The Malay diet
Durian, together with a variety of other local fruits, displayed for sale at a market stall.
British observers in l9th-century Malaya displayed great curiosity about what lay in the hearts and minds of the Malays, but had remarkably little interest in what was in their stomachs. Malay villages usually produced most of what their inhabitants consumed. Rice and locally grown vegetables were the basic essentials of the diet. Villagers living near the coast also obtained fish from the sea, while those in inland villages caught theirs in rivers and streams or ate salted fish. Meat was eaten only occasionally, mainly during festivals.
- Information in the full article includes
- The common man's diet
- Improvement in the diet