Malaysia has a reputation of being a food lovers’ paradise. After all, there are so many scrumptious dishes to tuck into throughout the day, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Malaysian food is usually a unique blend of different cultures and if you’ve ever wondered about the origin of some of your all-time favourites, you’ll lap up the information this article has to offer.

1. Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak is undoubtedly one of the most loved Malaysian dishes. Although typically a breakfast meal, many tuck into this meal throughout the day.

The name ‘nasi lemak’ literally means ‘fatty or rich rice’ in English, in reference to the creaminess of the coconut-milk that is used to cook the rice.

It is typically served with slices of refreshing cucumbers, sambal (chilli paste), full-boiled or fried egg, fried anchovies, and a sprinkling of peanuts.

The history of nasi lemak in Malaysia can be traced back to 1909 when it was mentioned in a book titled “The Circumstances of Malay Life” by Sir Richard Olof Winstedt.

In the book, he described how the Malay cooks back then would boil the rice in coconut milk, instead of water, during special occasions.

Winstedt, a British scholar and a colonial administrator, also wrote about the different condiments served with the rice such as fish and vegetables.

Interestingly, local legend attributes the creation of nasi lemak to a mother-daughter duo named Mak Kuntum and Seri.

One day when Mak Kuntum was out working, and Seri was cooking, she accidentally split some coconut milk into a pot of rice.

Upon returning home from work, Mak Kuntum tasted the rice and was taken by how delicious it was. When she asked her daughter what she cooked, Seri allegedly replied, “Nasi le, mak!” and behold, nasi lemak was born.

2. Roti Canai

Roti canai is another much-loved Malaysian meal enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. It is basically a piece of dough kneaded into thin layers, then artfully thrown into the air before it is cooked on a skillet and served piping hot with lentils, chicken, or fish curry.

Apart from traditional roti canai, egg, sardine, butter, and even cheese is sometimes added between the thin, fluffy layers to create different varieties.

The word ‘roti’ means bread in Malay and in Sanskrit, an even older language. But there are many different schools of thought as to where the word ‘canai’ originated.

Some believe ‘canai’ is derived from Chennai, the capital city of the Tamil Nadu state in India. Others say it comes from the Malay cooking term, ‘canai’, which means ‘to roll the dough thinly’. Interestingly, there are also some who believe it is related to ‘chana’, a chickpea curry.

Many credit the Indians who came to Malaya to work in rubber estates and oil-palm plantations during the British occupation as the original creators of roti canai as it bears some resemblance to the ‘Malabari Paratha’ that exists in their homeland.

3. Nasi Kandar

Nasi kandar is a meal made up of steamed rice served with a variety of delectable meats and vegetable dishes topped up with curries.

Abdul Rais, A R, et al (2013) in their article titled, “A comparative study of nasi kandar eating patterns among patrons in the Klang Valley and Penang of Malaysia” stated that nasi kandar got its name from the way sellers would balance a pole on their shoulders, carrying rice inside a container.

Hence, the name ‘nasi kandar’, where ‘nasi’ in the Malay language means rice and ‘kandar’ or ‘kandha’ is a word in the Urdu language that means shoulder.

The rice, which was usually served with meat and vegetables, is believed to have originated from the Indian Muslim community who migrated to Penang from Southern India during the 18th century.

4. Cendol

On a hot day, there is nothing better than downing a bowl of ice-cold, sweet cendol, a dessert of shaved ice topped with pandan jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar.

Cendol can also be served with additional ingredients such as red beans, creamed corn, and glutinous rice.

The earliest mention of cendol dates back to an article published in the local newspaper, Saudara, in 1932.

Some believe cendol has its origin at Malaysian ports where leftover ice for refrigerating cargo in trade ships was shaved to form the base of cendol.

It is worth noting that there are also similar dishes to the cendol that exists in several Southeast Asian countries, such as the ‘dawet’ in Indonesia and the ‘lot chong’ in Thailand.

However, a check on the website of the Malaysia Department of National Heritage, confirms that cendol has since been classified as an ‘Intangible Heritage Object’.