Western food, or Western cuisine, is the cooking of Europe, especially France, Italy and Britain, and of countries with European culinary roots such as the United States. Its signs are wheat and potato staples, simple herb seasoning, grilling and roasting, and meals plated per person in courses.
Prefer a home-grown contrast first? See these traditional regional foods of Indonesia.
What You Need to Know
- Western food is also called continental cuisine (NCSA Indonesia, 2025).
- Its staples are wheat and potatoes, not rice.
- A French gastronomic meal has at least four successive courses (UNESCO, 2010).
- Semur, perkedel and bistik have European roots (Jurnal Pusaka, 2024).
What Is Western Food?
Western food literally means food from the West. Indonesian culinary schools usually call it continental cuisine, meaning dishes from European countries such as France, Italy, Spain and Germany (NCSA Indonesia, 2025). Everyday use adds American favorites like burgers, and "Western cuisine" means the same thing.
France shaped how Western meals are served. In 2010, UNESCO added the gastronomic meal of the French to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list and described its fixed structure: at least four successive courses, namely a starter, fish or meat with vegetables, cheese, and dessert (UNESCO, 2010).
How Is Western Food Different from Asian Food?
Western and Asian food differ mainly in staples, seasoning, cooking methods and serving style. According to NCSA Indonesia (2025), continental cooking relies on wheat, potatoes and individual plates, while oriental cooking centers on rice and shared dishes.
| Aspect | Western food (continental) | Asian food (oriental) |
|---|---|---|
| Staple | Wheat (bread, pasta) and potatoes | Rice and rice noodles |
| Seasoning | Salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, butter, olive oil | Ginger, garlic, chili, lemongrass, soy sauce |
| Cooking methods | Roasting meat, boiling pasta, sautéing in butter | Stir-frying, steaming, simmering soups |
| Serving style | Individual plates, course by course | Shared dishes in the center of the table |
Table source: NCSA Indonesia (2025).
Read the table as a tendency, not a rule. Italy's risotto is a rice dish, and many South Asian meals rely on wheat flatbreads. Even in Indonesia, rice is not every region's only staple.
Read also: 9 Tasty South Korean Foods You Should Definitely Try!
7 Western Food Examples You Can Find in Indonesia
Seven Western food examples you can order across Indonesia are steak, burgers, pizza, lasagna, ratatouille, chicken cordon bleu, and fish and chips. Between them they span French, Italian, Swiss and British cooking, and each has a documented origin.
1. Steak
Steak is a thick cut of beef or other meat, cooked anywhere from rare to well done. The word likely comes from Old Norse steik, roast meat, and appears in English by the mid-15th century (Etymonline). Beef steak is also a high-protein food.
2. Burger
A burger is a bun with a grilled ground-meat patty, vegetables and sauce. The meat was called hamburg steak by 1880 and the sandwich is recorded by 1909, yet no certain link to Hamburg has been shown (Etymonline).
3. Pizza
Pizza is the pride of Naples. In 2017, UNESCO recognized the art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo, a four-phase craft from preparing the dough to baking it in a wood-fired oven (UNESCO, 2017).
4. Lasagna
Lasagna is sheets of pasta layered with meat sauce and cheese, then baked. Italy's official tourism website describes the classic from Emilia as an egg pasta timbale with Bolognese sauce (Italia.it).
5. Ratatouille
Ratatouille is slow-cooked eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. The word dates to 1839, but the modern dish is a 20th-century creation said to come from Nice (Etymonline). Nice's tourism office still lists it as an emblematic local dish (Nice Côte d'Azur Tourisme, 2026).
6. Chicken Cordon Bleu
Cordon bleu is thin meat filled with ham and cheese, then breaded and fried. Indonesian menus usually use chicken. Local legend recorded by Brig Simplon Tourismus says a cook in Brig, Switzerland, created the original pork version more than 200 years ago.
7. Fish and Chips
Fish and chips pairs white fish in crisp batter with fried potatoes. The London Museum says fried battered fish was probably brought to London in the 1500s by Sephardic Jewish refugees from Portugal and Spain. Joseph Malin opened a fish and chip shop in Bethnal Green in 1860, and Britain had around 25,000 such shops by 1920.
How Has Western Food Shaped Indonesian Cooking?
Western food entered Indonesian cooking mainly through Dutch influence. A 2024 history study in Jurnal Pusaka names semur, perkedel and bistik, from the Dutch biefstuk, among the European dishes Indonesians have embraced.
