Chillis

This spicy ingredient has become an important native element in Indonesian cooking, despite being brought to the archipelago from the Americas by Portuguese traders in the 15^th century. The highly popular chilli may be found in many forms: raw and placed next to the main dishes, sliced and put in a small bowl of soy sauce, or crushed into a flavoring paste called sambal, which many eat on its own with plenty of steamed rice! However, in general we do not let the chilli’s heat overpower the taste of the food. Often we do not notice that chilli is included in dishes, for the chilli’s taste is balanced with other flavors, such as sweetness, as is commonly found in Javanese dishes.