Banana Leaf Cooking in Bali | Tum and Traditional Methods

Banana leaves are essential in Balinese cooking, used for wrapping, steaming, grilling, and serving. Learn about tum, pepes, and other traditional techniques.

The banana plant is as important to Balinese cooking as the coconut palm. While the fruit is used in desserts and snacks, the real culinary star is the leaf - a natural, aromatic wrapper used for steaming, grilling, serving, and presenting food.

Tum is the most common banana leaf dish: seasoned minced pork, chicken, or fish is wrapped tightly in a banana leaf parcel and steamed until cooked through. The leaf imparts a subtle green, earthy aroma to the filling. Tum is a staple of ceremonial feasts.

Pepes takes a different approach: the filling (often fish with spice paste) is wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal. The leaf chars on the outside while steaming the contents inside, creating a smoky, moist result that cannot be replicated with any other method.

Even when banana leaves are not the cooking vessel, they serve as plates, placemat-like surfaces for food preparation, and decorative elements. At temple ceremonies, offerings are arranged on banana leaves cut into specific shapes.

In our cooking classes, we use banana leaves for wrapping and serving. Learning to fold a proper tum parcel is one of the skills our students enjoy most - it requires practice but the technique is deeply satisfying once mastered.