Food Culture East Malaysia PDF

NDT 2124 Food Culture and Nutrition Food Habits in East Malaysia By: 1 Ms Jamilah Abd Jamil Department of Nutrition and Dietetics International Medical University (IMU) [email protected] Ext: 2778 1. To explain the origins an...

NDT 2124 Food Culture and Nutrition Food Habits in East Malaysia By: 1 Ms Jamilah Abd Jamil Department of Nutrition and Dietetics International Medical University (IMU) [email protected] Ext: 2778 1. To explain the origins and influences on food habits of the people in East Malaysia 2. To discuss the influence of culture on food practices during traditional festivals 3. To discuss the food habits of the populations in relations to nutrition 2 1. Different ethnicities in Sabah and Sarawak 2. Sabah: Bajau, Kadazandusun, Murut, Suluk,Kedayan, Bajau Laut, Inokang, Kimaragang, Lotud, Kagayan, Minokok etc 3. Sarawak Bidayuh, Melanau, Kayan, Kenyah, Penan, Kelabit, Murut, Kadazandusun, Punan, Ukit, Kedayan, Iban etc 3 Bajau Murut Kadazandusun Melanau 4  Kadazandusun  the largest ethnic category in Sabah  predominantly wet rice and hill rice cultivators  Their ancient beliefs on the verity that everything has life - the rocks, trees, and rivers are all living things.  Customs and beliefs  It is believed that rice in whatever form embodies Bambaazon that must be protected from harm.  The homecoming of Babaazon is an integral part of the Harvest Festival.  The Almighty God or Creator, who sacrificed his only beloved daughter, Huminodun so that his people would have food.  Bobohizan: search and salvage the lost Bambaazon who are hurt or separated from the main mystical body. 5  The importance of Harvest Festival  rice harvest festival, or Pesta Ka’amatan  rice cultivation, and with the cycle of life  Pesta Ka’amatan marks the end of the planting cycle. It is closely associated with religion, culture and social order  People gather in villages to thank God and the spirits for a good harvest and pray for blessings for an even better harvest the following year 6  Among the common program of activities included are:   Traditional sports such as buffalo race (melumba kalabau), arm wrestling (mipulos), knuckle and finger wrestling (mipansa), wrestling (migogo), blow pipe shooting (monopuk), stilts race (manampanau), tug of war (mitalik dugugk), running (menangkus), bamboo rafting (mamangkar), single-bamboo pole rafting (manampatau) etc  Best tapai (Rice wine) competition  Gong beating competition  Traditional dance competition  Singing contest  "Unduk Ngadau" or Ka’amatan Queen Selection 7  The Murut  one of the largest indigenous groups  "Murut" means "hill people“  mostly shifting cultivators and hunters with some riverine fishing.  speak 15 languages and 21 dialects  Customs and beliefs  collecting heads of enemies served a very precise function in Murut society  A man can only get married after he has presented at least one head that he has hunted to the family of the desired girl  Head: spiritual belief 8  The Bajau  "sea gypsies – nomadic seafaring  second largest indigenous people in Sabah  worship the God of the sea, Omboh Dilaut.  They come ashore only to bury the deceased  Customs and beliefs  collecting heads of enemies served a very precise function in Murut society  A man can only get married after he has presented at least one head that he has hunted to the family of the desired girl  Head: spiritual belief 9 The Penans  few remaining nomadic peoples of the rain forest.  survives by hunting  The Penans, like other nomadic hunter-gatherers, enjoy an egalitarian society. Melanau  traditionally lived in tall houses.  Nowadays, they have adopted a Malay lifestyle, living in kampong-type  fishermen 10 Kelabit  The Kelabits form a tight-knit community  practise agriculture methods used for generations.  Famous for their rice-farming Kenyah The typical Kenyah village consists of only one longhouse. Most inhabitants are farmers, planting rice in burnt jungle clearings. With the rapid economic development, especially in timber industry, many of them work in timber camps. 11  Like Peninsular Malaysia, rice is the staple food for the majority of the people of Sabah and Sarawak.  tapioca tuber is just as important as rice to the Bajau people of Sabah, while the Dayak peoples of Sarawak make extensive use of both the tuber and leaves of the tapioca plant in their cooking  Sago starch is derived from the pith extracted from the sago palm, and is the staple food for the Melanau and the Penan peoples of Sarawak  The production and consumption of traditional liquor plays an important cultural role for the non-Muslim peoples of East Malaysia like tuak and lihing 12  Sabah’s seafood is famed for its freshness, quality, and good value for money.  Among the foods and beverages particular to Sabah are:  Amplang is a type of cracker made from Spanish mackerel, tapioca starch and other seasonings, and then deep fried 13  Nasi kombos is a rice dish from the Lotud community. Glutinous rice is first cooked with young coconut water, and then mixed with the grated tender flesh of a young coconut. The rice is traditionally served in a hollowed out coconut shell.  Nonsoom bambangan is a pickle made from half ripe bambangan fruit mixed with grated dried bambangan seed and salt, sealed in a tightly covered jar and left to ferment for weeks 14  Hinava: traditional Kadazandusun dish of raw fish cured in lime juice. Hinava may also be made with prawns (hinava gipan).  Tuaran mee : This dish of wok fried fresh handmade noodles is well known in the nearby city of Kota Kinabalu as well as in neighbouring Tamparuli town, where the localised adaptation is called Tamparuli mee.The noodles must first be toasted with oil in the wok to prevent it from clumping together, then blanched to reduce the stiff crunchy texture from toasting. The final step involves stir frying the noodles to a dry finish with eggs, vegetables, and meat or seafood 15  Lihing is a rice wine made exclusively from glutinous rice and natural yeast called sasad. Bittersweet in taste profile Commonly brewed at home. Can be used to make chicken soup (Sup Manuk Lihing), used in marinades, or even as an ingredient for meat pastries and stir-fried dishes. Lihing and similar rice wine variants from other Kadazandusun communities may also be distilled to produce a hard liquor called montoku or talak. Served as a drink during all major indigenous celebrations; it also accompanies most rites of passage, such as births, deaths, marriages and birthdays. 