Made from rice that is compressed, sun-dried and fried, this rustic village delicacy known as “inang-inang” is the “invention” of mothers of a bygone generation. These women would repurpose leftover rice, creating a snack their families could enjoy while relaxing on the verandahs of their homes.

The rise of modern, more readily available commercial snacks, however, has pushed the humble inang-inang to the sidelines. Traditionally prepared in red, green, orange and yellow hues, this once-favourite treat of locals is now unfamiliar to many young people.

Fortunately, inang-inang seems to be getting a new lease on life through events such as Visit Melaka Year 2024, World Tourism Day 2025, and Visit Malaysia Year 2026, which are bringing the snack back into the spotlight – not merely as a treat but as a part of the state’s heritage.

Inang-inang producer and distributor Siti Aisha Ismail, who operates a business in Alai here, believes that without these tourism campaigns, the traditional snack would have been lost to time.

Today, it is still widely sold at tourist hotspots such as Banda Hilir and in handicraft markets around Ayer Keroh, as well as in Simpang Ampat, Alor Gajah.

“Without efforts to preserve and reintroduce inang-inang, it might have ended up as nothing more than a footnote in food history, even though it was once a favourite among the people of Melaka,” the 46-year-old told Bernama.

Siti Aisha took over the family-run business 25 years ago from her mother and grandmother, who had started it on a small scale.

Sharing how inang-inang is prepared, she said the cracker is made from a mixture of glutinous rice, salt, and a bit of colouring.

“The rice is soaked overnight, then steamed for half an hour before the colouring is added. Once cool, the rice is shaped into circles using a special mould. During my mother and grandmother’s time, it was done by hand,” she said.

According to her, the mould was created 15 years ago to speed up the shaping process. “It’s not that we don’t want to use machines – there’s simply no machine suitable for the job owing to the sticky nature of glutinous rice.”

According to Siti Aisha, the most challenging part of making inang-inang is the drying process: weather conditions play a crucial role in ensuring the rice crackers dry properly without breaking or cracking.

“The crackers need to be sun-dried for three days in an open area so that sunlight and wind can reach the drying racks without obstruction,” she said.

“If it rains, we use a drying room with heaters, but it’s very risky because the inang-inang might become brittle, develop mould, or smell bad if the temperature is not well controlled.”

Local and international markets

Siti Aisha noted that despite younger people not being as familiar with inang-inang, there is still ample demand for it. The snack is popularly given away as a door gift at events like weddings, together with other “souvenirs” such as dodol and belacan.

She shared that she uses at least four tonnes of glutinous rice to meet production for 30 days. In fact, for Visit Melaka Year 2024, she used four times that amount to meet the surge in demand!

Her company produces three variations of the product: inang pulut, inang pulut hitam, and inang sagu. “Each pack of inang pulut and pulut hitam contains 18 pieces, while a pack of inang sagu contains 26 pieces.

“We also produce a mini version about the size of a 50-sen coin, which is popular as wedding door gifts and are also sold in supermarkets,” said Siti Aisha, who has eight full-time workers – all housewives or single mothers – helping her.

What makes the venture even more rewarding is that Siti Aisha and her husband, Mazreen Berahim, have successfully penetrated the Singaporean market.

She believes that with continued promotion – whether through social media, or by showcasing and selling the product at booths during official events and programmes – this traditional snack can reclaim its place alongside the state’s iconic dodol and belacan.

Not entirely familiar

Bernama spoke to several young people who said they have come across inang-inang at handicraft stalls or received it as a gift, but were unaware of its heritage.

Nur Khadeja Nazim said she once received the rice crackers, packaged alongside dodol and belacan, as a gift but never knew its name or how it is prepared.

“I was never exposed to this food growing up,” the 23-year-old said. “Even though my father’s kampung is in Melaka, we never ate inang-inang. Once, I received it as a gift but gave it to a colleague because I didn’t know how to eat it.”

For Ikmal Zahrin Arshad, 34, the rice crackers were something he enjoyed during his childhood as his grandmother, who lived in Merlimau here, used to prepare the snack whenever they returned to their kampung.

“But now that she’s gone, no one in my family really makes it,” he said, adding that he himself had forgotten the name of the snack.

He believes traditional foods like inang-inang deserve to be elevated to their rightful place. “It should be better promoted, like being served as a must-have snack at events so people can taste it right away.

“Once they have tried it and are familiar with it, I believe more people will start looking for the product, which, in turn, will boost demand for Melaka’s traditional foods.”