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HERITAGE TOURISM MANAGEMENT

MALACCA, FOOD HERITAGE

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Malacca, located in the south of Peninsular Malaysia, is suitable for the

development of heritage food tourism activities because the state has a variety of

unique and exotic heritage foods. This state is not only famous for its variety of

interesting and historic tourist destinations, but also considered a food paradise

because here there are various races such as Malay, Chinese, Indian, Peranakan

and several other minorities. The variety of types of food found in this state shows

that tourists can taste many types of food heritage when they were in the state of

Malacca. According to (Aquino et al., 2021) in their study about the evolution of

traditional food from four dimension (time, place, know-how and cultural meaning)

stated that the traditional foods are those that have been passed down from one

generation to the next in terms of the skills, methods, or customs utilised in their

preparation or in the selection and use of the raw ingredients, which are often local,

as well as the culture that produces them. As they are associated with the society

that creates them, they also have a symbolic significance that gives them meaning.

This makes the legacy of heritage food left from previous ancestors unique and

inherited from one generation to another. This legacy played an important role in

promoting and developing heritage tourism.

The varieties of heritage food in Malacca play an important role to the heritage

tourism. Traditional food such as asam pedas, cencaluk, gula melaka and laksa

nyonya can attract tourists to come to visit in addition to appreciating the beauty of

the landscape of the state of Malacca because its special taste and different from
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food in other states can certainly attract the attention and open the appetite of

tourists from domestic or international. Traditional food serves as a symbol of cultural

identity, status, and communication. Food has become a key component because it

is a symbol of the culture and the place itself. Traditional food can be used to attract

tourists to a destination because the fact is that dining is not only fun but also

considered a cultural activity.

Traditional food also will generates the national economy. This situation can be

proven by the influx of foreign tourists that increases from year to year. This is so

because of the attractiveness of the country's special features that can connect the

hearts of tourists. The tourists will buy these traditional foods to try how these

traditional foods taste and this will make the tourists hooked to buy more to take

back to their country. Based on that, they help promote our country to the eyes of the

world to attract other tourists.

Traditional food preserves the cultural heritage of the race. Each race inherits

traditional food from generation to generation and needs to be fertile even if exposed

to western food. A total of 100 traditional foods of various races were also listed as

National Heritage Cuisine in 2009, which includes nasi dagang, roti canai, nasi

kerabu and so on. By practicing traditional food in our country, it turns out that

maintaining the cultural heritage of the race is vital in preserving and preserving the

culture of the racial heritage.

2.0 MALACCA FOOD HERITAGE BY ETHNIC.

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Food is the main human need to do various activities and continue living.
Food can also reflect the culture and identity of the local community. Malacca, which
consists of a multi-racial society and different cultural backgrounds, provides a
variety of food and delicious dishes that have been inherited for a long time. Heritage
food has long been the identity of a race because of its uniqueness. Heritage food is
loved not only for its taste, texture but also its appetizing aroma. Malacca is rich in
various customs, cultures and beliefs because this is where there are various local
races and ethnicities such as Malay, Chinese, Indian as well as Baba Nyonya, Chitty
and Portuguese. The diversity of ethnics at Malacca represents the variety of foods
to offers to tourists while their visiting Malacca. Table 1, 2 and 3 show the heritage
food and description of the food base on several ethnicities in Malacca.

Malay

The Malay community in Melaka is the community with the largest

composition in the state of Melaka. Originally, the Malacca Malay community
consisted of the native people of Malacca and the people of the Straits or people of
the sea. Then people were encouraged to come from the regions of the Malay world
and were further enlivened with other people involved in international trade. These
outsiders either come to do business or contribute services and energy to serve as
workers in Melaka. According to Raji et al., (2017) Malay food is the same in terms of
spiciness. This can be seen from the preparation, cooking methods, and the
availability and use of well-known ingredients, such as local aromatic herbs and
spices.

