As with most Asian fare, having a good meal out doesn’t necessarily mean emptying out your wallet or purse. Visitors can consume three meals a day and still pay less than what they would do at home for one. Indonesian cuisine for the most part reflects the mixed population scattered throughout its 6,000 inhabited islands. Having always been involved in world trade due to the country's abundant natural resources, foreign accents are apparent within Indonesia's food.
Popular dishes include satay, beef rendang, tempeh – soybeans in a cake form and endless variations of curries – all accompanied by rice. Many Indonesians still eat with their hands, for this reason food is often served accompanied by a bowl of warm water. Be sure to try tumpeng, the quintessential Indonesian feast, comprised of an assortment of Indonesian dishes fringing a cone of rice – the cone symbolic of a holy mountain.