The study traces semur to the Dutch smoor, a sweet chicken or beef dish later remade locally with milkfish or snapper. The Dutch ate biefstuk with potatoes, peas and carrots, while Indonesians turned bistik into a side dish for rice.
The exchange ran both ways. Through the rijsttafel, Europeans adopted Indonesian dishes and served them with European cutlery, at tables with chairs.
Grew up eating semur or perkedel? Then you already know Western food with a local accent, which helps explain why steak and pasta feel so familiar on Indonesian menus.
Read also: 20 Famous and Delicious West Java’s Specialty Foods
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Italian food considered Western cuisine?
Yes. Italy is a core continental cuisine, like France, Spain and Germany. In 2025, UNESCO also inscribed Italian cooking on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list (UNESCO, 2025).
What is a Western menu?
It runs in courses: an appetizer such as soup or salad, a main of meat or fish with a starch and vegetables, then dessert. UNESA's Western food course teaches this pattern.
What are healthier Western food choices?
Pick grilled, roasted or vegetable-based dishes such as ratatouille or grilled fish, limit fried food and cream sauces, and drink plain water with your meal.
What are some easy Western menu ideas for home?
Try three courses: mushroom soup, then spaghetti aglio olio or a pan-seared steak, then French toast. Each needs few ingredients and short steps.
Exploring Western Flavors, the Kaum Adem Way
From steak to fish and chips, Western food means wheat and potatoes, simple seasoning and meals in courses. Which dish will you try first?
Kaum Adem is AQUA's name for people who stay cool and calm (adem means cool in Indonesian) while exploring new food. With a peppery steak, keep water beside your plate.
AQUA Botol 600 ml travels easily to your next food hunt. AQUA is adem tanpa didinginkan, cool without chilling, so the AQUA Sejuk Alami sensation stays in every sip.
Why AQUA? Because not all water is AQUA. AQUA comes from 19 selected, protected mountain water sources, chosen through 9 selection criteria, 5 stages and at least 1 year of research.
Keep exploring with AQUA Adem. Dingin Alaminya AQUA, Ademin Kamu.
References
- NCSA Indonesia (M Faiz Alri). (2025). 5 Perbedaan Makanan Oriental dan Makanan Kontinental. https://ncsaindonesia.com/web/perbedaan-makanan-oriental-dan-makanan-kontinental/. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Universitas Negeri Surabaya (UNESA). (n.d.). Western food Course | Bachelor Of Culinary Education. https://sindig.unesa.ac.id/lang-en/mk/bachelor-of-culinary-education/western-food. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2010). Gastronomic meal of the French. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/gastronomic-meal-of-the-french-00437. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2017). Art of Neapolitan 'Pizzaiuolo'. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/art-of-neapolitan-pizzaiuolo-00722. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2025). Italian cooking, between sustainability and biocultural diversity. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/italian-cooking-between-sustainability-and-biocultural-diversity-02093. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Makmur, D. S. (2024). Pengaruh Budaya Eropa terhadap Makanan Indonesia. Jurnal Pusaka, 4(1), Universitas Khairun. https://ejournal.unkhair.ac.id/index.php/pusaka/article/view/8456. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Etymonline. (n.d.). Steak: Etymology, Origin & Meaning. https://www.etymonline.com/word/steak. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Etymonline. (n.d.). Hamburger: Etymology, Origin & Meaning. https://www.etymonline.com/word/hamburger. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Etymonline. (n.d.). Ratatouille: Etymology, Origin & Meaning. https://www.etymonline.com/word/ratatouille. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Italia.it. (n.d.). Typical food and dishes in Emilia, Italy. https://www.italia.it/en/emilia-romagna/things-to-do/typical-food-and-dishes-in-emilia-italy. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Office de Tourisme Métropolitain Nice Côte d'Azur. (2026). Nice Côte d'Azur Cuisine Nissarde, Dossier de presse 2025/26. https://www.explorenicecotedazur.com/app/uploads/2026/02/dossierpressecuisinenissarde25-26-l.pdf. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- Brig Simplon Tourismus. (n.d.). Cordon bleu Brig. https://www.brig-simplon.ch/en/cordon-bleu-brig. Accessed 1 October 2026.
- London Museum. (n.d.). How London got hooked on fish & chips. https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/how-london-got-hooked-on-fish-chips/. Accessed 1 October 2026.
