Lombok and Sumbawa: The Island of Heat

Lombok and neighbouring Sumbawa (Nusa Tenggara Barat) occupy a fascinating transitional position in Indonesia's biogeography — on the Wallace Line (the boundary between Asian and Australian biological zones that Alfred Russel Wallace identified in 1859), with ecosystems that shift dramatically from Bali's wet tropical landscape to Lombok's drier, more savannah-adjacent terrain. The food culture of Lombok reflects this duality: influenced by Balinese Hinduism (the Balinese minority in western Lombok preserve Balinese culinary traditions), Sasak Muslim culture (the indigenous majority), and Sumbawan traditions from the eastern island. The defining characteristic of Lombok's food is heat — rawit chilli use at quantities that make most Sumatran preparations seem restrained.

Masakan Lombok — The Eastern Sunda Chilli Culture

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