10 Traditional Foods in Bali You Must Try as a Tourist!
10 Traditional Foods in Bali You Must Try as a Tourist!
With recipes that go back centuries, traditional food dishes in Bali act as a tangible representation of history connecting present-day humans to the past. Thus, Bali’s gastronomy works to bring culture, spirituality, and local ingredients together and builds unique culinary experiences for tourists.
So, if you’re planning a trip to Bali, here are 10 traditional foods that will offer you an authentic taste of Bali’s heritage along with a deeper connection to its traditions.
1. Babi Guling
- Flavor Profile: Roasted meat with a savory, smoky, and spicy profile
- Cultural Significance: Used as an offering to the Hindu gods at religious and communal ceremonies.
Babi Guling, the Suckling Pig, is not just Bali’s most legendary dish, but also one that represents the region’s cuisine most beautifully. Most tourists land with this traditional Balinese food already on their itinerary.
2. Betutu
- Flavor Profile: Spicy and tangy meat with a deep smoky taste
- Cultural Significance: A symbol of Balinese cultural identity. Used to be a favourite of the royals and is now served at Balinese ceremonies.
Betutu is cooked in a similar way as Babi Guling, however the ingredients are slightly different.
3. Lawar
- Flavor Profile: Varies
- Cultural Significance: A symbol of gratitude to nature. Represents the diversity of life and harmonization among species.
Lawar is a unique traditional Balinese dish with minced meat (any of your choice), grated coconut, and a spice mix called “base genep.”
2. Types of Lawar: There are two main variations of Lawar:
- Lawar Barak (Red Lawar): Includes coconut and animal blood, giving it a richer flavor.
- Lawar Putih (White Lawar): A simpler version made with coconut, offering a milder taste.
4. Sate Lilit
- Flavor Profile: Creamy and savoury barbequed meat or fish
- Cultural Significance: Served at ceremonies, but always in odd numbers as a form of respect to the gods.
The word “Lilit” literally means to wrap around.
Sate Lilit can be made with any kind of meat, even turtle meat which is blended with grated coconut, coconut milk, and other ingredients and then wrapped around natural plant sticks.. The signifying factor behind Sate Lilit is its wrapping around the sticks which may be bamboo, sugarcane, or lemongrass sticks.
Sate Lilit is easily available at many Warungs (family-business eateries) in Bali.
5. Nasi Campur
The word ​​ Campur literally means ‘mixed’ in Indonesian, and Nasi Campur fits perfectly.
Nasi Campur is a rice bowl with various side dishes of your choice. While some side dishes are common, you can expect to see a range of options from different Warungs/restaurants. However, if you want to try out different flavors for your Nasi Campur, going for a buffet is the best option.
Some common side dishes include,
- Ayam Panggang (grilled chicken)
- Ayam Betutu
- Fried tempeh
- Sambals
- Roasted peanuts
6. Urutan
- Flavor Profile: Punchy, intense, and spicy
- Cultural Significance: Represents the fusion of cultures in Bali. Served at Galungan, Kuningan, and other ceremonies
Even if you’ve eaten sausages a million times already, Urutan or Balinese sausage will still come as a surprise!
Urutan is a sun-dried fermented sausage made with pork, spices, and coconut milk. It is rich and aromatic and holds a special place in Balinese cuisine.
Often served at festivals, Urutan represents the island’s bold and flavorful approach to food. While traditionally, Urutan uses pork, you can easily find many halal versions too.
7. Tipat Cantok
- Flavor Profile: Nutty and slightly crunchy. Spice levels vary significantly.
- Cultural Significance: Easily available in every Balinese area and is a core part of everyday life. Used as a light but fulfilling snack by most Balinese people.
Tipat Cantok is a common Balinese traditional food dish that is easily available at most local Warungs.
Tipat Cantok is a vegetarian-friendly dish and includes boiled rice cakes served with peanut sauce and vegetables. Additionally, restaurants may also serve tahu (firm tofu) or fried tempeh (fermented soy blocks) with it.
8. Serombotan
- Flavor Profile: Fresh, crisp, and nutty with a lot of spice.
- Cultural Significance: Part of the royal cuisine from the Klungkung Regency
Serombotan is a vegan-friendly side dish that uses fresh vegetables with coconut, beans, and sambal as topping.
The toppings make Serombotan perfect for those who want to enjoy the freshness of Bali’s produce without missing out on the island’s bold flavors
9. Balinese Coffee
- Flavor Profile: Processing methods make the taste profile quite variable among different types, however, overall, Balinese coffee has a complex, strong flavor.
- Cultural Significance: Coffee cultivation and harvesting are communal practices with great social importance. Cultivation has also historically been of economic importance for Bali.
Balinese Coffee or Kopi Bali, is famous for its bold flavor. Kopi Bali has strong historical roots, with businesses that have been involved in it for generations, over centuries.
Among all Indonesian coffees, Kopi Luwak is the most famous one, however, in Bali Arabica and Robusta are exceptional too.
