Taste of Australia spicing up Jakarta

Devoted foodies lined up for the much anticipated inaugural Taste of Australia food festival in Jakarta on 13-14 April.

The festival celebrated the diversity of multicultural Australia’s food, coffee and culinary culture, featuring flavours from around the world made with high quality Australian produce.

Talk shows and cooking demos by Australian and Indonesian celebrity chefs informed and inspired.  And delicious meals were served up in a fun festival atmosphere by Indonesians who had honed their cooking skills in Australia, and by Australians who call Indonesia home.

Australian Embassy Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia, Allaster Cox, said that the range of foods on show and the diverse styles evident in Australian cooking highlighted the country’s cultural diversity and rich history of immigration.

“Australians, like Indonesians, are passionate about good food and coffee. Our food and coffee culture is fundamental to our lifestyle” Mr Cox said.

“In Australia, our food is clean and green and our meats, particularly our beef, is world-class. It’s a pleasure to be able to share some of that with Indonesia at this festival”

Australian cook, writer and TV presenter Adam Liaw featured as a special guest on Saturday and Sunday, taking part in a talk show about Australian cuisine and culture, and giving a cooking demo on creating delicious, simple dishes for busy families.

While in Jakarta, Adam also hosted a fun filled cooking clinic with university students in West Jakarta, and took time out to sample some of Indonesia’s most famous dishes.