Baba and Nyonya

Baba and Nyonya, a group of Chinese descendants who are concentrated in

the Straits States, particularly in the state of Malacca, have a distinctive place among
the Chinese in the Peranakan ethnic group, which is located on the Malay Peninsula.
The majority of Baba's children were brought up in accordance with the Chinese way
of life and religious rituals, which were modified by Malay features and other regional
characteristics. Due to Malay influence, "Nyonya" cuisine, which employs Malay
spices, was created. Consider the dry chicken curry known as ayam kapitan as an
illustration. Nyonya's cuisine is the representative result of cultural hybridization by
the migration of the Peranakan people to the Malay Archipelago, geographical
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proximity and political factors. Today's Nyonya cuisine is growing in tandem with the
influx of global culture into the region fostering culinary rejuvenation and exchange
(Oh et al., 2019).

Chetti

The Chetti community, also known as the Melaka Peranakan Hindu

community, is a unique Indian minority community in Malaysia. Although everyone
knows, in general the Chetti people who come from India have dark skin in the
beginning, the average Chetti people have the same appearance as Southeast
Asians with light skin. In fact, it is no exaggeration that some of them look like
Malays and Chinese. This is because they practice intermarriage between races.
When traders came to Melaka just to do business, they did not bring wives from
India, instead they married into the community in Melaka. The type of traditional
cuisine of the Chetti community is similar to the Baba Nyonya, Portuguese and
Malay people. Most of the side dishes are more spicy due to the influence of the
local people who prefer spicy food. Chetti cuisine combines typical Malay ingredients
such as parang (wolf herring) bones and coconut milk as the basic ingredient. Even
Chetti stew is produced with Malay materials and skills, it has its own flavor (Mohd
Fikri et al., 2021).

Table 1. Malay traditional food at Malacca

N Heritage foods Description of the food

o

Asam pedas Asam Pedas is an interestingly

simple name, consisting of only two
1
syllables that connote "sour" and
"spicy." The sourness comes from
tamarind (cooked until soft, then
strained to extract the juice), and
the spice comes from fresh chili
peppers.
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2 Cencaluk Cencaluk is a side dish in traditional

Melaka dishes. Because it is made
from fine shrimp, better known as
shrimp, cencaluk contains a high
protein content.

4 Gula Melaka Gula Melaka, also known as Gula

Tuak, is one of the most abundant
sources of sugar in Melaka. This
sugar is made from coconut sap.

5 Dodol

Basically, this Dodol dessert is

made from old coconut milk, cane
sugar and melaka sugar and
glutinous rice flour.
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6 Kuih Keria Melaka Deep-fried doughnuts made from

sweet potatoes are called kuih
keria. After being boiled and
mashed, the potatoes are combined
with flour to create a workable
dough that is shaped into doughnut
rings. After being cooked, the
doughnuts are typically sugar-
glazed or liberally dusted with white
or palm sugar (gula melaka).

7 Inang-inang

Thick rice cracker made with

seasoned, cooked glutinous sticky
rice that has been moulded into a
flat, sphere, and dried in the sun.
The sun-dried inang-inang is deep
fried in plenty of cooking oil to
create a crunchy rice cracker.

Table 2. Baba and Nyonya traditional food

No Heritage food Description of the food

1 Laksa Nyonya It is made from thick wheat noodles

or vermicelli that is eaten with
chicken, shrimp or fish and served
with a spicy curry-based sauce.
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2 Ayam Pongteh

Ayam Pongteh is Baba and

Nyonya's dish. It is made from
chicken, potatoes and sweet soy
sauce and Malacca sugar as a
flavor enhancer.

3 Ayam Buah Keluak Ayam Buah Keluak is an important

dish for the Peranakan community.
It became an icon and a synonym
for the culture engraved in their
hearts. In the past, for festive
occasions, this keluak chicken dish
would be placed on a long table
called Tok Panjang. This fruit is also
known as the kepayang fruit
obtained from the kepayang tree.

5 Jiu hu Char This dish is usually served during

the days leading up to the festival
for the Baba and Nyonya
community. Jiu Hu Char consists of
fried octopus with vegetables such
as mushrooms, carrots, capsicum,
cabbage and more. The squid used
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will be chopped first before cooking.