10. Martabak
- Flavor Profile: Varies
- Cultural Significance: Popular street food. Used as key to social bonding and communal gatherings
With different versions of it consumed all across Asia, Balinese Martabak is one of the most popular local traditional foods.
In Bali, Martabak is available as both sweet (martabak manis) and savory (martabak telur). Martabak can be best described as a stuffed-pancake, with chocolate or banana filling for martabak manis and egg, onion, meat, and seasonings for martabak telur.
Where to Find Authentic Balinese Food?
1. For the most authentic taste of Balinese cuisine, visit local food markets and small warungs (family-owned eateries).
2. These spots serve traditional dishes made with love and time-honored recipes, and you will also get the best deals here.
related blogs
Best Indonesian Street Food that…
From savory Nasi Goreng to sweet Klepon, discover the vibrant world of Indonesian street food…
Art in Indonesia: Heritage, Creativity,…
Indonesia Travel Bucket List is a must-have for travelers seeking adventure,
Ubud Centre – What You…
Indonesia Travel Bucket List is a must-have for travelers seeking adventure,
Read what people say about Ubud Story Walks...
Ubud Story Walks is something different. It’s a fun, entertaining and refreshing way to delve into Ubud’s past. The knowledgeable guides place as much emphasis on how they tell a story as they do on what they’re sharing, which means all sorts of magical and mystifying details are revealed. I believe the best way to get to know a place is to walk its streets, which makes Ubud Story Walks one of the best ways to get to know Ubud.
Julia Winterflood
We had a fantastic time walking around the historical centre of Ubud! Even though we've been based in Bali for a few years, we'd never had an actual tour of some of Bali's most iconic landmarks and learning about the history was fascinating. Our guide was hilarious and full of information and it was a lovely and relaxing way to learn so much. The tour was early in the morning which was perfect timing as the temperature was still cool and we were able to witness the morning bustle of Ubud's famous markets. 10/10 would recommend!
Rahima Saikal
Vicky Ilankovan2024-12-13A great way to get to know Ubud, past and present. Win and Kelly were fantastic tour guide: knowledgeable, friendly, and open. I’d just landed in the country and this was the best welcome to immerse myself in some of the culture and historic as well as get a bit of a lay of the land. It was great to visit historic sites as well as the museum, and here fun stories. Bonus points for traditional sweets! Many thanks to both. Would definitely recommend this walking tour
LH Sim2024-12-10Joe was our guide for the Ubud Story Walk Tour : Past To Present. He is very professional and knowledgeable who has many interesting stories to share. During the tour, he showed pictures related to the history for our better understanding. Besides pictures, he also showed us coins that were used in the past. Apart from being proficient in conducting the tour, he is also a very caring guide as he offered us sunscreen, mosquito repellent prior to his tour and brought us snacks and water when we had our short break during the tour. Thank you Joe for the excellent commentary. Will definitely join the other Ubud Story Walks on my next trip to Bali.
Jessica HĂĽbner2024-12-05Ubud story walk past to presents was one of our favorite things to do in Ubud. Our guide Joe was super fun and very informative! Thank you Joe for the great time we had. I highly recommend this tour
Andrea Slosar2024-12-03I was on two tours and I really liked them. They are beautifully and comprehensively designed. Old black and white photos are an interesting addition. I was especially impressed by Windari with her communication skills and knowledge of the English language and Balinese culture. I wish the whole team much success in their future business and on discovering and solving pieces of the puzzle of Balinese culture.
Neeraj Goswami2024-12-01I went on two walking tours, loved both! The guides Ira and Win shared excellent insights on Balinese culture, history and traditions - helping me understand local context, beyond the usual pics on social media. I hope they add many more such interesting tours in the future!
Vinay Kashyap2024-11-26It's an essential part of a traveller's journey to know the history of a place he visits and my decision to choose Ubud Story walks was a good one. Joe, the guide took us through Ubud, the past to present and the walk was very informative. Its a good initiative done by a small team and I am happy to learn the efforts that the team is putting. Those who are coming to Ubud must consider opting for their guided tour.
tamara fields2024-11-26Enjoy a lovely morning with Ira as she expland the story of Bali, Ubud, Hinduism, the style of the houses and much more. Would recommend this walk to anyone that is interested in connected with the history and culture of bali while having someone who can answer your questions to have a deeper look into the life of the people living here.
David Hodgins2024-11-25We had a lovely and informative morning walk with Win. Her perfect pace, both physically and with information sharing , provided us with a rich understanding of Bali’s history and culture
Jill Boulter2024-11-22Great walking tour of Ubud. Ira was very knowledgable and spoke good English. Nice places to stop, little alleyways and quieter parts of Ubud. Very well looked after. Would recommend đź‘Ť.
Shafiga Elshan2024-11-15It was an amazing experience to learn more about Bali's history and culture. Our guide, Ira, was incredibly knowledgeable, positive, and caring. Thank you for such a wonderful experience!
