Article by Silvia Marchetti in the South China Morning Post: ‘Indonesian food with a colonial twist: How the feast of rijsttafel, or rice table, became a social tool and status symbol’.

With a contribution from one of our researchers Tom Hoogervorst who says the Dutch love of rijsttafel is partly sentimental. Today, he adds, it’s considered part of the Dutch East Indies’ colonial heritage.

“In Holland, rijsttafel was introduced in colonial times to satisfy the nostalgia of retired officials, and it received an even greater boost after Indonesia’s independence, when many Dutch people returned to the Netherlands,” he says, adding that demand for the cuisine was partly met by Chinese restaurateurs who learned how to cook Indonesian-inspired food. As a result, many Dutch people don’t know whether certain dishes are Chinese or Indonesian.

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Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto.