Succulent servings: Nor Erwan showing two platters of cockles and mussels at his restaurant in Sungai Bakap. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
BUTTERWORTH: Every year during Ramadan, the quiet town of Nibong Tebal will be abuzz with a long line of cockle and siput lovers.
Thousands of seafood enthusiasts, some travelling from as far as Johor, flock here to indulge in freshly grilled and boiled molluscs of various types.
The place turns into a thriving commercial scene as food lovers gather to enjoy a simple moreh (sharing a meal after terawih prayers) with loved ones.
One of them, Muhammad Fitri Shukri, 26, said he has eaten molluscs elsewhere but it was his first time doing so in Nibong Tebal.
“I’ve heard a lot about Nibong Tebal being popular during Ramadan, where eating molluscs has become a tradition,” he said.
With his wife Nur Farra Asyikin Mohd Fauzi Ooi and their friends in tow, the factory technician said he headed straight to a shop near Taman Jawi Jaya, even though there are several places touted as popular in Nibong Tebal such as Teluk Ipil, Sungai Acheh and Kampung Besar.
Nur Farra Asyikin, 26, an accountant, said she loves eating boiled and grilled cockles after a regular buka puasa meal, adding that having something light after terawih prayers has become a practice in Penang.
“When we have moreh, we prefer something light and if we eat the cockles fresh – boiled and dipped in tamarind sauce – it’s really yummy.
“It’s something we enjoy once a year because we don’t eat cockles as often during other months,” she said.
Every year during Ramadan, local vendors will set up makeshift stalls to offer a mouth-watering array of cockle-based dishes, from spicy sambal cockles to creamy coconut-infused renditions.
The perennial favourites are kerang (cockles), kerang bulu (furry cockles), siput sudu (mussels), kepah (clams), siput duri (spiny sea snails), siput unam (sea snails), siput bintang (sea snails) and siput bayam (bamboo mussels).
Norita Jalil, 44, came all the way from Johor to tuck into the molluscs galore here.
“I am here on a working visit and to meet up with my friends.
“So, while we are here, we don’t want to miss out on the popular moreh dish,” she beamed.
She said the molluscs are only available during Ramadan, so it is the perfect time to savour them while strengthening bonds with family and friends.
Herzawati Mohd Halil, 41, from Perak, said enjoying cockles and siput during moreh in Ramadan is an enjoyable way to catch up with family and old friends.
Over at Wanis Char Koey Teow Raja Siput Restaurant, its operator Nor Erwan Mohd Nordin, 38, said the practice of eating molluscs during Ramadan has been adopted by locals for over 30 years.
“It began with families eating cockles and other types of mollusc after terawih prayers during the Ramadan month.
“Now they have become very much in demand,” he said, adding that he has been selling such dishes during Ramadan for the past five years.
Nor Erwan said he has sold about 1,000kg of various types of mollusc to his customers since the third day of Ramadan this year.
