Tapau: The Best of Malaysian Food Writing 2000-2022

Book excerpt: A simple spice can open up meditations on love and life. In food, we find connection to one another, like a homesick student searching for the perfect cup of teh tarik. Yet, paradoxically, food is a polarizer, like a Muslim convert craving a pork bun. From tracing the origins of our hawker food to a love letter for Ipoh told in local favourites, these works are an eclectic mix of the Malaysian obsession with food. For all our differences, Malaysians find commonality in one thing: we want you to be well-fed. Savour these small packages of good writing, covering a wide array of foods to please every palate, from laksa and sambal telur belimbing to french fries and Bru coffee. Come for the carbs. Stay for the whole menu. Featuring work by award-winning author Elaine Chiew, DK Dutt Memorial Award founder Dipika Mukherjee, and celebrated professor and poet Dr Malachi Edwin Vethamani.