right hand no spoon or fork is used.

The food eaten in megibung is arranged into sets of food called gibungan. The gibungan is set of foods comprise of various food that can be scooped easily with the hand, such as pesan (spicy fish wrapped in banana leaves), be guling (suckling pig), siap / bebek betutu (roast chicken or duck), spicy vegetables such as jukut ares (soup made from a banana tree trunk), jukut urab (strong smelling salad served warm) or lawar (grated coconut, condiments, meat and sometimes raw blood) and nasi putih / nasi kuning (white or yellow rice). Brem (balinese rice wine) or tuak (palm toddy) is always the favorite drink during megibung. The gibungan (food) is placed on a mat or banana leaves, no table is used in the megibung. (more…)

Smoked duck is a delicacy of Bali, but since the Chef at Seraya Shores Villas did not have a smoker he had to improvise. [The Chef also felt sad for the duck and would not butcher it himself !]. There was 4 other guests with us that were first timers to Bali, and had not experienced this dish.

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