Captain Create is on the move again and this time she is in the islands (where there is no snow!) checking out all the tropical fruit and interesting foods they have to offer. Indonesia is a large group of islands located just south of the Philippines, and Captain Create has stopped off in the biggest city, Jakarta.
Jakarta is on the island of Java, which is the most populated of all the islands. These islands are called an archipelago, which is a group of islands in the ocean or a lake, and there are 17,000 islands in Indonesia! It is the world’s largest archipelagic state, extending 3,181 miles from east to west and 1,094 mi from north to south.1
These islands are along the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is a circle of volcanoes and volcanic activity that makes a ring around the Pacific Ocean, including the east coast of China and the west coast of the Americas. Java, the island where Jakarta is, has had lots of volcanic activity over the years and that’s left some very fertile soils, which makes growing enough food a little bit easier. Of the 400 volcanoes that are part of Indonesia, around 130 are still active today!
People have lived along these islands for millennia, and there are spectacular ruins, including ancient temples, that travelers can visit. There are also lots of beaches, since there are so many islands, and lots of creatures that live on these islands. One of the most famous is the komodo dragon! They are native to a few islands in Indonesia, and now have Komodo National Park to aid in conservation efforts since the dragon is on the endangered species list. If you travel to Indonesia, you could plan a trip to see them in the tropical forests they love. They are really big monitor lizards, and can weigh 150 pounds! They eat meat, and often eat carrion (found carcasses) but have been known to attack prey if the conditions are right.
While hunting down a water buffalo might work for a komodo dragon, we have a lot more options when it comes to things to eat from Indonesia! The tropical climate allows them to grow a lot of different foods, especially fruit! The fruit shown below are just a few of the wide variety of fruits they can grow in the tropical area of the Indonesian Islands. Some can be exported to the United States, so keep your eyes open when you’re shopping!
Since there are so many fun fruits to try, Captain Create is going to share the recipe for Rudjak, a fruit salad with a savory sauce on it. This fruit salad can be made with any and all fruit; just use what you have on hand!
This salad can be all mixed together and served along with other Indonesian food, especially spicy foods, or you can assemble a platter of fruit with a dish of sauce in the middle for dipping. There are no rules; Create what you like! Remember that eating a rainbow of fruits (and veggies) is the easiest way to get many different vitamins into your diet, so mix it up and make a few different salads!
