Tempoyak reigns supreme

Delicious delicacy: tempoyak is a popular traditional food among Malaysians.

Compiled by MEI MEi CHU, CHOW HOW BAN and R. ARAVINTHAN 

THE consumption of tempoyak (fermented durian) reached one million kilos last year, proving its popu­larity as a traditional food among Malaysians.

“We are now promoting tempo­yak not only for traditional dishes such as ikan patin, but also for international menus,” Federal Agricul­tural Marketing Auth­ority director-­general Datuk Ahmad Ishak was quoted as saying by Kosmo!.He cited the example of a chef who made French toast with tempoyak, mayonnaise and salad.

He added that there was a possibility that tempoyak could be just as popular as kimchi.

“Restaurants in Korea serve kimchi. Like­wise, tempoyak is comparable to it where we can make it ‘obligatory’ in most meals,” he said.

 

> There has been talk that orang bunian (invisible beings) are linked to the disappearance of a runner in Perak, Sinar Harian reported.Federation of Malaysian Islamic Medicine Associations president Fauzi Mustafa said supernatural beings such as orang bunian could see humans, but not vice versa.

“The jungle is a place where supernatural beings live. Any­where humans don’t live, these beings are there.

“It is a possibility, but we can’t say for sure,” he said, referring to the disappearance of Muhammad Ash­raf Hassan during a group run on March 23.

 

> Singer Wani Kayrie, 19, has dispelled talk that she won a RM60,000 university scholarship because of her status as a celebrity, Harian Metro reported.

She said she earned the scholarship due to her examination results.

“I qualified for the scholarship as I scored well in SPM and was active in co-curricular activities in school.

“My career as a singer has never been a ticket or stepping stone to acquire something,” she said.

Wani, whose real name is Syaz­wani Abdullah, said it would have been unfair for her to use her status to secure the scholarship.

 

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.