Lawar Plek: Bali's Raw Lawar from Ketewel, and the Food-Safety Facts

In Brief

Lawar plek is a lawar made from raw meat, a speciality of Ketewel village in Sukawati, Gianyar. The meat is minced fine and mixed with spices and a little chopped young jackfruit.

Lawar itself is finely chopped meat, vegetables and grated coconut in a rich spice paste. Some versions are coloured and flavoured with fresh blood. Most lawar uses meat that has been grilled or boiled first, and lawar plek is the exception.

Ketewel's village head described its origin to researchers from Singaraja's Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha. It was once a special offering for religious ceremonies, eaten only by the people of Ketewel.

Raw pork and raw pig's blood can carry Streptococcus suis, a bacterium that causes meningitis. Bali has recorded outbreaks linked to raw lawar, and health officials advise cooking pork to at least 70 °C.

Lawar Plek at a Glance

• What it is: Lawar made with finely minced raw meat, spices and a little young jackfruit
• Where it comes from: Ketewel village, Sukawati district, Gianyar
• Origin: A ceremonial offering, once eaten only in Ketewel, now sold to visitors
• Lawar in general: Chopped meat, vegetables and coconut in spice paste, usually made with cooked meat
• Red and white: Lawar merah (red) contains blood, lawar putih (white) does not
• The risk: Streptococcus suis meningitis from raw or undercooked pork and blood
• Official advice: Cook pork to at least 70 °C and avoid raw blood

Lawar Plek Is Ketewel's Lawar, Made with Raw Meat

Ketewel is a village in Sukawati district, Gianyar, and its lawar differs from the rest of Bali's in one essential way.

A 2023 study of lawar plek at Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha in Singaraja puts it plainly. Most lawar uses minced meat that has been grilled or boiled first, while lawar plek uses raw meat. The authors are Hadi Purwanata, Damiati and Ida Ayu Putu Hemy Ekayani.

They describe raw meat chopped fine, then mixed with spices and a little coarsely chopped young jackfruit.

The head of Ketewel village, I Putu Gede Widya Kusuma Negara, gave its history in an interview for the study. Lawar plek was once made as a special offering for religious ceremonies and eaten only by the people of Ketewel.

It has since become a local speciality that people travel for. The Undiksha researchers surveyed buyers in Ketewel and found them keen to buy because it is unique and Balinese. Buyers were drawn by its distinctive taste, and reassured when the food on sale looked clean and tidy.

Not every lawar plek is pork. NusaBali described a Ketewel warung making its lawar plek from raw chicken, with no pork at all. Four things go in with the chicken:

• goat skin
• young jackfruit
• coconut
• the warung's own spice blend

Raw chicken carries its own risks, among them Salmonella. detikFood lists it alongside Streptococcus as the dangers of raw meat and blood.

Most Lawar Is Made with Cooked Meat, Coconut and Spice Paste

Lawar is found in warungs and restaurants all over Bali.

Wikipedia's entry on lawar describes it as a mixture of vegetables, coconut and minced meat bound with herbs and spices. Despite all the vegetables, it is rarely vegetarian.

A lawar is named for what goes in, or for its colour:

• By ingredient: chicken lawar, pork lawar, young-jackfruit lawar
• Lawar merah: red lawar, made with blood
• Lawar putih: white lawar, made without

The base is the Balinese spice paste, base genep, and the mixing is done by hand. In detikFood's telling, the method is a matter of knives and clean hands. The ingredients are kneaded together so the blood spreads evenly and does not clot.

Lawar looks like vegetables and coconut, but is usually made with meat. Photo: ちちゃ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.1 JP)

Lawar is feast food, and the Balinese call the work of preparing it mebat. A health ministry article from Bali's referral hospital, RSUP Prof. Ngoerah, ties mebat to the preparations for Galungan in particular. detikFood notes lawar's role as an offering at Galungan.

On the north coast, cooking lawar at home also produces its own drink. The drinks of north Bali describes rujak yeh kuwud, made from the coconut water left over from lawar.

Raw Pork and Raw Blood Can Carry Streptococcus suis

The health concern with raw lawar is specific and well documented in Bali.

The bacterium. Streptococcus suis lives in pigs. It passes to people through undercooked pork and through handling infected pigs, including through small cuts on the hands.

In people it mainly causes meningitis, an infection of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord. It can also cause sepsis, arthritis and heart infection, according to Buleleng's regency health office.

The Bali record. Doctors at Udayana University reviewed the meningitis cases at Sanglah hospital in Denpasar, now RSUP Prof. Ngoerah, from 2014 to 2017. They confirmed S. suis in 44 patients. Almost nine in ten were men, and about one in ten died.

