Get a taste of Melanau cuisine, culture at Damai

KUCHING: After a series of ‘ MakanMakan’ events featuring ethnic cuisine and food culture in conjunct ion with major festivals like Chinese New Year, Gawai Dayak, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Deepavali, this year’s ‘ MakanMakan Sarawak 2017’ will start with the rich Melanau food culture.

Organised by Yaya san Perpaduan Sarawak ( YPS) and the Sarawak Development Institute ( SDI) in collaboration with The Champions, Melanau Association of Kuching ( MAK) and Ma jl is Ad at Is ti ad at (Council for Native Customs and Tradition), the ‘ MakanMakan Sarawak: Pesta Makanan Melanau’ event will be held this April 22 at Damai Beach Resort in Santubong from 11am to 5pm.

YPS in a statement yesterday said there will be two segments in the event whereby the first segment will be a ticketed lunch from 11am to 2pm.

Twenty authentic Melanau dishes such as ‘ pipuih’, ‘ sagok nyiur’, ‘umai’, ‘ linut’, ‘ulam’, and ‘ bubur sekapur’ will be served during the lunch where guests will also be entertained with dances such as the ‘alu- alu’.

The dishes will be accompanied by detailed explanations by a cultural and food expert from MAK.

Meanwhile, the second segment will be a free exhibition at Damai Beach Resort’s Sunset Hall which is open to the public from 2pm to 5pm.

This will include food demonstrations, explanations of cultural practices and even traditional Melanau games which guests can participate in.

Among the exhibits would be those on sago origins, marriage customs and various artefacts.

Additionally, there will be food vendors selling Melanau delicacies like smoked sago grubs, ‘sesar unjur’, ‘ kuih sepit’, ‘ keropok’, and sago.

MAK members will also showcase how to prepare ‘ tumpik’, ‘ umai’, ‘ linut’ and ‘ teliseh’ during the exhibition.

Those interested to savour the best of Melanau cuisine may purchase tickets for the lunch priced at RM35 per person.

To purchase tickets, please cal l The Champions’ hotline at 016-8462688 or email thechampionskch@gmail.com.