Rice is a staple food in East Timor. Maize, cassava, sweet potatoes and taro are grown. Other vegetables are beans, cowpeas, cabbage, spinach and onions. Poultry, pigs and goats are kept. Fish supplements the diet. Spices are used in a number of recipes.

Bananas, coconuts, mangoes, papayas and watermelons are cultivated.

The staple diet for most East Timorese is similar to that of Indonesians – rice and spices – although there may well be difficulty in obtaining a variety of foods outside main urban areas due to the unstable political situation, the financial situation of many of the people and internal logistical difficulties. In Dili, there are a number of restaurants and cafes serving western cuisine, catering to the foreigners living and working there.
National specialities:
• Fish (preferably fried, with delicacies being prawns).
• Curries (chicken is a favourite).
• Authentic Chinese, Japanese and Portuguese dishes.
National drinks:
• Coffee (East Timor coffee is very high in caffeine, organically grown and renowned for its sharp flavour).

You might try getting this book from a library:

Cuisines of Portuguese Encounters: Recipes from Angola, Azores, Brazil, Cape Verde, East Timor, Goa, Guinea-Bissau, Macau, Madeira, Malacca, Mozambique, Portugal, and Sao Tome and Principe (Hardcover)
by Cherie Hamilton

# Hardcover: 378 pages
# Publisher: Hippocrene Books (June 1, 2001)
# Language: English
# ISBN: 0781808316
# Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de … mp;s=books

Emmy...don't give up yet!

As far as I know,East Timor draws its culture from the Portuguese,Roman Catholics and Malays.
So,your inspiration might look towards these cultures...
With the poverty factor though,they haven't had much to eat,much less develop a specific cuisine. So you might want to look towards some Indonesian dishes,and go from there.

However,yes,as falconcy said,they pretty much consume rice and their food is spiced...however not to heavily,more as a perfume---to compliment rather than to stand out.
Some popular Indonesian dishes include Opor Ayam, Nasi Goreng and Rendang...do you need recipes?

Meanwhile,this lady makes a wicked opor ayam..
http://kuali.com/services/print_recipe.asp?r=1728

Last edited by Stefanie (Tue 06 Mar 07 3:07pm)

I actually saw the link yesterday falconcy,but don't know if Emmy's course instructors will see her as trying to take the mickey out of it...?

Hey, I'm Indonesian and I have some recipes for you...They're not East Timorese ones but they're Indonesian...

This is "Opor Ayam" from Yogyakarta, basically it's chicken cooked with coconut milk. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 chicken divide it into 8 parts (legs, breast, wings)
1 lt coconut milk
1 tbs palm sugar
3 bayleaves
5 cm galingale (in Indonesia we call it "lengkuas")
3 lime leaves
3 lemongrass pods
500 ml water
2 tbs oil
8 red onions
10 garlic
1 tbs coriander
6 candlenuts

Method:
1. Put the red onions, garlic, coriander, and candlenuts into food processor or crused it until it becomes a smooth paste.
2. Sautee it until it smells great.
3. Add the bayleaves, galiangale, lime leaves, and lemongrass pods.
4. Add the chicken pieces, sautee for a while until the chicken has change colour. Add the water, cover the pan and bring it to boil.
5. After the chicken is half done, add the palm sugar and coconut milk. Cook it until the chicken is tender.

Usually this dish is eaten with warm rice and prawn cracker.
Good luck with your assignment and ask me if you have any questions.