Malaysia
is situated in Southeast Asia. It’s unusual in that it consists of two
separate parts (shaded light on the map): the Malaysian Peninsula to the
west and the States of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo to the
east, which are separated from each other by the South China Sea. The
Western Peninsula is bordered by Thailand to the north with the Island of
Singapore lying close to the south and linked to it by a causeway. The
Eastern part has land borders with Brunei and the rest of Borneo
(Indonesia).
Malaysia consists of large areas of heavy forest, plus lowland plains and
hills. The climate is hot and humid- ideal for the growing of tropical
fruit, vegetables and rice, although a cooler climate is to be found in the
mountainous regions
Ancient times, history and
influences on Malaysian Cooking
Although not that much is known about the
very early history of Malaysia, tools and implements dating back to 10,000
BC have been found. Certainly, by 6000BC there were occupants in the north,
thought to have migrated via China and Tibet. They were nomadic
hunter-gatherers who probably hunted smaller creatures which they cooked
with the aid of crude instruments made from stone and mainly occupied the
forests and jungles.
About 2,500BC Proto-Malays, whose ancestors were believed to have migrated
from the Indonesian islands, arrived in the costal and river areas. They
were technically more advanced than the earlier inhabitants and practised
slash and burn agriculture whereby an area of rain forest was cleared by
burning it, then crops were grown. Not surprisingly, their diets consisted
mainly of fish and the crops they grew as well as the abundant indigenous
fruit and vegetables. By the 1st century BC, trading links had been
established with China and India, which were to have a major impact on the
cuisine of Malaysia.
Other major influences on its cuisines were introduced by virtue of rulers
or protectors of different regions over the preceding centuries including
Cambodians, Sumatrans, Javanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and Japanese
finally culminating with the British who, having taken control of areas in
the East, encouraged the immigration of large numbers of Indians and Chinese
workers to further develop the every growing rubber and tin industries
Current Day Malaysian Cuisine
Malaysia was only established as a united
country in 1963. The rich racial mix has created a unified cuisine which at
the same time retains the unique qualities of traditional cooking methods
and ingredients of Malay, Indian, Indonesian and Chinese cultures.
In general, Malay and Indian cooking are spicy whilst Chinese cuisine is
milder in taste. For hundreds of years, rice or noodles have been staples of
the Malaysian diet and good use has always been made of the abundant supply
of fresh locally grown fruit and vegetables. Seasonings such as galangal,
chilli, lemon grass, lime leaves, coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek,
cardamom, clove, cinnamon and star aniseed are a must. Fish and seafood are
still popular ingredients as is beef, mutton and chicken. Pork is a
lesser used meat as over 50% of the population are Muslims. Peanuts and
coconut milk are also widely used in many dishes
Traditionally, an everyday meal consist of rice, a meat or seafood dish and
a vegetable dish. All the dishes are served at the same time with up to 6
dishes being placed on the table.