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Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
Indonesia runs on two convenience-store chains and one market. Alfamart and Indomaret are everywhere, including on street corners in Bali, and between them they cover most small purchases. Supermarkets like Transmart, Hypermart and Superindo are for a proper shop, and the pasar is where produce, spices and anything fresh comes from. The cuisine is built on a handful of sauces, and the supermarkets stock them in better versions than you can buy abroad.
Kecap manis is sweet soy sauce, thick and dark, and it is the defining Indonesian condiment. ABC and Bango are the two brands you will see most; Bango is generally considered the better one.
It is not a substitute for soy sauce — it is sweet, and it carries nasi goreng, sate and semur.
Sambal is chilli paste and there is no single version: sambal oelek is the plain chilli one, sambal terasi adds fermented shrimp, and sambal bajak is cooked with tomato and palm sugar. Jars travel well.
Terasi is the fermented shrimp paste block. It smells extremely strong and it is essential — double-bag it if it goes in a suitcase.
Kecap manis, sambal jars, rendang and nasi goreng spice pastes, and kerupuk (uncooked prawn crackers) are all light and sealed.
Kopi luwak is the civet coffee, and it is worth knowing that the commercial version is widely associated with animal welfare problems. If that matters to you, buy ordinary Indonesian arabica or robusta from Sumatra, Sulawesi or Java, which is excellent and costs far less.
Jamu is the traditional herbal tonic, sold bottled and very bitter. It is an acquired taste.
Tempeh and tahu are cheap, fresh and sold in every market; they are not worth carrying home but they are worth eating.
Durian peaks around the turn of the year in many regions, sold whole and opened at the stall.
Mangosteen, rambutan and salak come through the middle of the year.
Mango and papaya are available year-round.
Bali specifically has a dry season roughly from spring to autumn and a wet season from late autumn, which changes what is in the market more than it changes the temperature.
Warungs are the small family restaurants, and they are where the good cheap food is. A warung is not a shop, but the market stall next to it is where the ingredients come from.
Cash is normal at markets and warungs. Cards work at Indomaret, Alfamart and supermarkets.
Bottled water is the default; do not drink tap water. Our Bali food and water safety guide covers what to avoid.
The tourist tax and arrival formalities are separate from shopping but arrive at the same airport — see our Bali arrival guide.
A thick, sweet soy sauce, the defining Indonesian condiment. ABC and Bango are the main brands and it is not interchangeable with ordinary soy sauce.
The commercial version is widely associated with animal welfare problems. Ordinary Sumatran, Sulawesi or Javanese coffee is excellent, cheaper and avoids the issue.
Kecap manis, sambal jars, spice pastes for rendang and nasi goreng, and uncooked kerupuk. All are sealed and light.
It peaks around the turn of the year in many regions, and it is sold whole and opened at the stall.
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