Bali's Renowned Roasted Pork Delight

Roasted pork is a culinary gem not commonly found in Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population.

Bali's Signature Roasted Pork Dish

However, Bali stands out: the majority of its population follows a branch of Hinduism combined with indigenous spiritual traditions. This means that pork – a forbidden food for Islamic followers – is not prohibited for the locals here.

The people of Bali boast a specialty of roasted pork (babi guling). In the past, this dish was reserved for significant events such as weddings, funerals, celebrations of a three-month-old baby, or when the first tooth sprouted. Nowadays, numerous small restaurants on the island specialize in serving this delicacy.

Chris Salans, a chef with French-American heritage living in Bali for 20 years, shares: “The key to creating a delicious roasted pork dish lies not only in the meat but also in the quality of the accompanying vegetables. It's the perfect combination of edamame, fluffy rice, succulent roasted meat, and one or two super crispy pork skins.”

The traditional flavor of Bali in this dish would be incomplete without the unique spice blend called basa gede – meaning 'grand spice mix.' It includes lemongrass, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, bird's eye chili, cilantro, black peppercorns, salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaves), and shrimp paste.

What makes this dish extraordinary is that you can't make roasted pork at home unless you roast an entire pig. You can't simply buy a piece of pork and expect it to turn into authentic babi guling. That's why most people get this dish from small eateries or seek out individuals like Mr. Putu Pande, who has spent a decade roasting pigs in his backyard to supply restaurants and family events.

The basa gede spice blend is stuffed inside the pig's belly and sewn back together. The cook has to turn the pig skewered over the fire by hand, a cooking method that hasn't changed over the years, as answered by Dodo, Mr. Pande's son, to BBC.

Candra Babi Guling restaurant has been selling roasted pork for over 30 years in Bali, according to CNN. The establishment opens at 5 am, so the chefs have to wake up at 3 am to start roasting the meat.

Every day, the chefs have to roast 10 pigs for the restaurant during a 14-hour work shift. They only select pigs aged 8 to 18 months, roasting each for about 3 to 4 hours. The best time to enjoy roasted pork is from mid to late morning to ensure serving customers the freshest and most delicious roasted pork.

Many foreign tourists delight in savoring babi guling. Kirsty, a traveler, shared on TripAdvisor: “This is the best-roasted meat I've ever had, the pork skin is incredibly crispy. We will definitely come back to Bali to have this dish again.”

Source: Ngân Dương/ Vnexpress

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Reference: Travel guide Mytour