Understanding the Evolution of Malaysian Food Through Time

Posted by Shru on April 1st, 2021

Malaysia’s culinary background will show it many cultural influences such as Arab, Indian, Chinese, Siamese, Javanese, Minangkabau, and others. Different parts of Malaysia are known for different dishes and cooking methods but one vital factor remains constant throughout all is the importance given to flavours. Whether it is the beef rendang or laksa or nasi lemak or tapai, the authenticity needs to shine the flavours. What is also something worth mentioning is that most of the age-old cooking methods are still practiced in Malaysian households. Through this article, you will learn about the past and present of local Malaysian food and what places you can visit (might require you to book your train or bus tickets online well in advance) to savour the best of the dishes.

A Trip Through Malaysia’s Culinary Culture

Historically speaking, traditional Malaysian cuisine is an amalgamation of various cultures. The food has been greatly influenced by traders from the neighboring countries, such as Indonesia, India, the Middle East, China, and Thailand. The acculturation and assimilation among these ethnic groups added to the potpourri of local gastronomic wonders and created a fascinating and delicious culinary heritage in Malaysia.

Sometime during the early 15^th century, a small fishing village of Melaka situated on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula was established as a significant port. The Malays, being originally fishermen and living by the sea, ate food that was largely centred around what they could catch and then flavour it with available ingredients and spices. One such dish being roti jala (also called roti renjis) meaning "rinsed bread". The original way of making it was by hand, in which the ingredient would be 'rinsed' onto the pan to be cooked. With the arrival of traders and merchants from all over, the local cooking was influenced by the arrival of new foods, including spices such as cardamom, pepper, and clove and various exotic vegetables. Arab traders who arrived in Malacca introduced practices of Islam. When the Sultan of Melaka converted to Islam, it led to an increase in trade with other Muslim communities such as Indonesia and the Middle East. These further influenced Malay cuisine. By the time Europeans (mainly the Portuguese followed by the Dutch and English) started to venture to Southeast Asia in search of spices, many new ingredients such as peanut, pineapple, avocado, tomato, squash, and pumpkin came to this region. During the British colonial rule, the British brought in a large number of Indians and Chinese workers who had an influential impact on the food and culture.

In the past, a typical Malay kitchen had a lesung batu (mortar and pestle) made of stone and batu giling (a hand grinder made of stone) for preparing food. The lesung batu was used for grinding spices, chilies, and shallots, and for pounding all the condiments and pastes. On the other hand, the batu giling stone slab where food is placed is called the ibu giling (mother) and the rolling pin is called anak batu giling (child). While modern equipment such as a blender and a food processor are easily available, Malaysian households will still keep the lesung batu and batu giling at home for modern equipment cannot provide the same authenticity and flavours. For instance, the blender will grind the ingredients to a smooth and finer texture, but it will not release the oils and flavors like the lesung batu. It requires a great deal of effort to pound wet and fresh ingredients such as shallots, onions, garlic, ginger, and chilies together but when you finally get a taste of the concoction, you will realise it is so worth the effort.

Even today, there are numerous places where you can still experience those authentic flavours. You can book your bus tickets online and go on a delicious journey through Malaysia, savouring the most fascinating dishes and interacting with the locals to learn more about the cuisine. Some of the best places to enjoy Malaysian food are Penang, Malacca, Ipoh, Sarawak and Kuala Lumpur.

Conclusion

Being a budget-friendly country, you can explore Malaysia and its local cuisine without breaking your bank account. But it requires planning and figuring out how you want to travel from place to place. One thing you must do is book bus tickets and other public transportation tickets well in advance. There are various portals available that will offer different features and make the entire process easier and hassle-free.

Terdapat banyak cara untuk seseorang menjelajah Malaysia. Anda boleh merancang keseluruhan perjalanan dengan mengambil peluang untuk menaiki setiap bentuk pengangkutan sekurang-kurangnya sekali. Apa yang anda perlu lakukan hanyalah membuat tempahan awal tiket bas online berserta tiket pengangkutan awam lain.