6 Kuih Ang Ku

This Ang Ku cake is one of Baba

and Nyonya's traditional cakes. It is
small round and oval shaped
around which there is rice flour.
This cake is quite sticky and the
taste is sweet.

7 Kuih Chang

Kuih chang which is a traditional

dish of the Baba and Nyonya
community is also known as zongzi.
It is made from glutinous rice mixed
with other ingredients - chicken,
oyster sauce, pekar soy sauce,
liquid soy sauce, spices, sesame
oil, onions, beans and more.

Table 3. Chetti traditional food

No Heritage food Description of the food

1 Normally, milk rice is cooked for a

prayer ceremony or feast for the dead
on the eighth day or called the Eight-
Day Prayer because it is carried out
eight days after someone's death.
Milk rice is cooked using rice and
cow's milk. Ponggol milk is cooked in
a pot until it overflows. This signifies
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Nasi susu that the Chetti community will be

overflowing with joy, prosperity and
wealth.

2 Nasi Kechedi Nasi Kechidi or Nasi Dhal is a feast

that is often served to the crowd
when celebrating a big day.

3 Thosai A kind of pancake-like food made by

using a mixture that has been
fermented for some time. Usually,
tosai is served for breakfast together
with various types of sauces such as
dal sauce, chicken curry or fish curry,
as well as cutni which is a thick sauce
made from a mixture of ground
coconut and spices and chili.

4 Idli It is also called steamed rice cake.

The physical form is like a small cake
that is not thick, it is not sweet and
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uses rice as the basic ingredient. This

cake is served with chutney and
sambal as a garnish or seasoning.

3.0 EVOLUTION OF DODOL

Dodol is a food that belongs to the category of sweet foods. Malacca is known
for its dodol. Dodol production is a highly challenging process. Although many
individuals attempt to manufacture it, not all of them succeed in producing high-
quality dodol. Often, older people are the ones who are skilled at creating this dodol.
The younger generation rarely produces quality dodol. The ingredients needed to
make dodol consist of coconut milk, rice flour, granulated sugar, nisan/melaka sugar
and salt. A study from Ismail et al., (2021) about Malaysia traditional sweet stated
dodol is a unique and popular heritage food in Malaysia which unfortunately has
been listed as one of the endangered foods by the Malaysian Department of National
Heritage. A study suggested it needs to be preserved by any means using different
traditional and scientific methods. The preservation of traditional methods should
begin by documenting traditional dodol recipes that are passed down orally from the
old generation to the younger generation. At the same time, scientific methods need
to be adapted to ensure that dodol goes through an era of modernization that
includes educating the public about the history and various types, recipes, cooking
methods, packaging, and ceremonies related to traditional and modern dodol.
However, dodol still undergoes evolution and transformation from time to time in
order to survive in the market. This transformation is to meet the needs of today's
market, so that a food can be accepted by all generations and all nations can enjoy
it. The evolution and transformation of this dodol can be seen in terms of the
materials used, equipment and methods of preparation as well as the variety of
dodol variations today. If in the past dodol could be enjoyed only during the festive
season because of the rather complicated manufacturing process, nowadays dodol
can be found at any time.
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Ingredients and varieties

Glutinous flour, coconut milk and palm sugar are the main ingredient in
cooking dodol in ancient times. But nowadays, in order to sell dodol and make the
presentation of dodol more attractive, other ingredients such as colourings and
flavorings have been added. If before the dodol was cocoa colored which happened
because palm sugar was included but now we can find dodol in various colors such
as red, green and yellow. The manufacturer has replaced palm sugar with
granulated sugar and added colouring to the dodol. Apart from that there are dodol in
the market with various flavours. Among them are the pandan flavour by adding the
juice of pandan leaves into the dodol mixture and also the durian flavour by inserting
the durian filling into the dodol mixture. This makes the variety of dodol flavours with
the addition of ingredients in the mixture. However, the goal is the same which is to
produce sticky, creamy dodol with coconut flavour and sweetness.