16  Lihing (cont)  Taboos: not allowed to swear, fight, talk bad or loudly during the cooking process. One cannot touch lemons or any other sour thing during the preparations  turn the wine sour  A piece of charcoal, or a small knife called pa’is is placed on top of the jar with the fermenting rice “to prevent bad spirits from entering the recipient and spoil the wine”  don’t step over jars, full bottles, food and people.  don’t blow, spit or vomit into jars  if need to sneeze or blow your nose step away from the drinking party 17  Lihing (cont)  Cultural note:  if there are visitors at home, owner will drink the first glass, and in front of your hosts!  To show the good intentions and the rice wine is not poisoned. 18 Rice wine from a jar Sasad (yeast) Lihing 19  Ambuyat is a traditional dish commonly eaten usually during special events as a substitute for rice.  It is hard to find shops serving ambuyat around Kota Kinabalu as the it require a long and tedious process to prepare ambuyat  Called linut by the Melanau.  Eaten by rolling the paste around the prongs of a bamboo fork, and dipped it into soup, sambal, or other varieties of gravies and dipping sauces.  On its own, the Ambuyat is tasteless, must eat with the sauces 20 Ambuyat 21  Gawai Dayak is an annual festival celebrated by the Dayak Both a religious and a social occasion recognised since 1957. Preparation: As the festival day approaches, everyone will be busy with general tidying up, grave visiting, paddy drying and milling, collecting and preparing food and final house decoration. The mode of celebrations of Gawai Dayak vary from place to place and preparations begin early. 22 Food and drinks: The traditional liquor  rice wine or tuak Tuak is brewed at least one month before the festival. The drink is brewed from the glutinous rice and yeast. Traditional cake delicacies will be prepared with rice flour as the base. Eg: sarang semut (ant nest cake), cuwan (molded cake), kui sepit (twisted cake), penganan iri (a discis-shaped cake) Sarang semut Kui sepit Penganan iri 23  Iban would slaughter locally reared pigs for Barbecuing.  The head and stomach of a pig are usually put aside and prepared separately. Pig's heads are a common edible gift brought by visitors to an Iban longhouse, and dishes such as pork stomach cooked with pineapples are a must for Gawai. 24  The foods are less spicy, subtle flavours  Pepper is the most important spice in Sarawakian cuisine  Pansoh Manok (ayam pansoh)  chicken and lemongrass cooked in a bamboo log over an open fire. 25 Tuak A special rice wine. It is a drink many occasions: Gawai, weddings or entertaining visitors. When guest arrive at the longhouse during the festival, the occupants serve tuak as a welcoming drink. It used to offend the occupants if visitors refuse the offering but now the host is more understanding as some religion like Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol of any sort. 26  Belacan bihun: rice vermicelli dressed with gravy made from ground chillies, belacan, tamarind, and dried shrimp.  Prepared with cured cuttlefish, julienned cucumber, bean sprouts and century egg wedges 27  Laksa Sarawak/ Kuching Laksa : noodles (usually rice vermicelli) served in an aromatic spiced coconut milk soup, topped with shredded chicken, shredded omelette, bean sprouts, prawns, and garnished with coriander  Kolo mee/ mee kolok : a dish of springy egg noodles tossed in a sweet and savoury shallot, lard and vinegar dressing, and topped with seasoned minced pork and char siu.  Halal versions: use beef or chicken to replace pork. Additional toppings can include mushrooms, chicken and crab meat. 28  Umai: traditional Melanau food, accompanied with a bowl of baked or toasted sago pearls.  Two different versions – a raw seafood salad which consists of raw sliced seafood (anything from freshwater and seawater fish, prawns and even jellyfish) cured in calamansi lime juice, tossed with ground peanuts, sliced onions and chilies. 29  White Lady: chilled drink made with milk, mango juice, longan and pineapple.  Invented in 1975 by a Kuching hawker.  Tuak: a type of liquor traditional to Sarawak's Dayak communities. The Bidayuh are known for their skill in brewing Ingredients: sugarcane (tepui), tampoi (a wild fruit with a sweet and tart flavour), pineapples and apples. 30  Nasi goreng dabai: is rice stir-fried with dabai (canarium odontophyllum), an indigenous fruit found only in Sarawak.  Often compared to olive, because of the similarity in appearance and taste.  As dabai is highly perishable and seasonal in nature, this dish is also prepared with preserved dabai paste Dabai Nasi goreng dabai 31  Daun ubi tumbuk/ pucuk ubi tumbuk : a preparation of cassava leaves (known as empasak by the Iban) which has the consistency of pesto  Widely eaten. 32  In examining the interrelationship between health and disease in a community besides the direct indicators of health, one should also study the various aspects of health culture, 33  http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/010_Kaamatan01.html  http://www.sabah.edu.my/itma07031/People%20and%20Cul ture.html  http://www.kadazanhomeland.com/kadazan-harvest- festival.html  http://www.flyingdusun.com/004_Features/038_lihing.htm  Yap Sim Bee. Health literacy and food beliefs among Ibans, Sarawak. Med J Malaysia. 1985;40(4):294–300.  Chen PCY. Ecological basis of malnutrition among the Muruts of Sabah. Med J Malaysia. 1983;38(1):9–14. 34