Malaysia Truly Asia.

Submitted by mycutimalaysia.com

Endowed with a diversity of cultures, Malaysia offers a 'truly Asian experience'. Discover a delightful fusion of three of Asia's oldest civilisations - Malay, Chinese and Indian. A potpourri enriched with the indigenous traditions of the KadazanDusuns, Ibans and other ethnic communities of Sabah and Sarawak.

Experience the country's alluring wonders - colorful festivals, breathtaking skyscrapers, charming heritage buildings, enchanting islands and beaches as well as a million-year-old rainforest with fascinating flora and fauna.

Meet the warm and friendly people and enjoy world-class facilities. Marvel at the bewildering range of shopping delights and tempt your palate with mouth-watering delicacies.

Bursting with color, pulsating with life, Malaysia awaits you. Malaysia is a fascinating holiday destination offering something for everyone to enjoy. There are three distinct destinations in the country - Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia. Visitors are often surprised to discover how developed the country is, yet rich and varied in cultural tradition.

The country's main gateway is Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) near the capital. Other major international airports are Langkawi, Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.

Kuala Lumpur or KL ia a modern cosmopolitan city boasting the world's tallest twin towers towering at a height of 452m. Its architecture is representative of the country's dominant cultures - the Malay, Chinese and Indian. Combined with the colonial legacy of the British and Moorish influences, KL has one of Asia's most dynamics cityscapes.

Malaysia's long coastline and many coral-fringed islands, with the Straits of Malacca to the west and the South China Sea to the east, give rise to a large number of fabulous beaches. Islands like Langkawi. Tioman and Pangkor are world-renowned resort destinations. Penang is another island famous for its history, relaxing beaches and cultural mix. Further south, Malacca is known for its history, museums and the unique Baba-Nyonya community. The charming east coast of the peninsula with its laid back lifestyle, is the country's cultural heartland.

The states of Sabah and Sarawak await nature lovers and adventurers. Discover the prolific marine life and dense rainforest while exploring the underwater world and wilderness of Borneo.Malaysia has many exciting places of interest and during a holiday of just two weeks, visitors will get a mere glimpse. One thing's for certain; everyone wants to return to discover more of Malaysia. Malaysia Tourism.http://www.mycutimalaysia.com

Source: ArticleTrader.com

Malaysian Cuisine

by: Liz Canham


Malaysia is situated in south east Asia and is rather unusual in that one part lies south of Thailand on the south east Asian peninsular, with Singapore at its tip. This is where the capital, Kuala Lumpur, is to be found. The other part lies across the South China Sea and forms the northern one third of the island of Borneo, surrounding the Sultanate of Brunei.

Malaysia has a mixed history which reflects in today's cuisine.

In the 15th Century, the southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons brought the ships of the Arabs, Indians and Chinese who traded in spices, silk and precious stones. Many of the traders remained behind and married local women. A slow conversion to Islam began, which meant that pork was excluded from the Malay diet.

The 16th Century saw the arrival of the Portuguese, who brought chillies with them, the Dutch and the British, all of whom remained for some time to rule the country.

During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area and brought in more Indians and Chinese to work in the tin mines and rubber plantations. Many of these Asians stayed too and from all these influences, current day Malay cuisine evolved.

Originally, Malay cooking consisted of fish flavoured with shrimp paste, pepper, ginger, turmeric, lemon grass or tamarind. Rice was always a staple in this area and being a major part of Indian and Chinese food too, remained as central to the diet. Muslim Malays excluded pork and Indian Hindus excluded beef but delicate Chinese flavourings, Indian spices and herbs from South East Asian made an appearance.

Nasi means cooked rice in Malay and Nasi Goreng, that well known Indonesian dish, is cooked rice, usually fried with flavourings for breakfast. For special occasions it has a fried egg on top. But I digress, Malay Nasi dishes include Nasi Kander, much influenced by Indian cuisine and consisting of both fish and meat curry, rice and hard boiled eggs. This dish used to be bought from an itinerant salesman who carried his wares in baskets suspended from a pole over his shoulder (kinder means shoulder in an Indian dialect). A bit of everything would be placed on a banana leaf and the sauce dripped over the hard boiled eggs.

The Malays adopted some Indian recipes and in return the Indians started to add galangal, lemon grass and coconut to their food. Then came the food of the Nonyas which resulted from the marriage of Malay men to Chinese women which introduced Chinese seasonings such as star anise and salty soy sauce.

The resultant cuisine is a pleasant mix of hot and spicy with mild and perfumed.