Equipments and methods

The traditional dodol making process has its own uniqueness where the right
technique is able to produce quality dodol with better texture and shelf life than
normal dodol. Preparing dodol requires a very long cooking time (6 - 10 hours) as
well as a lot of labour to stir in an iron pan to produce good quality traditional dodol.
The equipment used to cook dodol in the past was to use firewood to get the aroma
of firewood and a unique taste. However, recently there has been a special
Commercial Dodol Maker machine and allows dodol to be cultivated commercially
and can be purchased all year round. Dodol can also now be cooked at home using
a high pressure cooker with a very short preparation time and no need to stir. The
evolution of the use of equipment and the way of making dodol has evolved over
time. This evolution is to speed up the preparation of dodol and increase production.

Packaging

The traditional way of packaging dodol by the people of Malacca is done by

using tampin to preserve the aroma of dodol, as well as being more durable, i.e. up
to a month even if it is not stored in the refrigerator. It is not easy for him to get
tampin because he also needs to find mengkuang leaves around the village and
weave the leaves himself into a container. After going to the bush to find mengkuang
leaves, it then needs to be washed over fire and the next process is soaking in water
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for three days before drying again until dry for at least two days. It's best to make
tampin, he will use bamboo to melt mengkuang leaves that have been dried until
they are soft. Then you can start weaving. But the evolution of dodol packaging
today has changed to be easier by using plastic containers or packaging boxes.

4.0 KLEBANG, MALACCA - CENCALUK AND BELACAN SALES CENTERS

Klebang is a famous beach in the state of Malacca, Malaysia. It is located

near Tanjung Kling. Klebang is divided into two parts, Klebang Besar and Klebang
Kecil. Klebang is a part of Central Melaka which is located in the middle between
Melaka City and Sungai Udang. Klebang is divided into 2 parts, namely, Klebang
Besar and Klebang Kecil. Klebang Besar is a klebang area that has Klebang Beach,
extending all the way to the Balik Buloh area, while Klebang Kecil starts from the
Mango Tree area up to the Klebang Besar Mosque. Klebang Besar has several
village areas including Pulau Gadong, Kampung Permatang, Balik Buloh which lead
up to Bertam Perdana, Cheng. Pulau Gadong Road is the main vehicle route from
the Udang River to Melaka City via the AMJ Highway (Alorgajah- Melaka- Jasin). In
the Klebang Beach area, the state government has already reclaimed the beach
area to be used as a recreational area for the residents of Melaka, this embankment
area extends to Kundor beach, Tanjung Kling (also known as Puteri Beach).

For the past 20 years, the name Klebang beach, here seems to have become
synonymous among tourists and local people as a center for selling cencaluk and
belacan, which is the famous traditional food of Malacca. If tourists go through the
Klebang Besar area, they will find a row of shops selling cencaluk and belacan along
the road. Most of the rows of stalls found along this road, not only sell belacan and
cencaluk but other heritage foods can also be found here such as dodol, gula
melaka, inang-inang crackers, peneram and others. The existence of more than 16
stalls selling cencaluk and belacan starting from Klebang Besar until Tanjung Kling
makes the product a 'must buy' food item if visiting the area.
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Geragau prawns are synonymous with the Puteri and Klebang coastal
communities because they are the main ingredient to produce Belacan and
Cencaluk which are famous in the state of Melaka. In the state of Melaka, these
prawns can be found in certain seasons at Pantai Klebang and some other coastal
areas. Menyunkur Udang Geragau is a traditional practice of the coastal community
of Klebang Beach that still survives despite the currents of change. The fishermen
hunt for Geragau Shrimp by using all their energy to wade through the waves and
walk along the beach to get Geragau Shrimp. With the large production of Geragau
Prawns, Klebang is a popular place for the production of cencaluk and belacan in the
state of Melaka.

Figure 1. Signboard showing belacan and cencaluk business areas in Klebang.

Figure 2. Rows of shops along Klebang street.

