Like any developing nation, Indonesia presents its travel challenges. Year-round breaks in warm, tropical waters bring surfers flocking to Bali, as well as nearby Sumbawa and the westerly Mentawai islands. Swept by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, it’s one of the best diving destinations in the world – many would argue the best. Home to the world’s largest Muslim population, it’s also studded with ancient Hindu temples, and its quarter of a billion inhabitants practice six officially recognised religions, as well as a range of animist rituals. Colonials and Indonesian expatriates then introduced the rijsttafel to the Netherlands, where it's been a popular fixture in Indonesian restaurants ever since.Indonesia’s cultures are as diverse as its geography. There the rijsttafel was invented, based on the model of the Indonesian feast nasi padang, in order to allow Dutch colonials to sample dishes from Java, Bali, Sumatra and countless other islands the number of dishes could run to upwards of a hundred at these lavish banquets. Instead, it is a relic from the period of Dutch colonization over what is now Indonesia (1602-1942), when the Dutch East India Company traded in the natural resources of the so-called Spice Islands. But make no mistake: rijsttafel, despite its Indonesian roots, is not authentically Indonesian ( indonesisch in Dutch). Order rijsttafel at a restaurant, and you will find the table in front of you covered with a selection of varied dishes. Rijsttafel (translation: "rice table"), pronounced RICE-taffle, is a medley of dishes from all over the Indonesian islands, and a perfect introduction to "indisch" (colonial Indonesian, pronounced "IN-dees") cuisine.
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