SINGAPORE, KOMPAS.com – Food and drinks are more than just food to fill your stomach.
According to the Executive Chef of Unilever Food Solutions Indonesia, Chef Gungun Handayana, culinary can also be a “weapon” to establish diplomacy with other countries.
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“It’s very possible (culinary can be a tool for diplomacy),” said Chef Gungun when met at the Worldchefs Congress and Expo 2024 in Singapore, Monday (21/10/2024).
However, not every culinary delight can be used as a tool to establish relations with other countries. Chef Gun said, only authentic Indonesian culinary delights can be used as a diplomatic tool, one of which is the Minang specialty, Rendang.
Indonesian culinary delights are usually introduced at embassies in friendly countries.
At certain moments, the Indonesian embassy serves several authentic dishes.
“Usually authentic culinary delights are served at Indonesian embassies in friendly countries. “For example, August 17,” said Chef Gun.
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Unilever Food Solutions Indonesia Executive Chef, Chef Gun Gun Handayana, said that authentic Indonesian culinary could be a means of communication or diplomacy between Indonesia and countries in the world. Gun conveyed this when met at the Worldchefs Congress and Expo 2024 in Singapore, Monday (21/10/2024).“So when Indonesian dishes are served, it can be a communication tool to strengthen relationships. “Because we are introducing authentic rendang like this, for example,” he added.
However, serving Indonesian culinary delights abroad is not an easy matter. The reason is, there are several raw materials that are often difficult to find outside Indonesia.
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Therefore, Gun said, cooks should be able to innovate and be creative using existing ingredients as much as possible.
“Because we serve authentic food, sometimes there are ingredients that don’t exist in that country. “For example, in this country there is no galangal or no chilies,” said Chef Gun.
“So the biggest challenge in presenting Indonesian culinary delights is in the food ingredients. “That’s why every chef must be prepared for conditions like that,” he added.
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