A whole duck or chicken stuffed and smothered with base genep, wrapped and cooked slowly in embers until it falls apart.
What makes it bebek betutu
A whole bird, inside and out with base genep.
Wrapped, and cooked very slowly.
Tender enough to pull apart, in a thick, spiced juice.
Where it comes from
Betutu is ceremonial in origin: the bird is filled and coated with base genep, bound in banana leaves or the sheath of an areca palm, and buried in smouldering rice husk or embers for many hours. The meat comes out soft and deeply spiced.
Duck is the grander bird and is associated with Gianyar; chicken betutu is the everyday one, and the version from Gilimanuk, at the island's western tip, is famous for its heat. Many cooks now steam or braise it.
How it varies
Ayam betutu Gilimanuk
Chicken, very hot, often with a spiced broth and plecing kangkung.