A case study on food habits and food consumption patterns on the Ambonese ethnic group in the province of Moluccas in Indonesia

Abstract

The food habits and food consumption patterns of the families belonging to the Ambonese ethnic group, residing at the province of Moluccas archipelago, are unique and worthwhile to study. Although rice is available, the Ambonese still consume traditional staple foods, such as, combination of sago, cassava and banana. The improvement of the purchasing power of the families, such as, through the development of trade on cash crops (cloves and nutmegs in particular) and the increase in the supply of rice, does not seem to influence the food habits and food consumption patterns of the families. This is because of the cultivation of existing and inherited land with multiple-cropping and the special cultural value system practised by the families which tend to maintain their traditional food habits. This case study compares the characteristics of food habits and food consumption patterns within the Ambonese families who live at different ecological settings.