2022-05 (Part 2) Malaysian Traditional Diet: Diverse Ethnic Groups Create a Taste of The Tongue

Text/ Meso Tintin

Malaysia is a country made up of Malays, Indians, Chinese and other ethnic groups. As a multi-ethnic country, Malaysia's unique diet highlights its rich and varied history and culture.

Historically, Malaysian cuisine and its unique tastes and cultures have originated with settlers of different backgrounds such as Arabs, Chinese, Indians, Thais, Indonesians and Portuguese.

Colourful Malaysian cuisine sculpts the image of a nation that reflects the country's multi-ethnic shared multi-food culture society. As an international student from China, this article is a silent story to tell to the international community.

Malaysian food culture and traditional Malaysian society are deeply influenced by Islamic culture, as all Malays in Malaysia are born Muslim and believe in Islam. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork and alcohol.

To this day, almost all authentic Malaysian traditional diets are spicy, salty and sweet, cooked with local spices such as turmeric and lemongrass, seasoned with black pepper, star anise, cinnamon, green onion, garlic, ginger, coconut and chili peppers, as well as natural ingredients such as bananas, pallas, banlan, coriander, lime, tamarind and bamboo to enhance the aroma of the dish. The Malays also traditionally use their own ground condiments such as mortar and pastels.

Although Malaysian traditional cuisine is multicultural in nature, Malaysians usually start their day with rice to get plenty of energy, and they are known worldwide for their traditional dishes based on rice. Use leaf wrapping to accompany spicy, sour, sweet and other flavors. Cooking techniques, ingredients and flavours have evolved from "sharing traditions" to "harmonious assimilation", which is the result of the collision of cultures between different races, which has given Malaysia's diverse cuisine a colourful, rich flavour and unique taste.

Traditionally, Malaysian food is cooked in old-fashioned clay pots with a stove and wooden spatula. Nowadays, very few people use this traditional way of cooking. Local traditional specialties are a symbol of ceremonies, festivals and events. Best known for its annual celebration of Eid al-Fitr. A variety of traditional meals are prepared to celebrate the festival. Ketupat (square rice cubes), Rendang (beef curry, thick gravy made from coconut milk, onions, lemongrass, chili peppers and coconut butter), satay (marinated chicken or beef cooked on a charcoal grill), Nyonya cake, chicken, beef and more are among the most common and essential Malay traditional dishes during the festivities.

Rated as the most popular traditional food by the National Heritage Board of Malaysia, rice made with coconut milk and pandan is served with fried anchovies, peanuts, boiled eggs, cucumber slices and sambal sauce.

Chinese food culture and traditions are similar to Malaysian traditional culture in Chinese food culture and traditions. Most of the Chinese influx in Malaysia are of Hainan, Fujian, Hong Kong and Teochew descendants, so Chinese cooking styles are generally influenced by southern China, and it is easy to find common Hakka foods in Malaysia such as stuffed tofu and Hainanese chicken rice. Chinese cuisine in northern Malaysia is heavily influenced by Cantonese and Hokkien cuisine, which prefer stir-fry and fresh sea-based food. The most popular Cantonese dish in Malaysia is Dim Sum, a meal consisting of a variety of dumplings and dim sum. At the same time, the cooking method of Fujian cuisine was introduced by the Minnan people of Fujian, the most common such as Fujian pancakes (spring rolls), Fujian fried noodles (soybean egg noodle sauce) and Fujian noodles (shrimp noodles with soup), which have been well received by local people including Malays and Indians. Another signature dish that has been passed down from generation to generation in China is fried kon tiao, which comes from Shantou, China. Noodles are usually cooked with chopped onions, shrimp, clams, leeks, eggs and bean sprouts. The basic seasonings are soy sauce, fish sauce, onion and chili sauce. Although there are many ways to cook, the Penang-inspired stir-fried kway teow is still the most famous in Malaysia and has become one of the main punch points in Penang.

In Malaysia, the basic principle of Chinese food is mainly influenced by the five elements of food, beverages, grains, vegetables and meat. In this regard, Malaysian Chinese cuisine still strongly imitates the traditional style of Chinese mainland. Hunan, for example, uses paprika as the basic ingredient. At the same time, it is strongly influenced by Cantonese cuisine. These foods, which are common among the Chinese, have been well adapted and accepted by the Malays and Indians.

