Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik. - Filepic/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Can local delicacies like kuih lompat tikam be as popular as croissants, asks a government backbencher.
Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau) said local delicacies were not promoted much by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, especially in tourist hotspots such as Bukit Bintang here.
"The food there is mostly 'flooded' by those from the Middle East, and not our local delicacies, which should be equally promoted. We want our local delicacies to be on par with croissants, a popular French pastry made with yeast-risen dough.
"What is the minister's comment on this?," he asked in his supplementary question during Question Time.
In reply, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing denied that the ministry neglected local traditional delicacies when it comes to promotional activities.
"Various steps have been taken by our ministry to promote local traditional delicacies so they will be popular and enjoyed, especially by our younger generation.
"Among them, the ministry via the National Heritage Department, had published several books on local traditional delicacies," he said.
On plans to make any specific dish as an iconic Malaysian dish for tourists, Tiong said that Malaysia has many iconic dishes such as nasi lemak, nasi kerabu, and nasi dagang.
"In this matter, our ministry will find ways to boost promotion, including to create an app to promote our local food," he said.
