10 words you need to know as a Vegan in Bali - Indonesian Language Guide

Planning on travelling to Bali? Well, we've got you covered. Here are 10 handy words you NEED to know to make your vegan Holiday in Bali a cruisy one! While navigating the food scene in Bali, knowing these words can help you explore local flavours while staying true to your vegan lifestyle.

Words to Know:

1. Daging - Meat 🥩 
   

2. Ayam - chicken 🐓
   

3. Telur - egg 🥚 

   Lots of dishes are topped with a boiled egg or fried egg. Saying no "Telur" can easily turn a vegetarian dish into a vegan-friendly one. 
   

4. Ikan - Fish 🐟 
   

5. Susu- milk 🐄

   A common way for milk to sneak into Indonesian dishes is susu kental manis, which is condensed milk. In the local street food, susu kental manis is often added to drinks, coffee, juices, and coconut water. If you see the vendor pouring a can of white liquid into your drink, simply say no "Susu" or, even better, no "susu kental manis".
   

6. Keju - cheese 🧀 
   

7. Mentega - Butter 🧈
   

8. Madu - honey 🍯 

   Honey is not extremely common in Indonesian dishes, but it's worth knowing this word when checking product ingredient lists. Honey can sometimes be found in packaged snacks like nuts, dried fruits, and biscuits.
   

9. Terasi - fermented shrimp paste 🦐 

   Terasi is a sneaky one. Dishes that look vegan-friendly at first glance are often seasoned with terasi. It's commonly found in sambal, cooked veggies and fried rice. So be sure to ask if it has terasi. If so, ask if they can make it without. 

Look out for these words on menus when dining at restaurants and on the product ingredient list when shopping.

Once you've learned those 9 words, you only need to know one more! 

10. Tanpa - Without 

"Tanpa" is the magic word. It'll let you customise your order. You can just about make everything vegan. 

“Tanpa” is super handy. Pair it with any word on the list to easily order vegan anywhere! It is super handy when trying out street food 😋

For example:

Tanpa danging - without meat

Tanpa Ayam - without chicken 

Tanpa telur - without egg

Side note, many Indonesians use “danging” to exclusively refer to red meat. Typically, when you say you don’t eat meat in Indonesia, they will assume you still eat fish and chicken. So make sure to say tanpa danging, ikan, and ayam.

You get the idea! It's super easy ✅

Learn those 10 words, and being vegan in Bali will be a breeze!!! 

Up for more Indonesian words? 

Here are some useful phrases: 

• Terimakasih - Thank you

• Enak - Delicious 

• Iya - Yes

• Tidak - No 

• Aku mau… - I want…

Here's a pro tip:  Combine these words to create phrases like "Aku mau gado-gado tanpa telur," which means "I want Gado Gado without egg."

FYI:  Gado Gado is one of my favourite Indonesian dishes! It's basically a salad on steroids! It usually comes with a boiled egg. Just ask for no egg (tanpa telur), and it's vegan! For more traditionally vegan Indonesian dishes, check out this blog. 

Now that you've got the basics down with these essential Indonesian words, you're ready to go on your Bali adventure.

What are you waiting for? Go test out your Indonesian 🇮🇩 You got this 😉

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