Since when has “bak kut teh” become a Malaysian heritage food, asks Bersatu MP
BERSATU Langkawi MP Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah has questioned the legitimacy of bak kut teh (herbal pork rib soup) as Malaysia’s heritage food.
“I want to ask since when bak kut teh has become a traditional food in Malaysia because I didn’t come across bak kut teh in the list of 10 most popular traditional food/dishes in Malaysia,” the Perikatan Nasional (PN) representative pointed out when posing additional question at the question and answer (Q&A) session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
“Moreover, bah kut teh was also not mentioned in the list of 30 traditional food of various races in Malaysia,” he further noted while reading out some names of traditional Malaysian dishes/food, prompting deputy speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor to ask Mohd Suhaimi to ask a question.
Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah
“The question is when bak kut teh was included in the list of Malaysian heritage food? Does the minister agree to include (bak kut teh) in the application as requested by the Tebrau MP?” asked the Bersatu permanent chairman.
In answering the question posed by Mohd Suhaimi, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan agreed with the former’s view that to be included as national heritage food, the food in question must first be suitable for consumption by every Malaysian.
“If the bak kut teh comes in the form of chicken bak kut teh (or chikuteh), then the answer is yes,” justified Khairul Firdaus.
“But as for the bak kut teh version which the Tebrau MP brought up, he didn’t specifically mention which type was it. Whatever it is, the main criteria for it to be included as heritage food is for the dish to be edible by all races.”
As per the original question of Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH-DAP), he asked the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister to state the ministry’s efforts to ensure that Malaysian traditional food/dishes such as nasi lemak, bak kut teh and laksa are elevated to the status of the country’s national food instead of them being claimed as national food of other countries.
Bak kut teh is a type of pork rib soup cooked with traditional Chinese herbs said to have originated from Klang, Selangor. – June 7, 2023
“The question is when bak kut teh was included in the list of Malaysian heritage food? Does the minister agree to include (bak kut teh) in the application as requested by the Tebrau MP?” asked the Bersatu permanent chairman.
In answering the question posed by Mohd Suhaimi, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan agreed with the former’s view that to be included as national heritage food, the food in question must first be suitable for consumption by every Malaysian.
“If the bak kut teh comes in the form of chicken bak kut teh (or chikuteh), then the answer is yes,” justified Khairul Firdaus.
“But as for the bak kut teh version which the Tebrau MP brought up, he didn’t specifically mention which type was it. Whatever it is, the main criteria for it to be included as heritage food is for the dish to be edible by all races.”
As per the original question of Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH-DAP), he asked the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister to state the ministry’s efforts to ensure that Malaysian traditional food/dishes such as nasi lemak, bak kut teh and laksa are elevated to the status of the country’s national food instead of them being claimed as national food of other countries.
Bak kut teh is a type of pork rib soup cooked with traditional Chinese herbs said to have originated from Klang, Selangor. – June 7, 2023
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kt comments:
Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (DAP) might have gone too far in asking a Malay Minister to list bah-kut-teh (by convention, pork ribs) on the Malaysian national heritage food list. Totally insensitive.
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