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Nasi goreng, satay prove a hit in France
Indonesian street food goes down a storm in the south of France.
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Gastrodiplomacy: A cooking demonstration of Indonesian food in Paris Store in Marseille receives a warm welcome from locals. (Courtesy of Consulate General of Indonesia in Marseille /-)
T
he ubiquitous street food nasi goreng (fried rice) found new enthusiasts in France at a one-day exhibition held by the Indonesian diplomatic office.
The Consulate General in Marseille with support from Paris-based Visit Indonesia tourist office promoted Indonesian food products at a Paris Store supermarket on Oct. 19.
“We aim to open a wider market for Indonesian food products and ingredients in France. Besides increasing export value, the inflow of the food products would also support the distribution of ingredients for Indonesian restaurants and Indonesian people living in the south of France,” said consul general Asianto Sinambela in a press release made available to The Jakarta Post.
During the event titled “L’Indonesie à l’honneur chez Paris Store” (Indonesia takes pride of place at Paris Store) shoppers at the supermarket could taste Indonesian food products such as coffee, soy sauce, biscuits and packed food.
There were also cooking demonstrations where visitors could learn how to prepare nasi goreng, mie goreng (fried noodles), chicken satay and dadar gulung (rolled crepes filled with grated coconut and palm sugar).
The traditional dance performances at the opening brought a festive atmosphere to the supermarket and lured visitors who could also learn about the tourist destinations in Indonesia from the special booth in the supermarket.
“Right after the cooking demonstration, Paris Store ran out of sweet soy sauce as visitors wanted to try out the nasi goreng recipe,” said Sinambela.
He said the Paris Store executive in Marseille had agreed to support Indonesian food products to be included in the distribution and marketing chain of the supermarket.
Paris Store is the largest Asian supermarket chain in France with 21 outlets in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Strasbourg, among other places. There are a total of 6,000 kinds of products with a yearly turnover of €220 million and trade flux at 7,500 tons of airfreight plus 3,500 containers by sea every year.
Currently, the supermarket only imports frozen fish from Indonesia. “This promotion will continue to build demand and open access to Indonesian food products in French markets,” Sinambela added.