To this day, the traditional dining etiquette of Malaysian Chinese still uses chopsticks. According to the Chinese taboo, chopsticks should not be placed vertically, and the "X" is a symbol of death. Food should be placed on a round table so that everyone can easily get their hands on it without disturbing others. Similar to Malay food culture, elders will turn dishes to young people. In any traditional occasion, guests will be provided with Chinese service. Drink tea first before enjoying the food, and you can't leave the table unless the host stands up.

In the 15th century, Malays and Chinese intermarried, forming a new culture in Malacca and Penang, known as Baba for men and Nyonya for women, collectively known as Baba Nyonya or Peranakan. This eclectic fusion introduces a blended heritage food called Nyonya Foods.

Because the life of the early Peranakans was deeply influenced by Chinese culture, that is, the male and female protagonists, Nyonya generally did not leave the house before marriage, and learned traditional crafts and cooking skills with female elders at home. Due to the frequent exchanges between the family and the various ethnic groups in the Malay Peninsula, these early Nyonya women learned many traditional Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, Malay, Indonesian, Thai and other ethnic groups, and also incorporated different cooking methods into their own cultural traditions, such as nine-layer cake, Man Pan Kong, baked tapioca cake, red turtle kon, Abang cake and other non-local food, and then added the ingredients and cooking methods commonly used by Nyonya, and improved and internalized into Nyonya cake. There are many types and flavors of Nyonya cakes, including steaming, frying, roasting, sweet, salty, spicy, etc., the main raw materials are glutinous rice, rice and tapioca flour, etc., and according to different flavors, different special materials are added, such as Banlan, coconut milk, coconut shredded coconut, mung bean puree, red bean puree, peanut flour, coconut sugar, three babas, etc. Most Nyonya cakes are soft and sticky due to the use of glutinous rice flour and tapioca flour, coupled with the early Nyonya good at using the juices of various plants to dye the pastries, bright colors and strong aromas mixed with various spices are the biggest features of Nyonya cakes.

Nyonya cake because of the absorption of pastries from different ethnic groups, coupled with their own research and development of products, so there are a wide number of types, many of which are from the same item to evolve into different pastries, after matching different elements, the taste and form of pastries are not the same. If you use butterfly bean flower juice to dye glutinous rice blue, and then press it into a square flat shape, it is an orchid glutinous rice cake, which is eaten with kaya; If the glutinous rice is fried with coconut sugar and then wrapped in banana leaves to form a golden shape, it is called shredded coconut glutinous rice; Sticky rice is wrapped in a spice, shredded coconut, pepper and shrimp stir-fried filling, and banana leaves are used to make three sticky rice rolls. In addition, the green or brown glutinous rice cake under the Dalland cake is actually a spike cake, which is usually eaten dipped in shredded coconut.

In addition, the color of Nyonya cake will be made into various pastries and dyed with different colors according to different red and white festive customs, such as coconut balls, which are essential pastries for Peranakans when they are married; Doraemon has the meaning of grandchildren in the Baba dialect, so when worshipping ancestors, the pastry has the meaning of implying that the descendants are full of halls; During the Dragon Boat Festival, Nyonya dumplings will be enjoyed; Malay chicken cake, kojigabi, pineapple cake, mung bean cake, Nyonya cake, Fan Po cake, etc. are must-have pastries for the Lunar New Year. In terms of color, most of the pastries use red, which has the meaning of great joy, such as in the festive season, the color of the nine-layer cake and the red turtle cake is mainly red; At the time of the white, the color of the nine-layer cake is changed to blue and white, and the crust of the red turtle cake is dyed purple-black with purple rice and rami leaves. However, in order to save costs and production efforts, many merchants have begun to use chemical pigments or flavors instead.

The main traditional ingredients in Nyonya food are Chinese herbs and spices such as turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, galangal, banlan leaf, lime leaf, bay leaf, shallot and pepper. Dried shrimp paste is an important food enhancer that gives nyonya a unique spicy flavor in cooking. Through the use of herbs, Nyonya cooking also uses its unique pickling technique to marinate seafood and meats with a mixture of herbs ground in a mortar and pestle.

