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Twenties: The diverse flavors of ‘soto’ across Indonesia
The many varieties of soto are some of the great Indonesian culinary delights that have emerged from cultural exchanges with Chinese migrants who came to the archipelago centuries ago. Now, nearly every region of the country has its own take on the classic dish.
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Filling: Soto mie Bogor is characterized by the dominance of ramen-style noodles instead of vermicelli or glass noodles. (Wikimedia Commons/Gunawan Kartapranata) (Wikimedia Commons/Gunawan Kartapranata)
‘Twenties’ is a column where we give top 20 lists of anything and everything of interest, from the worlds of food and history to pop culture and lifestyle.
The many varieties of soto (traditional Indonesian soup) are some of the great Indonesian culinary delights that have emerged from cultural exchanges with Chinese migrants who came to the archipelago centuries ago. The dish is believed to have originated from a Chinese soup called caudo, which contained offal and spices.
This precursor is thought to have been introduced to Indonesia in the 19th century, along the coast of Java. The recipe, however, has changed over time to meet the different tastes and ingredients of each region of the country.
Some regions use coconut milk in their soto and others do not. Some variants use offal as their primary ingredient, while other variants only consist of meat.
What is certain is that each regional variant of soto is unique. The following are 20 soto varieties from different parts of the country.
‘Soto Padang’
