Flavors of Nusa Penida

 

You can find an array of delicious dishes on the island, whether it be from a road side Warung where the locals eat or a more western friendly meal at a Hotel. Our favourite dishes were Nasi Goreng (pictured) a noodle and egg dish, and Gado Gado a dish with beansprouts, vegetables and a spicy peanut sauce. The traditional dish of Nusa Penida is Ledok Ledok which consists of corn, cassava , rice, beans and sambal (a spicy salsa). Dishes vary in price and spice, depending on where you purchase them. A great place to try is the traditional market with meals around 0.60AUD from one of the friendly vendors. We spent a lot of time at the Ring Sameton Inn Restaurant with the lovely staff always taking care of us, great for a big group. Other notable places were Wayans Warung, located in Ped serving both traditional Balinese cooking and western meals with a picturesque view. A new place that has just opened is the Gallery that Mike and his lovely wife Kadek run that serve delicious iced coffees and offer a break from rice and spicy food with toasted sandwiches and fish and chips. Community dinners where you can be involved in the cooking process are also available with the FNPF, which is a great way to learn the local flavours. Wherever you go, and whatever you try you will have fun, as all of the chefs and places to eat offer a warm and exciting experience.

 

The People of Nusa Penida

The local people of Nusa Penida are the highlight of the island, we all loved travelling through the villages by motorbike waving to the kids and receiving big smiles everywhere we went. It wasn’t only the children that were happy to see us, the adults were eager to see what we were doing and some even took photos with us. Asking directions was easy and the language barrier wasn’t a problem as everyone was so friendly and tried to help us even if they didn’t speak English. We met an abundance of  Wayan’s and Ketut’s making long lasting friendships and sharing meals. If you travel to the island take the time to talk with the local people and get into the slow rhythm of life on the island.

 

Nusa Penida Festival

 
The opening of the first Nusa Penida festival showcased the islands diverse cultural heritage through local cuisine and traditional dress, dance and parade. Tables were decorated and showcased the many different types of cuisine on the island with each village offering free food samples, which we happily tried. The women of the villages were dressed in traditional dress and were eager to pile steaming handfuls of rice and spicy sambol into our mouths and place a seaweed mocktail in our hand. We were warmly welcomed and photographed as we were among a small amount of tourists there, most people we spoke to were visiting from nearby islands or mainland Bali. A range of other activities are scheduled throughout the festival that runs through to June 11, find out more here.

The Local Market

 

Along the coastline in the heart of Sampalan, visitors will find a bustling hub of vendor stalls and local business. An array of local and imported goods can be purchased from fresh produce including fish, nuts, live poultry, and packaged goods as well as clothing and silk sarongs. The atmosphere is busy, but friendly with the vendors more than happy to share a smile and if you are lucky, place a marigold in your hair. Unlike markets on the mainland, you will not see many tourists, the vendors speak little English and do not harass visitors to buy. The marketplace is a fantastic way to experience the traditional culture and local way of life of Nusa Penida as well as providing an opportunity to purchase the correct sarong and sash for the temples. We purchased snacks, sarongs and sashes from the market early in the morning before a day trip of the island for a small cost. Sarongs and sashes were in between 50 000IDR and 150 000IDR depending on the material quality and bartering skills. The snacks we purchased were mainly cheap packaged goods, as well as mandarins and apples for around 10 000IDR a kilo.