Is “Bak Kut Teh” Really a Traditional Malaysian Food?

7-6-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) Langkawi opposition Member of Parliament, Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah, today raised concerns about when “Bak Kut Teh” was categorized as a Malaysian traditional food. This matter was brought up following a question by Tebrau MP, Jimmy Puah Wee Tse, to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture regarding the ministry’s efforts to elevate traditional Malaysian foods such as nasi lemak, bak kut teh, and laksa as national dishes.

Questioning this issue, Mohd Suhaimi from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition stated that based on a review of 10 traditional Malaysian foods, bak kut teh was not listed in that category. “Out of the 30 traditional foods of different ethnic groups in Malaysia, bak kut teh is not included. My question is, since when was bak kut teh included in this list, and does the minister agree to include it as requested by YB Tebrau?” he asked during the oral question session in the Dewan Rakyat (Lower House of Parliament) today.

According to a Google search, bak kut teh refers to a type of soup dish with ribs (usually pork) cooked in traditional Chinese herbs and is reported to originate from Klang. Earlier, Puah, when raising his supplementary question, explained that he asked this question after watching a documentary aired by a neighboring country’s television station, which seemingly questioned the origin of bak kut teh and suggested it was from the neighboring country, not Klang.

Therefore, he sought views on whether the government would change that perception and suggested the establishment of a National Food Institution to strengthen traditional foods. In response to Mohd Suhaimi’s question, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, stated that for a certain type of food to be included in the traditional category, it must be consumable by all Malaysians. “I somewhat agree with Langkawi’s view because it requires a food prospect that can be enjoyed by all Malaysians.

If bak kut teh includes chicken bak kut teh, it can be considered as a traditional food, YB Langkawi. But the bak kut teh raised by YB Tebrau, he did not specify the type of bak kut teh, so I cannot provide a specific answer. But the key point here is that for us to include it as a heritage food, it should be eaten and experienced by all ethnic groups in our country,” he explained.