Brilio.net/en - One of the best ways to get to know a place and its culture is through its food, and there sure is plenty of that to explore for anyone traveling to Bali. We narrow down the top-5 dishes everyone must try when on the island.
1. Babi guling
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Suckling pig is Balis most famous pork dish. You can find it anywhere in the island, although i would taste slightly differently in each restaurant. It is a dish serving almost every part of a pig, often cooked in a variety of ways but always with rich spices to give it a juicy flavor. Have it with a side of sambal matah (Bali's raw chili condiment). Also check the best 5 babi guling places in Balihere.
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2. Lawar
Lawar is a dish that comprises mainly chopped coconut mixed, meat, and few other spices. At a glance the dish may looks similar to the suckling pig, although in this one particularly, any meat can be used, from pork, chicken, occasionally goat (most Balinese don't eat beef). There are two kinds of lawar, the white and the red, with the latter cooked using pig blood. Lawar is one of Balis most favorite dishes, so make sure to have a taste of it. Our favorite is Lawar Kodi at Sanur.
3. Satay
There are two ways of serving sate in Bali: pricked sate (like a shish kebab) is called sate tusuk, while the other one involves having the meat seemingly "twisted" on a stick, hence the name sate lilit. Any meat can be used for both types of sate, and it is usually served tocompliment other dishes, although some places do serve sate as a single dish.Check our favorites here.
4. Betutu
Originally from Gianyar, betutu is also cooked differently in each area. The betutu from Gianyar has meat that is a little brown in color from being burried under spices to absorb flavors, while the other one, from Singaraja, may appear slightly more yellow. The meat, either chicken or duck, can be cooked wet (boiled) or dry (fried). Our favorites are at Warung Liku on Jalan Nakula, Seminyak, and by the fork of Jalan Cok Tantular and Jalan Merdeka, in the Renon area.
5. Blayag
This dish is a traditional food from Buleleng. Just like any other Balinese food, each kitchen has its own style of serving it. Basically blayag or belayag contains rice cake (tipat), beansprout, betutu chicken, vegetables, peanuts, and crackers, all served with thick broth. Our favorites in Denpasar are Dapoer Buleleng at Jalan Teuku Umar Barat and at Rujak Merdeka and Gula Bali in Renon.