The Netherlands: a Mecca for Indonesian Cuisine Slug: Indonesia food Date: 01/04/2013 Reporter: Ging Ginanjar INTRO

Compared to its Asian peers, Indonesian food is less popular worldwide than say Chinese or Thai. But not in one country in Europe where there are more than 1,000 Indonesian restaurants, and also an online-directory of Indonesian cuisine. From The Hague in the Netherlands, Ging Ginanjar lets his tatsebuds lead the way. TEXT SFX 1 sound of the crowd The Indonesian Fair is a cultural event designed to introduce all things Indonesian to the international commnity and partciularly, the Dutch. Food is one of the biggest hits, with one third of the space dedicated to Indonesian cuisine. FADE UP Of the 40 restaurants participtaing, the stall run by the Salero Minang Restaurant is one of the most popular. It sells Padangnese food, from the island of Sumatra, famous for its tasty and spicy dishes. Erita Lubeek is the owner of the Netherlands only authentic Padang-style restaurant called Salero Minang. Her family lives in the country for years now. Erita clip 1 (female, Indonesia): I sell authentic Padangnese, with no added sugar so its very spicy. But I also sell what I call Saba or Salero Belanda, I recreate the food to match the Dutch peoples taste. So the spicy beef for our Indonesian customers is more spicy than the one for the Dutch customers. The Indonesian Fair is held every year by the Indonesian embassy in the Netherlands, says Ambassador Retno Marsudi. Retno clip 1 (Female, Indonesian): Its undescribable. Everybody here talks about Inodnesian food and restaurants. In many formal events in the Netherlands, they serve Indonesian food a lot. Even in the Navy, Indonesian food is on the regular menu. Indonesian food is like the second national food in the Netherlands.

SFX 2 sound of the crowd In most of Europe, only a handful of restaurants sell Indonesian cuisine. But in the Netherlands there are 1,600 Indonesian restaurants, as well as food stalls and shops that sell Indonesian ingredients. Its not really a suprise given that Indonesia was occupied by the Ducth for 3 and a half centuries. And, that more than 2 percent of the Dutch population is of Indonesian descent. Many long for the taste of home, and their connections to the archipelagic nation. 40-year-old Albert Jans father was a soldier stationed in Indonesia. Albert Jan clip 1 (Male, English): Well my father was a soldier between 1946 and 1947. My father was there. And when he came back home, he brought parts of his memories in Indonesia to us. The rise of Indonesian restaurants started in the 1980s, along with stalls selling specific ingredients for Indonesian food. They are so easy to find that many people like Albert Jan started to cook their own Indonesian meals at home. Albert clip 2 (Male, English) I love to make Indonesian food myself. For instance, 34 weeks ago, I invited my brother and family to come, and have a traditional Indonesian supper. I cooked rendang, pork in soy sauce, chilli chicken, rica-rica chicken, spicy stir fried green beans. It took me about a full day to make all the dishes. To cater the growing demand for Indonesian cuisine in the country, an online directory of Indonesian food and restaurants was launched during the Indonesian Fair event. Indonesian Ambassador Retno Marsudi is the person behind the directory. She says that it now has list of restaurants in the countrys big cities and as it grows, the directory will go deeper into the history behind the food. Retno clip 3 (Female, Indonesian): We want the Netherlands to be an outlet of Indonesian cuisine in Europe. We are taking our promotion strategy all the way here to introduce Indonesian food. From The Hague, this feature is produced by Ging Ginanjar for Asia Calling.