Lawar (Balinese Food)

What is Lawar?

Lawar would have to be the most stereotypical Balinese food. Anyone who has lived with a Balinese family will have surely been offered this spicy fare, particularly around ceremony time. “Bani ngajeng lawar?” (“Are you brave enough to eat lawar?”), they will ask, grinning. This expression speaks for itself – lawar is far removed from Western cuisine and for many it is an acquired taste.
 
The basic ingredients are for lawar are: Balinese traditional spices such as kunyit, shrimp paste, salt and ground pepper, galangal and other roots; grated coconut, green beans, boiled young jackfruit and occasionally, singkong leaves, all chopped up and blended together.
 
The meat distinguishes the type of lawar – chicken, duck, beef, pork, turtle, or even dragonfly. Although it is considered a delicacy at ceremony time, fortunately turtle lawar is becoming less and less common. Dragonfly lawar is most unusual because it takes so much time and money because you have to use so many dragonflies to fill you up! Most lawar has raw blood mixed with it but not all Balinese like this and many prefer their lawar vegetarian.
 
You will know when it’s lawar time from the early morning chatter of knives on chopping boards. It’s always the men who make lawar, sitting around in a circle at daybreak, chopping, chatting, and mashing, in between sipping strong sweet coffee and toking on clove cigarettes.
 
Some Balinese like to make lawar to celebrate something outside of a religious ceremony, such as a success at a sporting tournament or cultural event, or simply just to get together with their mates and have a feast.

http://www.baliadvertiser.biz/articles/kulturekid/2004/16lawar.html