Yet, this taste of the east coast isn’t in Kota Bharu or Marang – it’s in Mersing, Johor, a coastal town about 135km from Johor Bahru and bordering Pahang to the north.
Kampung Seri Lalang Laut village head Ahmad Farid Husin said the migration of east-coast residents to Mersing began in the late 1960s.
“My father came from Terengganu. Many fishermen at that time migrated here from Terengganu and Kelantan, married locals, and started families.
“Today, of the roughly 200 families in Kampung Seri Lalang Laut, 70-80% have east-coast roots,” he told Bernama.
“So, just mention Mersing Kanan or Kampung Tanjung, and people immediately know that many residents are from Terengganu and Kelantan. The language, the food, the village atmosphere – everything reflects the character of the east coast.”
Beyond food, this is reflected in the way of life in Mersing, whose traditional pastimes include dam soksek, a game similar to dam haji (checkers), which villagers play at a gazebo every evening.
“It used to be played only during the monsoon season, when fishermen could not go out to sea. But now it has become a daily pastime, played by the community in the afternoon during their break after fishing,” Ahmad Farid said.
Mohd Sufian Ghazal, a member of the board of directors of the Mersing Area Fishermen’s Association, said close to half of its members have east-coast roots, with their own traditions and fishing techniques.
One notable legacy is the use of “pukat ceruk batu”, a method for catching fish in rocky areas near islands. This unique approach eschews fishing in the bright light of the moon, relying instead on darkness, lights, or the illumination of lighthouses to attract fish.
Many traders in Mersing continue to run their family’s traditional businesses. Among them is Aisyah Sakirah Ghazali, 34, who sells satar – fresh fish paste wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over coals.
“Every day, I use about 15kg of fish to make more than 3,000 pieces of satar, selling at least 350 pieces daily. This recipe has been passed down from my mother’s family in Terengganu,” she said.
Meanwhile, Norizad Ramli, 43, has been running a keropok lekor and fish-based dry-goods shop for more than 20 years.
“I inherited my late father’s shop. My parents are originally from Terengganu, and I continue to stock keropok from Kelantan as well. Many of our customers even come from abroad, including Singapore,” Norizad said.
Another trader, Abdul Halim Othman, 45, takes pride in being the third generation of the Othman Puteh family, pioneers of keropok lekor in Mersing.
“My late grandfather, Puteh Mohamad, came from Besut, Terengganu. He started the keropok lekor business more than 40 years ago, and now I continue the tradition.
“If you want to taste the authentic east coast, you should definitely visit Mersing,” he said.
Indeed, the town’s uniqueness is most easily experienced through its food. One visitor, Zulkifli Jali, 50, said keropok lekor and satar have become “mandatory souvenirs” to bring home to his family each time he stops in Mersing.