Satay may have originated in Java, Indonesia, but it is also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries, such as: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as in The Netherlands which was influenced through its former colonies.

Satay is a very popular delicacy in Indonesia and Malaysia; Indonesia's diverse ethnic groups' culinary art (see Cuisine of Indonesia) 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. A close analogue in Japan is yakitori, shish kebab from Turkey, chuanr from China and sosatie from South Africa are also similar to satay.

Turmeric is a compulsory ingredient used to marinate satay, which gives the dish its characteristic yellow colour. Meats commonly used include beef, mutton, pork, venison, fish, shrimp, squid, chicken, and even tripe. Some have also used more exotic meats, such as turtle, crocodile, and snake meat.

It may be served with a spicy peanut sauce dip, or peanut gravy, slivers of onions and cucumbers, and ketupat (rice cakes).

Pork satay can be served in a pineapple-based satay sauce or cucumber relish. An Indonesian version uses a soy-based dip.

Satay is not the same as the Vietnamese condiment, “sate”, which typically includes ground chili, onion, tomato, shrimp, oil, and nuts. Vietnamese sate is commonly served alongside noodle and noodle-soup dishes.

Origins

Indonesia

Known as sate in Indonesian (and pronounced similar to the English), Indonesia is the home of satay, and satay is a widely renowned dish in almost all regions of Indonesia and is considered the national dish. As a result, many variations have been developed throughout the Indonesian Archipelago. The satay varients in Indonesia usually named after the region its originated, the meats, parts or ingredients its uses, also might named after the process or method of cooking.

Sate Madura

Originating on the island of Madura, near Java, is a famous variant among Indonesians. Most often made from mutton or chicken, the recipe's main characteristic is the black sauce made from Indonesian sweet soy sauce/kecap manis mixed with palm sugar (called gula jawa or "javanese sugar" in Indonesia), garlic, deep fried shallots, peanut paste, fermented "terasi" (a kind of shrimp paste), candlenut/kemiri, and salt. Sate Madura uses thinner chunks of meat than other variants. It is eaten with rice or rice cakes wrapped in banana/coconut leaves (lontong/ketupat). Raw thinly sliced shallot and plain sambal are often served as condiments