Growing up, December was special. It’s the time of the year when my family would plan our holiday trip abroad – away from our home in Sandakan, Sabah. I remember our first trip; we boarded a plane, and in less than 3 hours, we landed in a new city. The sights and sounds were so different from our hometown; but amusingly, still a part of the same country, known as Kuala Lumpur. Flying a thousand miles, crossing the South China Sea, just to land in a different city of the same country? That was just part and parcel of hailing from the Bornean island. It took me years to realize how much the Sabah-Peninsular divide really influenced my thinking. Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan are so far from each other, that we have very different ideas about Malaysia, Malaysian-ness, and the national identity. It took me years to understand how my Malaysia, and the dominant Malaysian narrative and identity, are very different. Growing up in Sandakan, I was mesmerised by the empty vast sky at dusk when it reflected perpendicularly to the ocean’s surface; a striking opposite to the skyline view of a thousand foot high architecture here in KL. When I moved to KL and made new friends and we talked about our identities, culture, favourite food and the country’s historical milestones, I found myself learning a few things. Hearing their stories made me realise how alienated our experiences are from each other. As they rave about nasi lemak, banana leaf rice and their mamak lives, munching on a keropok lekor, a savoury fish sausage made from fish and sago flour native to Terengganu, I really wish I could have some coconut pudding instead. Food is undeniably important to our culture and identity. It tells you about the country and its people. Not only that, I think it is the easiest way to bond with others. The best part is that you don’t even need to know how to cook to talk and discuss food. Food has saved me from multiple awkward situations and gained me a few friends along the way, but nothing has beat what I am about to impart through this Malaysians’ favourite and most quintessential dish— Nasi Lemak. Of course, Nasi Lemak is amazing -- the coconut infused rice, accompanied with hard boiled egg, slices of cucumber, peanuts, fried anchovies and sambal wrapped in a banana leaf. The combination of the sweet, spicy and salty crunch in a spoonful of fluffy rice, I believe, is what has melted the hearts of many a Malaysian and foreigner alike. It is even considered the unofficial national dish. Unquestionably, all Malaysians must imbibe nasi lemak–it is sold mostly at every corner of the street, right? But, I did not grow up eating Nasi Lemak. “Selalu orang-orang Semenanjung kalau datang Sabah mesti tanya mana nak cari Nasi Lemak di Sabah ni? Selalunya memang aku jawab aku tak tahulah, sebab orang-orang Sabah memang jarang sangat makan nasi lemak. Kalau pagi biasa makan mee, roti canai, sup-sup dan Kuih-muih,” “When people from Peninsular Malaysia travel here, they would ask me where they could get Nasi Lemak in Sabah - and I’ll always say that I don’t know, because Sabahans rarely eat Nasi Lemak. We usually have noodles, roti canai, soup-based food and kuihs,” wrote Liz Izara. Image: Kuih-muih How did Nasi Lemak become the national dish? Is it because “pretty much everyone in Malaysia has Nasi Lemak since forever”? When McDonald’s Singapore released the Nasi Lemak burger to celebrate Singapore’s national day, it caused a social media uproar from some Malaysians proclaiming the dish exclusively “theirs”. Isn’t this where the dominant narrative of being a Malaysian step in? Maybe Nasi Lemak is most prevalent within the Klang Valley area, because the major populis lives here? With mainstream media focused in the city centre as well, the ‘quintessentially’ Malaysian identity reflects mainly on what is being consumed within these areas. I have probably eaten less nasi lemak in my life compared to the average Singaporean, and if eating Nasi Lemak growing up is the measure of Malaysian-ness, I would be less ‘Malaysian’ than many Singaporeans. I cannot help but to reflect on my identity as a Malaysian. To assuage my thoughts, I shared my story with some friends from home. Their views were not as far off from mine. We grew up eating noodles or Kolo Mee for breakfast, rice for lunch, occasionally enjoying tea time with pisang goreng, UFO tart, egg tart or roti kahwin. But a conversation with my good friend, Shin Li, made me realise how the food we grew up eating is greatly influenced by the town’s history and our own families’ cultural heritage. Given that Sandakan used to be nicknamed ‘Little Hong Kong’, it is no surprise