Back in the 17th century, the Netherlands was an important colonial power ruling the world’s spice trade. The jewel in its crown was Indonesia, and when the Dutch East India Company went bust in the 19th century, Indonesia became a Dutch colony. Today, Indonesian food is almost synonymous with some of the top Dutch foods.
You’ll find Indonesian restaurants everywhere. Nearly all of them will have bami goreng on the menu: stir-fried egg noodles with garlic, onion, vegetables, meat, egg and chilli. Other Indonesian specialties to look out for include rendang (meat in coconut and spices), rijsttafel (rice with lots of small dishes of spiced meat and vegetables) and a spiced layer cake called spekkoek.