Similar to the Malay culture, Ashen Laksa is also a very common and popular Nyonya dish. It is made with a thick rice noodle, served with a rich gravy made from mackerel soup with chili peppers, lemongrass, shallots, galangal and spices such as vanilla, raw onions, lettuce, pineapple, cucumber and boiled eggs. Originally, Laksa came from the Malay community living in northern Peninsular Malaysia, inspired by Thailand. However, Nyonya Subsan Ratchasa differs from Malay Laksa due to geographical differences. Laksa can be found everywhere at Penang Chinese stalls, and likewise, Laksa is also listed by the Malaysian government as one of the most popular traditional dishes.

Indian Food Culture and Traditions In the 19th century, Indians were brought to Malaysia by the British as laborers. Over time, Indians have become part of the Malaysian population, living in large areas of Peninsular Malaysia. To date, Malaysian Indian cuisine is mostly Southern Indian, brought from descendants of Tamil immigrants from Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu.

Tamils typically use large amounts of coconut milk, chili peppers and mustard seeds to cook dishes, while the North Indian style typically uses meat, yogurt, bread and crepes for cooking. In addition to this, Indians are very similar in almost all of their use of heavy spices and ghee. At present, The Indian cuisine in Malaysia is the result of a combination of recipes from the south and north of India, thus creating a richer food culture for Malaysians.

To date, 80% of Malaysian Indians are Tamil Hindus, while the rest are Christians, Sikhs and Muslims. Indian cuisine can be tasted anywhere in Malaysia, especially during their religious celebrations such as Tuft, weddings, births and funerals. Most importantly, Hindus forbid the consumption of beef because cows are considered holy relics. Most Indian meals, especially meats (lamb, chicken and fish), are seasoned with freshly ground spices such as mustard, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, dried chili peppers, cumin, coriander and fenugreek, which are combined with foods such as coconut milk, curry leaves, garlic, shallots, potatoes, okra and tomatoes to blend in with the food to make the taste of Malaysian Indian cuisine very dreamy.

In the Indian dietary tradition, rice is usually served on banana leaves, served with hot and spicy curries, fried peppers, crispy vegetable biscuits, sautéed or fried vegetables, and fried chicken. Spoons and forks are provided for all meals, but Indians are more accustomed to eating with their right hand, and these basic traits and principles have shaped the image of traditional Indian food in Malaysia.

There are few 24-hour restaurants in Malaysia, and the Indian Muslim stalls and restaurants known as mamaks are open for nearly 24 hours, providing consumers with a wide variety of colorful and delicious Indian-Malay dishes that cater to the taste buds of locals and bring visitors a delightful new experience in Malaysia.

The most popular Indian traditional food in Malaysia is Indian pancakes. It is a flat, thin pancake made from wheat flour served with lentil curry, chicken curry and samba sauce, placed on a round metal tray called "tully". Pair it with a unique, sweet cup of tarik (lacha). In addition to Indian pancakes and lacha, other popular Indian traditional dishes in Malaysia include Hindi rice, Hindi roast chicken, fish head curry, lamb curry and more.

Nowadays, many Indian restaurants in Malaysia also sell a variety of cuisines including Chinese and Malay dishes. This is a great opportunity for locals and international friends to taste Malaysia's rich and colorful food culture.

The contribution of traditional local cuisine to the country In addition to satisfying the needs of the taste buds, gastronomy is also regarded as a cultural practice that expresses the traditions of different regions. Local traditional cuisine is an intangible cultural asset belonging to the country. It is an expression of culture that can be passed down from generation to generation in various forms, and traditional specialties are an important heritage that we need to protect from generation to generation.

Special ingredients, pre-meal preparation, ritual culture and cooking techniques are indeed complementary, as these elements depict individual identity, local customs and lifestyles.

Traditional cuisine is closely related to its place of origin, and almost all regions have their own local food culture, which can attract tourists from all over the world to taste and feel. Food consumption enables international visitors to better understand the special cultural background, unique way of life and sense of identity and tolerance among different ethnic groups of the local people. Local food can raise and build a country's visibility, or it can directly or indirectly increase local employment opportunities, improve the quality of food, and promote the flourishing of tourism through its agricultural activities.

Let traditional cuisine become the identity of regional brands and become a gastronomic experience for tourists. In Malaysia, with the integration of time and different races, it is necessary to protect the authenticity and originality of the original characteristic traditional cuisine, and to mix and match them on this basis into new specialties, which also have different cultural and aesthetic values.