Dietary Habits and Kitchens of the Sundanese in West Java Villages

Abstract

This chapter focuses on West Java villages inhabited predominantly by Sundanese people and uses them as a case study. It reveals the actual conditions of dietary habits and kitchen equipment in Indonesian rural villages in recent years, with statistical data and field surveys. Sundanese cuisine is generally considered to be healthy because it uses large amounts of vegetables. However, compared with meals in other provinces, those in West Java villages actually tend to use rice more than vegetables. The idea that Sundanese meals are replete with vegetables probably comes from the fact that the group has the dietary habit of frequently eating raw vegetables while other ethnic groups do not consume them as often. The economic upper class in West Java is also experiencing diversification in food items consumed not only in urban areas but also in rural areas. Although the popularization of foreign cuisines is slow, its eating patterns and menu items have left a mark. As for cooking fuels, the author’s surveys revealed that the Sundanese used fuels they can easily procure in accordance with their economic conditions and the fluctuations in fuel prices.