We all know Malaysia as a land blessed with good food. No matter if you’re up north, south, east or west in peninsular Malaysia or all the way in Sabah or Sarawak you’re bound to find good food or even hidden gems across the country.
But there’s been a debate on what food can be considered as our national dish since we have too many.
Debate If Bak Kut Teh Should Be A Heritage Food
Jimmy Puah Wee Tse who is a member of parliament representing Teberau recently questioned the government’s efforts in defending Malaysian traditional dishes such as Bak Kut Teh after a documentary on Channel News Asia claimed that the dish could have originated in Singapore.
In case you don’t know what is this dish, it’s a popular pork rib soup that is cooked with herbs and spices. It’s a very popular dish among the Hokkien community in Southeast Asia and a very popular dish for those who live in Klang, Selangor.
2. Khairul explained that foods can only be considered a heritage dish if they can be consumed by all races in Malaysia.
— BFM News (@NewsBFM) June 7, 2023
Earlier, Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah urged the government to recognise the dish as a national heritage food pic.twitter.com/8mfJ8s2xJg
Puah debated that the dish had originated from Klang, Selangor but said the documentary gave the impression that it originated from Singapore when addressing the Dewan Rakyat.
Other MPs Respond With Facts Of Top Traditional Food In Malaysia
In response to Puah, Datuk Suhaimi Mohd Abdullah questioned the Dewan Rakyat since when was Bak Kuh Teh was considered a traditional dish.
"It is not listed as one of Malaysia's 10 most popular traditional foods, nor is it listed as one of the 30 traditional foods of various ethnicities in Malaysia," he added.
Such foods in our list of traditional dishes are like nasi lemak, kuih bahulu, gula melaka, ketupat, char kuey teow, sizzling yee mee, bubur nasi, tong yuan, kuih bulan, kuih bakul, muruku, tosai, idly, and putu mayam.
Deputy Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan contested that Malaysia does not have the right to dispute the shared heritages that Malaysia and Singapore. However, he is not against the fact that it could be added to the list of our heritage foods.
Khairul Firdaus says that if the meat in Bak Kut Teh can be substituted with chicken (Chi Kut Teh), then there shouldn’t be a problem as both he and Suhaimi agreed that one of the key criteria of a dish to be considered as a traditional food is so all races in the country would be able to savour it.
Netizens Share Their Thoughts On The Parliament Debate
As food is certainly something every Malaysian would swear by, they also believe that the Dewan Rakyat should have better things to discuss as there are more pressing issues going on. Some even supported and questioned if it would be wrong to add food of other Malaysian races to the ever-growing list of our country’s heritage food.
Here’s some of the comments:
Heritage dish must be able to consumed by all? So, beef rendang is out, then?
— Leslie Quah (@Leslie_Quah) June 7, 2023
Diu, like that also debated in parliament… waste of taxpayers money. Build more road bridges and railways, culture will find its way out
— anothersapien (@AnotherSapien_) June 7, 2023
Other countries : “We need to introduce economic reforms, address struggling currencies and bring about social progress”
— Sh@wny (宇祥) - he/him/dia/他 (@Poppy_Banty) June 7, 2023
Malaysia : “We need to freak out over non-Malays saying all*h, rainbow watches and whether there's pork in a heritage food, very clear-cut priorities”
It is a good idea to have a National Food Heritage that covers all food from all cultures be it halal or non halal. We can protect our unique food heritage from being stolen by others.
— Bouncy_ sarahyong (@bouncy_sarahy) June 7, 2023
Takkan no beef or pork in our food heritage. How about vegetarians? How about pescatarians?
such unproductive stuff being talked about in parliament.
— ForABetterMY (@ForABetterMY) June 7, 2023
So Khairul, daging dishes cannot be considered heritage dish since not all races eat beef? Is that your logic?
— david soong (@asianmalaysian) June 7, 2023
Following the lively debate in the Dewan Rakyat, it has become evident that there exist certain discrepancies in our nation's culinary heritage. However, we can find solace in the fact that the discussion did not escalate into a heated dispute within the chamber.
What is your stance on the importance of safeguarding Malaysia's food heritage, and do you believe our government should undertake greater efforts in this regard?
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Harian Metro, Dewan Rakyat & various cross-references for context.
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