🍽️
Indonesian Cuisine

Babi Guling

From Bali

Bali's celebrated whole-roasted suckling pig, rubbed with *base genep* and spit-roasted to crackling perfection.

Key ingredients

  • Babi muda utuh
  • Base genep: kunyit, jahe, lengkuas, kencur, cabai, bawang merah, bawang putih, terasi
  • Daun salam
  • Sereh
  • Garam

Origin

Babi guling has roots in Balinese Hindu offerings and graduated to everyday eating. The pig is stuffed with the island's master spice paste—base genep—then turned over an open fire until the skin shatters like glass.

Flavor Profile

Tender, deeply seasoned meat under crackling skin and rendered fat. The base genep paste gives it a layered earthy heat: turmeric, ginger, galangal, aromatic ginger, chili, shallot, shrimp paste.

How It's Served

With rice, lawar (Balinese spiced vegetable salad), urap, sate lilit, and sambal matah. Ibu Oka in Ubud is the most famous house in Bali.

Want to play the geography of where this dish comes from?

Play today’s puzzle