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Figure 3. Heritage food of Malacca Cencaluk and Belacan.

Figure 4. Traditional way ‘Menyunkur Udang Geragau’.

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5.0 ISSUES IN UTILISING TRADITIONAL FOOD AS CULTURAL HERITAGE

PRODUCT.

In Malaysia, traditional food symbolizes an identity culture in a society. In fact,

tourists who come to admire the uniqueness and diversity of traditional food cooked
by various people race in Malaysia. Traditional food is one source of income which is
cultivated by local people in Malaysia. among the issues that always arise in the
effort to dignify traditional food as a cultural heritage product for a state is such as
the need to maintain the original recipe of a dish, the influence of western food in
society and the growing of fast-food restaurant.

Maintaining old recipes of traditional foods, whether they are almost extinct or
rarely made in today's society. Recipes and preparation of heritage food including
heavy food, desserts and side dishes are usually handed down from one generation
to the next orally without systematic records and documentation. Knowledge related
to the uniqueness, philosophy, nutrition and even the preparation of heritage food
itself is getting lost over time when no one inherits and practices it. Therefore, the
preservation, documentation, and research program of various aspects of heritage
food so that it can be used as a reference by various layers of society by maintaining
the original recipe should be actively implemented.

Today's society is mostly unfamiliar with traditional confectionery, especially

young people. As a question, why is traditional food increasingly forgotten? It cannot
be denied that the modernity that is happening today has brought in many elements
of foreign culture into some people. Today's young people are exposed to western-
style food that is considered more luxurious and easier to prepare than traditional
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food. The average Malaysian community sees beef wellington and tiramisu as
western food that should be enjoyed and has its own social status. This clearly
shows that the food heritage of a country is increasingly being forgotten by young
people due to the influence of western food that is becoming more and more
widespread, drowning out the traditional food of the Malaysian community.

Apart from that, the influence of fast food that grows like mushrooms after rain is
also an issue that needs to be taken seriously in an effort to benefit from traditional
food. Fast food such as McDonald's, Domino's Pizza, KFC and Kenny Rogers
Roaster which are easy to find have dominated society in their food selection. The
growing of fast-food restaurant to some extent gives the effect of traditional food.

Traditional local food is the identity of the community of a place. It symbolizes

the community's own tradition and lifestyle. Technological changes and growing
innovations are not an obstacle for us to forget the traditions of our ancestors. We
need to apply these increasingly forgotten traditions so that we can recognize the
origins of our ancestors and the traditions of the past.
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References

Ismail, N., Muhammad, M. S., Che Ishak, F. A., Arsyad, M. M., Karnjamapratum, S., &
Sirison, J. (2021). The Malay’s traditional sweet, dodol: a review of the Malaysia’s
heritage delicacy alongside with the rendition of neighbouring countries. In Journal of
Ethnic Foods (Vol. 8, Issue 1). BioMed Central Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-
021-00095-3

Mohd Fikri, N. H., Abdul Rahman, A. E., & Noh, I. (2021). Exploring culinary heritage
practices among the younger Chetti generations in Melaka. Journal of Ethnic Foods,
8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-021-00101-8

Oh, Y., Abdul Razak, N. F. A. H., Tat Wee, D. H., Ching, E. L., & Rahman, Z. (2019). The
development of Nyonya cuisine in the Malay Archipelago: Penang and Malacca
Nyonya cuisine. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-019-
0010-x

Raji, M. N. A., Ab Karim, S., Ishak, F. A. C., & Arshad, M. M. (2017). Past and present
practices of the Malay food heritage and culture in Malaysia. In Journal of Ethnic
Foods (Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp. 221–231). Elsevier B.V.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jef.2017.11.001

Rocillo-Aquino, Z., Cervantes-Escoto, F., Leos-Rodríguez, J. A., Cruz-Delgado, D., &

Espinoza-Ortega, A. (2021). What is a traditional food? Conceptual evolution from
four dimensions. In Journal of Ethnic Foods (Vol. 8, Issue 1). BioMed Central Ltd.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-021-00113-4