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Published on January 19, 2015

The richness and diversity of Indonesia’s spices have for centuries  been acknowledged all over the world. From Aceh at the west end to Papua at the eastern tip of the archipelago, each region has its own distinct mix of  spices which also give distinct flavors and characteristics to its culinary features.

To introduce and further promote the richness and diversity of Indonesian distinct spices and seasoning, the Ministry of Trade of the Republic Indonesia in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy for the Netherlands participated in the Ethnic Food Europe 2015 Trade Show held from 12th to 15th January 2015 at the Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre, Holland,  reported CNN Indonesia.

Participating for the first time in Europe’s leading trade show for ethnic foods, Indonesia also became the first country from the Asia and Africa region to take part in this highly prestigious international culinary industry trade show.

The appearance of a special area of Indonesian distinct spices and seasoning in the Indonesian Pavilion marked the international recognition of  the richness and diversity of Indonesian spices, seasonings, flavors, and culinary traditions which hold a unique distinct identity and an important cultural value worldwide.

Occupying a space of 60 square meters, the Indonesian pavilion featured some of the archipelago’s most popular tropical spices and herbs such as peppercorn, nutmeg, cinnamon, and more. The pavilion also introduced some of Indonesia’s typical seasonings and ingredients mixtures to almost 14,000 visitors who came to the 4 days trade show.

To further quench the curiosity of the attendees for the unique taste of Indonesia, the pavilion also presented some of the famous Padang Food or culinary delights of the Minangkabau of West Sumatra including Rendang suwir, teri (small fry)i, belut (eel), paru (fried lungs), as well as canned tuna and mackerel with Indonesian seasoning, and more. The pavilion also showcased a variety of the legendary Kopi Luwak or civet Coffee.

The Indonesian pavilion was also supported by Pan Premix Netherland B.V, Indonesian Diaspora Network in the Netherlands, and the  Indonesia Satu Organization which comprises a number of Indonesian professional chefs,  including Eduard Roesdi (chef/ owner of Iboe Tjilik, Netherlands), Didi Han (Senior Chef), Gentur Respati (Ambassador of Indonesia Chef Association – ICA-Netherlands), and Agus Hermawan (Executive chef of Blauw Restaurant) who gave cooking demonstrations of some of Indonesian distinct cuisines.

Ethnic Foods Europe is Europe’s most renowned ethnic food and beverage exhibition held alongside  the Horecava 2015, the largest Foodservice trade fair of the Netherlands. The 2015 edition hosted over 60 brands from more than 20 countries and acts as a bridge between ethnic food manufacturers and suppliers of all kinds of World food and the top of Europe’s ethnic food retail and food service buyers.