Stay for Good at Buahan: Singaperang Village in Bali, Indonesia
OVERVIEW
Singaperang is a small village next to our Bali resort, Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, and sits on fertile volcanic soils that provide ideal conditions for growing crops. On the village farm is a plethora of native edible plants that have been used in traditional cooking for generations.
- 29/08/2024
- 10 minutes
The Indonesian island of Bali is home to some of the world’s most fertile soils in the world, owing to its 11 volcanoes – three of which are still active, and wet tropical climate. For many centuries, its highlands especially have been used for horticulture and growing crops, with wet-rice as the main agricultural product.
While even the tourism industry regards the island’s scenic rice terraces as a worthy sightseeing attraction, their soil is actually versatile enough to grow a wide range of other produce including peanuts, chilli, shallots, soya beans and coffee.
In recent years, modernisation and technology has brought change to Bali’s agriculture industry, but many regions and villages still observe traditional agricultural methods and food production systems. Farming continues to be the main livelihood of many Balinese, thus embedding practices with cultural knowledge and considering the interplay between ecosystems are so important to the people who work on this land.
One key principle that governs much of traditional Balinese farming customs is the principle of Tri Hita Karana, a Hindu tenet that promotes harmony between humans, Gods and the environment. It comes into play when allocating farming land or organising structures, as communities take all factors and resources into consideration, from the construction of temples around water sources to the irrigation of rice terraces without wasting water.
Singaperang Village
At the Singaperang Village just north of Buahan, a community of farmers across 10 acres of land is still conducting farming in a traditional way. Instead of heavy machinery and pesticides, they use techniques such as companion planting, where different crops are planted in proximity to one another for the sake of maximizing use of space, pest control, providing habitats for beneficial insects, and more.
Their array of crops consist of plants with edible components, most of which are native to the island and have been used in traditional Balinese dishes for many generations. This includes:
Electric daisy (kletek): Used in cooking and to infuse the traditional Balinese alcohol known as arak, this plant gives a slightly numb and electric feeling to the tongue when directly sampled.
Labu siam (or chayote): A vegetable with a fruit that is cooked in various cuisines, while the seedlings can be eaten directly, and leaves used in.
Cemcem: The leaves of this plant are similar in appearance and scent to mango leaves, and are used for both appetite stimulation and cleaning. Interestingly, they also taste like mango and are often used in making drinks or as a sweet garnish.
Sudamala bean (or mung bean): A nutritious bean commonly used for making sweet porridge, while the leaves and flowers are used in traditional Balinese ceremonies.
Wild berry (trijata): Considered a rare and endangered species, this berry is highly valued by local communities due to its various uses, including making compote and pickles.
Vanilla tree: Though not often associated with Balinese cuisine, vanilla grows natively in Bali and the unripe oil is used to make essence or perfume, while ripe vanilla is added to cakes and other desserts. It has also been used in traditional medicine for centuries due to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and calming effect on the nervous system.
Alongside native fruits and edible plants, the village is also home to cows, chickens and bees, each helping to sustain the small village in their own ways. For example, the cows are raised to provide milk and fertiliser, while the bees provide honey and help with pollination.
Foraging in the village
As part of our sustainability and stewardship efforts, Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape has teamed up with the local farmers at Singaperang Village to offer an exclusive foraging experience for guests.
During the foraging tour, either Farmer Agung himself or Buahan’s head chef, Chef Eka, will introduce guests to the range of plants grown at the farm, offer tastings of each edible ingredient, and explain how they are commonly used in Indonesian dishes along with their benefits or multifunctional qualities.
The tour ends in a small area in front of the farmer’s house, where a stingless bee hive hangs from the roof and guests are invited to sample fresh honey. Next to the house is a small stand where one of the locals, often the farmer’s wife, has prepared a selection of delicacies for tasting, using ingredients from the farm. Pumpkin cake, handmade palm sugar, bantal sticky rice with banana, pasung cake wrapped in bamboo leaves and buntilan cake wrapped in corn husks are all up for sampling.
In addition, Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape also works with Singaperang Village to supply ingredients at its zero-waste restaurant, Open Kitchen, as part of its zero-mile cuisine initiative, where seasonal and local produce are sourced from a small radius around the farm to minimise carbon footprint.
Much of the rest of the produce also comes from the resort’s own organic farming efforts, where crops are planted on the main farming plot close to the entrance, with more scattered across the entire property.
Forage in the farms of Singaperang Village and taste the organic ingredients with our Stay for Good programme at Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape in Bali.