The authors concluded that eating raw meat with fresh blood may be a major route of infection on the island. The pigs it comes from may be sick, or infected and apparently healthy.

A separate report in the journal One Health traced a cluster in Badung in March 2017. People had shared red lawar and komoh, a soup of fresh pig's blood, at a village celebration. Afterwards 18 were admitted to hospital and 21 were treated as outpatients. Everyone admitted to hospital recovered after antibiotic treatment.

The advice. The official advice is to cook pork thoroughly:

• Cook pork to at least 70 °C, the temperature the RSUP Prof. Ngoerah article gives for killing the bacteria. Buleleng's health office says the bacterium dies from 56 °C. It advises against eating any part of the pig raw or half-cooked.
• Avoid raw blood in lawar and soups.
• Wash hands with soap and running water, and wear gloves if you have cuts, when handling raw pork.
• Buy fresh pork, pink and firm.

The warning signs. Fever with headache and a stiff neck after eating raw or undercooked pork or blood needs a hospital quickly. Hearing loss or confusion sometimes comes with it. Tell the doctor what you ate.

Early diagnosis and treatment keep the illness from getting worse, the RSUP Prof. Ngoerah article notes. In the north, the hospitals are in Singaraja, as healthcare in north Bali sets out.

Two Questions to Ask Before You Eat Lawar

Most lawar is made with cooked meat, and two questions tell you which kind is on your plate.

• Ask if it is barak (red) or putih (white). Red means blood.
• Ask whether the meat is cooked (matang). Lawar plek, by definition, is not.
• Eat it fresh. Wikipedia's entry notes that lawar, rich in coconut and sometimes blood, spoils within about half a day.

Lawar beside babi guling on a warung plate. Photo: ybs / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Four guides take it further:

• What to eat in Bali puts lawar in context, with babi guling, sate lilit and the rest of the island's cooking.
• The best warungs in north Bali lists the local kitchens on the north coast.
• Bali belly covers everyday stomach troubles.
• Galungan and Kuningan explains the ceremonies that bring out the lawar.

Practical Notes

• Lawar plek means raw meat. Know that before you order it.
• Red lawar means blood. White lawar does not contain it.
• Symptoms after eating raw pork (fever, headache, stiff neck): go to hospital and say what you ate.
• Ketewel is in Gianyar, in the south of the island, a long drive from the north coast.

FAQ

What is lawar plek? Lawar plek is a style of lawar from Ketewel village in Gianyar, made from finely minced raw meat mixed with spices and a little young jackfruit. Most other lawar uses meat that has been grilled or boiled first.

Where does lawar plek come from? From Ketewel, a village in Sukawati district, Gianyar regency. The village head told researchers it was once a special ceremonial offering eaten only by the people of Ketewel.

Is lawar plek safe to eat? Raw pork and raw pig's blood can carry Streptococcus suis, which causes meningitis, and Bali has had outbreaks linked to raw lawar. Health officials advise cooking pork to at least 70 °C and avoiding raw blood. Raw chicken versions carry other risks, such as Salmonella.

What is the difference between red and white lawar? Red lawar (lawar merah or barak) contains fresh blood, which colours and flavours it. White lawar (lawar putih) has none.

Is lawar made with blood? Some lawar is. Red lawar is mixed with fresh blood, usually pig's or chicken's. White lawar is made without it.

Is lawar vegetarian? Rarely. Despite the vegetables and coconut, most lawar is mixed with minced meat and sometimes blood. Ask for the ingredients if you do not eat meat.

Sources

• Purwanata, Damiati and Ekayani, Consumer perceptions of lawar plek in Ketewel village, Gianyar, Jurnal Kuliner, Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha, April 2023, read September 2026 (in Indonesian)
• Buleleng Regency Health Office, Meningitis suis and its treatment, read September 2026 (in Indonesian)
• Ministry of Health, RSUP Prof. Ngoerah, Safe mebat, free of Streptococcus suis meningitis, at Galungan in Bali, July 2023, read September 2026 (in Indonesian)
• Susilawathi and others, Udayana University, Streptococcus suis-associated meningitis, Bali, Indonesia, 2014 to 2017, Emerging Infectious Diseases, December 2019, read October 2026 (in English)
• Tarini and others, A large cluster of human infections of Streptococcus suis in Bali, Indonesia, One Health, 2022, read September 2026 (in English)
• detikFood, Five facts about lawar plek, June 2025, read September 2026 (in Indonesian)
• NusaBali, Pan Dodol serves Ketewel-style lawar plek, 17 November 2021, read September 2026 (in Indonesian)
• Wikipedia, Lawar (food), read September 2026 (in English)

Read next: what to eat in Bali, the best warungs in north Bali and healthcare in north Bali.