that this community reflects the flavours of the Cantonese and Hakka ethnicity. Image: UFO Tarts Even within the state of Sabah, the ‘norm’ differs between districts. In Kota Kinabalu, the palate is greatly influenced by its proximity to the sea and the local people. “Here, the delicacies include Hinava* and also Nantung or Ambuyat, which is a sago dish served with fish and soup,” explained Melissa Duis, a content producer and writer on culture, tourism, and media working in the film, documentary and online industries. *Hinava is a traditional Kadazan-Dusun dish made from fish with lime juice, bird’s eye chili, sliced shallots and grated ginger Image: Ambuyat Melissa is of Kadazan-Dusun descent, which constitutes the largest ethnic group in Sabah. I asked her: What makes Nasi Lemak a national dish? “If you ask me, nasi lemak is quite commercialised,” she said. “However, not in a bad way.” She continued, “It’s not surprising that it has drawn us together in a successful and positive way because it is something that everyone enjoys, even for me as a Sabahan. It’s a rarity for me, until I came to KL and I love it. It draws us all together.” Malaysia is the best kind of cultural melting pot: one filled with so many traditions and identities. It is Nasi Lemak, but it is also ambuyat and assam laksa and so much more.within Sabah, there is immense culture, history and diversity that makes it impossible to pick one thing and say “that’s definitely what Sabah is all about.” What makes Malaysian food a Malaysian? “Malaysian food is what you see right now, what people define. It’s very surface,” said Alleena Abdullah, a retail and hospitality brand consultant; she is also a chef, food connoisseur and cultural aficionado with a big heart. She then emphasized, “but what it is, is something that we haven’t really discovered yet.” “The more you go out there, understand and find out what people in Sabah, Terengganu or Penang, the more I think you can gather all thoughts. If you eat all these foods, wherever you are, you are Malaysians,” she continued. I never grew up eating Nasi Lemak, but I do like Nasi Lemak. I’m happy that I can now enjoy this more often than I could before but it doesn’t hold the same nostalgia for me as it does my West Malaysian friends. The foods which have my heart are the ones I grew up eating which unfortunately, I am not able to enjoy here in Peninsular Malaysia. Talking to Melissa, Alleena and my friends gave me a new found revelation. With such a huge population of diverse ethnicities in this country, it is true that you cannot just sum that up in one Nasi Lemak. A lot of food in Malaysia are permutations of food from different countries, passed down by our ancestors. That is the beauty of it. We don’t have to constrain ourselves into a homogenous definer. Knowing more foods doesn’t make you more Malaysian, and knowing one less type of Malaysian food, herbs or spices does not make you any less Malaysian – that diversity is Malaysia! Nasi Lemak: The National Dish, now becomes the vehicle for us to further examine our divides thoughtfully. It’s an opportunity for us to reflect as Malaysians, to look into our food, culture, and life critically. Being a nation isn’t always about championing a singular narrative. It’s not just about being united or taking one dish and forcing everyone to own it, because a healthy family and community is one that celebrates diversity, learns from it, and lives with it; together. Identity is the experience we go through. Not just us, but the country as we evolve through urbanisation. This Malaysia Day, let us celebrate the diversity of our experiences, the culture and languages we share, the spices and dishes we do not know and the food not acknowledged. I hope this will open our hearts and minds to boundless treasured discovery already here in this land we call ‘home’. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of BFM 89.9 or its members. Written by: Kathleen Kwan. Co-written by: Rahmah Pauzi Special thanks: Diego Lynch & Alleena Abdullah

