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Curious about the aroma of Indonesian Cooking?

All About Spices!

Indonesian cuisines are well known for their bold flavors, aromatic spices, and rich textures.  Yet when appropriate, they can be gentle and easy while retaining a distinctive flavor! 

Indonesia - the original spice islands

Sun Drying Nutmeg

Indonesia was the original source of coveted spices like cloves, nutmeg, and mace. These spices transformed culinary practices worldwide, especially in Europe.

Nutmeg seeds being sun dried.

Spices are parts of plants

Spices are parts of plants, mostly dried, that enhance the flavor or tastes of food, and are often said to offer health benefits. 

  • cloves are unopened flower buds

  • nutmegs uses seeds of the fruit

  • mace is the covering of nutmeg seed

  • cinnamon is the bark of the tree

  • black peppers (peppercorn) are dried fruits

  • gingers are the plant's rhizome (underground stem)

Clove Spices of Indonesia

Cloves are unopened flower buds

Spices of Lembeh

Spices of Lembeh

Spices are integral parts of life on Lembeh, as nutmegs (pala) and cloves (cengkih) are cultivated extensively as a cash crop on the island.

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But one can find many other spices, e.g. basil, cinnamon, various gingers, in the compounds of most homes.

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At K2 Lembeh Dive Resort, we grow much of the spices we use in our daily cooking within the garden, many of which are located just beside the restaurant.  Ask our staff to show you the many fascinating spices that are grown, by definition, organically, in our garden!

Some Spices of Lembeh.

At K2 Lembeh Dive Resort we are interested not only in muck diving that makes Lembeh so famous, but also in the culture, economics, and well being of the community we operate in.  We will contribute to the community, as well as use our operations to let the world know more about our little slice of paradise. 

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Read about this on our page on social responsibility and sustainability.  We welcome any ideas and contributions.

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And this page is being built, please return as we write more about the spices, and will go a little into how they are used.

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Or better, come to K2 Lembeh Dive Resort, and we will show you!

Nutmeg and Mace Ripe Spices of Indonesia.jpg

Fresh nutmeg, suitably ripen on tree.  The red covering of the seed is the ingredient that is used to make mace, while the seed is ground into nutmeg powder.

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