Satay or sate

Satay or sate, is a dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce.

[1] Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are often used. These are grilled or barbecued over a wood or charcoal fire, then served with various spicy seasonings.

Satay originated in Java, Indonesia.

[2] Satay is available almost anywhere in Indonesia, where it has become a national dish.

[3] It is also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries, such as: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand as well as in the Netherlands, as Indonesia is a former Dutch colony.

Satay is a very popular delicacy in Indonesia; Indonesia's diverse ethnic groups' culinary arts (see Indonesian cuisine) have produced a wide variety of satays. In Indonesia, satay can be obtained from a travelling satay vendor, from a street-side tent-restaurant, in an upper-class restaurant, or during traditional celebration feasts. In Malaysia, satay is a popular dish—especially during celebrations—and can be found throughout the country.

Close analogues are yakitori from Japan, shish kebab from Turkey, shashlik from Caucasus, chuanr from China, and sosatie from South Africa. satay is listed at number 14 on World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll complied by CNN Go in

Satay has achieved wide popularity in other parts of the world, which adds interest to the question of its origin:

The word "satay" is derived from Indonesian: sate.From Java, the satay spread across the archipelago and as the result wide variants of satay recipes has been developed. By late 19th century, satay has crossed the straits into neighboring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. In the 19th century the term migrated, presumably with Malay immigrants from Dutch East Indies, to South Africa, where it appears as sosatie. The Dutch brought this dish — and many other Indonesian specialties — to the Netherlands which has influenced Holland’s cuisine to this day