Food & Cuisine in Makassar

Food info sections | Eating locally

Much like the place itself, Makassar and Toraja food and cuisine is a blend of different cultures and ethnic groups and the many ingredients come together to produce some memorable fare. The popular saying is that any trip to Makassar is incomplete without sampling at least a few of the many culinary delights on offer, particularly traditional dishes and sea food. Excellent Chinese food is also available in lots of Makassar restaurants, and Chinatown has many restaurants serving all kinds sumptuous dishes.

When eating out in Makassar and Toraja you can be spoilt for choice with street vendors and small road side cafes which have be known to be in rows up to a kilometre long.

To make sure your stay is complete do try the delicious foods we've tried to describe in our Makassar and Toraja food and cuisine guide below. If you are looking for more delightful treats check out the Indonesia restaurant guide. As well as local dishes Makassar and Toraja also boasts some fine traditional arts and crafts which you might to see in our Makassar and Toraja shopping guide.

Food & Cuisine in Makassar & Toraja

Seafood

Makassar is famed for its fresh and delicious sea food. It is different from what is available anywhere else even in Indonesia and is usually hot and spicy. Ikan Bakar which is essentially barbequed or fried fish served with local sauces is a hot favourite. A regional specialty is the baronang fish which is regarded as a great delicacy and is typically accompanied by another specialty, a chilli sauce called 'sambal'. Sambal is much loved throughout south Sulawesi and is served with most sea food.

Local dishes

Two of the most famous traditional dishes are the coto makassar and the pisang epe. Coto makassar is a delicious stew made from one or a mix of the different parts of a cow -- meat, kidney, liver, guts and tongue-- and served with rice. Horse coto is also available. Pisang Epe, which is only sold in Losari and nearby streets, is a sweet aromatic dish of roasted and pressed bananas covered with sauce made from brown sugar and durian.Toraja is known for Papiong and Pamarasan. Papiong is meat (chicken, pork of buffalo meat) roasted in a bamboo tube mixed with Toraja spices. Pamarasan is meat cooked with Pangi fruit meat, and when served the soup and meat turn black as the essence of Pangi fruit is dissolved.

Other dishes from the local food and cuisine in Makassar worth trying out include nasi goreng which is a fried rice preparation; mi goreng which is fried noodles; chicken pa'piong - a traditional Toraja dish steam-cooked inside bamboo; sate or grilled meat; and the various soups like sop saudara (a meat soup mixed with rice noodle, served with rice and sometimes accompanied by grilled milk fish), and Barobbo (Palopo), a thick corn porridge mixed with fish; and sop konro (beef ribs served either in soup or grilled to be mixed with peanut sauce and served with rice). Other original vegetable dishes: a vegetable salad with peanut sauce called gado-gado and Kapurung (locally known as 'Palopo cuisine'), a vegetable soup mixed with sago jelly and fish enriched with local spices.

Snacks and sweets

As for snacks and sweets, there are a number of Makassar specialties. Wrapped in banana leaf and steam cooked, Otak - Otak is a fish meat paste mixed with spices which has a lot of takers. Also in great demand are jalangkote. Kue Pia is a sweet made from wheat flour. It has a variety of fillings and is eaten any time of day. Es pallubutung and es pisang Ijo are desserts authentic to Makassar and big hits with tourists and locals alike. In Toraja, you should try Torri, a brown coloured cake made of sticky rice mixed with brown sugar.

Drinks

An assortment of tropical fruits and vegetables are available year round and choice selections of sweet and refreshing drinks are concocted from them in Makassar. Es palu butung and es markisa are ideally suited for those hot sapping days. The locally grown coffee and tea are highly reputed and the drinks come in a wide range of tastes and blends. Local beer is also available in Makassar.