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Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed in the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 17,508 in the world's largest archipelago, with more than 1,300 ethnic groups.
There are many regional cuisines, often based upon indigenous culture with some foreign influences.
In 2023/2024, TasteAtlas rated Indonesian cuisine as the sixth best cuisine in the world. Indonesian cuisine is placed behind Italian, Japanese, Greek, Portuguese, and Chinese cuisines, making Indonesian the best-rated cuisine in Southeast Asia.
What it is
Attap chee (also sold as palm fruit, attap seed or nipa palm seed) is the soft endosperm of the nipa palm, the only true mangrove palm. Fresh seeds look like small, glassy jellies. Canneries in Indonesia wash the young kernels and preserve them in sugar syrup so they keep at room temperature and can be used year-round. Bee Brand (蜜蜂牌; often miswritten in Chinese as 蜂蜜牌, “honey brand”) is one of the Indonesian export labels sold in Chinese and Southeast Asian grocery channels.
Plant and origin
Nipa palms grow in tidal swamps and mangrove fringes. Indonesia has extensive stands, which supports commercial harvest of young seeds. The same plant also yields thatch (attap), palm sugar from the sap, and other traditional products. Similar canned goods are made in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines; the Bee Brand line is commonly labelled as an Indonesian product.
Taste and texture
The fruit itself is mild, faintly sweet and a little floral. Most of the sweetness comes from the syrup. The appeal is the bite: bouncy, slightly chewy, cleaner than coconut gel and less fibrous than many palm hearts. Chilling firms the texture.
Typical ingredients and storage
Expect nipa palm fruit, water, sugar and citric acid; some packs include a sulphite preservative. Unopened cans or pouches keep in a cool, dry place (often around 12 months). After opening, refrigerate in a non-reactive container and use within about two days. Always follow the pack in front of you.
How to use
- Eat chilled, with or without the syrup
- Add to coconut milk dessert soups with sago, sea coconut or nata de coco
- Top ice kacang, cendol, red-bean ice, mango pomelo sago or ice cream
- Fold into fruit cups with mango, longan or grapes
To keep the bounce, heat only briefly if you are making hot sweet soup; overcooking turns the seeds soft.
Notes
This is a syrup-packed dessert ingredient, not honey and not a health food. People watching sugar intake should drain well and treat it as an occasional topping. Check the label if you avoid sulphites.
