Pasar Borneo is ‘home’ to East Malaysians craving their culture, food

 

The market, established by the Pasar Budaya Borneo Association, caters to the cravings of East Malaysians and shines a light on lesser-known cultures.

SERI KEMBANGAN: When she is feeling homesick for local Sabah delicacies, 27-year-old staff nurse Nur Shafiqah knows exactly where to go to satisfy her cravings.

Pasar Borneo, located in a street in Seri Kembangan, in the Petaling district, Selangor, is the go to place for those from Sabah and Sarawak craving for a taste of home.

Nur Shafiqah, who declined to give her full name, works at Sunway Medical Centre and the minute she entered the Pasar Borneo area, the alluring scent of smoked meat and the captivating aroma of exotic fruits transported her back home.

Ads by Kiosked

“I’m glad I found this place. Being Sabahan, we really crave our food and it’s difficult to find them here in West Malaysia. So once I found out about this (place) and came here, I was so excited and glad. It finally feels like home,” she told FMT.

The market is the brainchild of the Pasar Budaya Borneo Association which was established in 2016, under the leadership of president Nelson Entap Engin. It aims to cater to the homesick cravings of East Malaysians and to shine a light on lesser-known cultures.

“In the past, food from Sabah and Sarawak was hard to find in the peninsula. So we thought, what if we set up a market here? From there, our first objective was to fulfil that demand.

“Our second objective was to promote Bornean products. We, in Malaysia, have various ethnicities but many people still don’t know about the popular food in these states,” he said.

For Nilisip Akang, deputy president of the association, the market plays a central role as a hub for the East Malaysian diaspora to preserve their heritage and maintain their linguistic skills.

“We also want to encourage children, who are Sabahans or Sarawakians but were born here, to get to know their culture.

Ads by Kiosked

“If you notice at certain stalls, they still speak in their native language. So those who haven’t spoken Iban or Kadazan-Dusun for a while can practise. That’s one of the unique features of the market,” he said.

The market, which operates every Saturday, boasts an extensive selection of delicacies rarely found in the peninsula, including the exotic and pungent tarap fruit and the olive-shaped dabai.

Nilisip operates a stall adorned with cups that, from a distance, might easily be mistaken for longan fruit. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that these cups contain live sago worms.

Vendor Jamulia Kakol, aged 43, described the diverse range of methods used to transport their products across the South China Sea.

“Sometimes we bring them over via cargo. Sometimes we put them in our luggage bags. Other times, we send them through the postal system.” - FMT