From the smallest state of Malaysia, Perlis, hails an unexpected hero – the ‘Harumanis’ mango. One might think that a mango is a mango, but the Harumanis is so unique and sought after that it has inspired festivals, and has even prompted the Perlis government to register its name with the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) in 2011 to avoid imposter breeds from selling inferior products with the Harumanis label. The true origins of this breed of mango is unclear, but it is believed to have originated from Indonesia and then grown here locally. It was officially registered as a breed by the Department of Agriculture Malaysia on 28 May 1971. The Harumanis is often called one of the most expensive mangoes in Malaysia as it can command up to RM40/kg at its peak pricing. For context, the average weight for a single Harumanis is 500gm. So, what’s so special about this mango? The sweetness and fragrance of the mango are signature traits of the Harumanis, with a Brix level of 18% - 20%, compared to an average of 14% for other mango breeds. (Brix, or Degrees Brix is a scale measurement for soluble solids in a liquid. The soluble solids in fruit juices are mostly sugar, so 20% Brix means approximately 20% of the fruit content is sugar). The flesh of the Harumanis is also less fibrous than most, giving it a smoother, silkier texture when eaten. In simple terms, it is a sweeter, more fragrant and silkier mango, making it highly desirable. So desirable in fact, that Harumanis is in high demand and is exported to countries such as Japan, China, Singapore and United States. However, the Harumanis is a very finicky plant and successful cultivate requires a specific set of conditions for good harvest. According to Associate Professor Dr. Mahmad Nor Jaafar (Universiti Malaysia Perlis Institute of Sustainable Agrotechnology, INSAT), very hot and dry weather during the day, and cold windy conditions at night are needed for a three-month period to ensure the tree can produce healthy flowers. The flowering Harumanis trees will not bear fruit if it often rained during the period or if it’s too hot, the flower will wilt before it can pollinate. The amount of water in the soil must be balanced with suitable pH for good fruit growth, and the fruits must be wrapped. After a fruit is almost mature, it once again requires strong sunlight to develop a high level of sweetness before it is suitable for plucking. Plucking it at the wrong time will affect the texture of the fruit and may expose the mango to damage by fungus. The specific conditions, limited yield and high demands both domestically and overseas contributes to the high price factor for the Harumanis mango. The influence on Perlis’ agricultural landscape Harumanis are harvested once a year between April to July, and a single tree can yield up 50kg of fruit. For a farmer with just 100 trees, at a conservative RM20 per kg, a single season can bring in RM100,000. The high value of the crop has sparked interests in many to start farming this fruit, even shifting focus for some farmers from traditional crops such as rice to Harumanis. Perlis, being at the North-most tip of Malaysia sees long periods of hot, dry weather. With optimal weather and soil conditions, it’s no wonder that the state has put a lot of focus into protecting the quality and the Harumanis brand. In 2019, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry former Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub even proposed that Harumanis be included as a must-have item on the menu at ministry and government agency events in an effort to help develop the Harumanis industry. Other agencies such as Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) and Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) also have special units to support the development of the Harumanis industry, providing support in form of marketing Harumanis to the international markets, as well as advice and support to the farmers in order to advance the technologies and techniques used to increase yields. The evolution of the Harumanis industry For the longest time, it was thought that Harumanis could only be grown in Perlis. However, in recent years, other states such as Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan have claimed that there are farms producing mangoes with similar flavour profiles, although they are not able to market it as Harumanis as the name had been trademarked by MyIPO for mangoes grown in Perlis only. In recent weeks, Department of Agriculture Malaysia had discovered through a census in the Marang, Kuala Nerus and Kuala Terengganu areas, the existence of over 100 Harumanis trees, believed to be 30 – 40 years old with up to 3 yields per year. The locals who grew the trees, had not known the quality and value of the plants and had been leaving the fruits to rot at the base of the trees. This discovery spells great hope for the expansion of the Harumanis industry in Malaysia, creating more opportunities for growth and export in years to come. ------------ It is with pride that we celebrate the delicious achievements of Perlis in the first of our BFM ‘Pride of Malaysia’ series in conjunction with Merdeka and Malaysia Day. For more stories like this, visit www.bfm.my or sign up for our weekly newsletter here.