If you've ever tried Malay food, then you know that it's something special. In fact, arguably, Asian countries have some of the best food, from Chinese food to Indian food. But, knowing what's actually in your food will allow you to appreciate the dish even more than before. That's why you should learn Malay and 70+ great food terms in Malay!
The next time you visit a food stall to order your favorite noodle dish, chicken curry, or grilled chicken, wouldn't you love to be able to communicate with the merchant? Once you learn this vocabulary about food/food ingredients in Malay, order will be a breeze! Who knows, maybe the merchant will even ask you to be their assistant!
We have 70+ excellent food vocabulary terms and ingredients to teach you, but before all that, let's go over a couple of common misconceptions and some key features of Malay food!
This is a commonly asked question regarding Malay cuisine, so let's clear up any confusion and misconceptions now! Below is a list of the places where you can find Malay cuisine served:
As you can see from our list, Malay cuisine can be found in many other Asian countries! However, for the purpose of this blog post, we'll be referring to the common Malay dishes found in Malaysia, specifically peninsular Malaysia.
Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country that borders Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia.
The country has a bustling capital city, known as Kuala Lumpur, and a population of over 32 million people.
The official language of Malaysia is Malaysian, which is a standard form of the Malay language.
Now that you have a little background on Malay cuisine and Malaysia, let's start talking about the most exciting part - the food!
Every country prepares and cooks its food in different ways. Some countries might bake most of their dishes, while another country grills theirs over a fire! Different countries also use different ingredients, depending on the weather in that particular country and the long-standing cooking traditions.
Preparing food in Malaysia is characterized by lots and lots of spices! So, please make sure that if you aren't a fan of spicy food or can't handle spicy food, you should ask the merchant to lower the spice level when you order!
In addition to spices, Malaysian dishes often use coconut milk (santan), shrimp paste (belacan), lemongrass (serai), galangal (lengkuas), and, of course, steamed rice (nasi). These ingredients are all staples of Malaysian food culture and they are what make Malaysian cuisine and Malay dishes so delicious.
Not to mention, the more traditional food, particularly Malay desserts, are just as delicious. When it comes to local cooking, once you take one bite, you won't be able to stop eating!
It's time to take a look at food terms in Malay you must know!
Now that you've learned some food vocabulary terms, let's move on to important food ingredients in Malay. By the way, are you getting hungry yet?
Here are the most important food ingredients to remember in Malay!
Now that you've learned 70+ food terms in Malay, it's time that you go out and practice these with the next merchant you come across!
Have all these food vocabulary terms, and food ingredients made you want to learn more about Malay? If so, we have the perfect app to satisfy your craving!
The Ling App is a language learning app specifically designed to teach you a new language in the most effective way possible. Find out some key features of the app below:
These are just a few of the great features that Ling offers. If you want to learn more about a specific language, you can always go to Ling's free language blog for additional resources. For example, Ling has some great posts on Malaysian culture.
Whether you want to continue learning about the beautiful Malay language or start learning a new language altogether - Ling can help you get there!
