FOOD HAVEN: There are mouth-watering cuisines to savour in every village and town
AFTER maintaining its position as the most popular destination for domestic tourists for the fourth consecutive year last year, Perak is set to attract more local and foreign visitors in conjunction with Visit Perak Year 2017.
Records show that 7.96 million domestic tourists visited Perak last year, comparatively higher than the 7.02 million recorded in 2014.
The silver state had a good start when Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide book publisher in the world, listed Ipoh as one of the 10 best Asian destinations to visit this year.
Placed at sixth, the state capital is the only city in Malaysia that managed to make it to the list, where Hokkaido in Japan secured the top place, followed by Shanghai (China), Jeonju (South Korea), Con Dao Islands (Vietnam) and Hong Kong.
This is indeed good news for Perak, especially Ipoh dwellers.
Among the attractions highlighted by the Lonely Planet were the boutique or “hipster” cafes which “have sprung up in its (Ipoh’s) historic quarter”.
But, food is also the main attraction as Ipoh is famous for its traditional Chinese dishes such as ayam taugeh (chicken with crisp bean sprouts and tau fu fah (tofu pudding).
Food enthusiasts are also clamouring for various dishes with controversial names such nasi ganja, Ipoh’s own version of nasi kandar, and laksa telur bersarang, which is traditional laksa served with crispy fried egg.
Perak is indeed a food haven and it will take weeks or even months for a traveller to sample the mouth-watering food available in the small towns and villages all over the state, which have their own signature dishes.
Take laksa for example; almost every district, if not town, has its own version that will excite laksa connoisseurs. Those in the state’s northern districts prefer the Penang and Kedah versions of laksa while in Kuala Kangsar, its laksa is quite different and can only be found in the royal town.
In Pantai Remis, the laksa has no gravy but is served with steamed fish fry and a dollop of sambal while on Pulau Pangkor, the laksa is known as laksa mee.
The Pangkor version is unique as it uses specially-made noodles which are served in a light seafood gravy with sambal.
Although I was born in Perak, I have to confess that I have never sampled some of these laksa dishes until recently, when they were served at the various Aidilfitri open houses in Ipoh.
They are all delicious, but the only problem is you cannot get them elsewhere. This, however, is a good excuse for visitors to explore Perak, as unlike Penang, where most of its signature dishes can be found within the city centre, visitors to Perak must wander through the state to sample most of the delicacies.
It has made Perak a good destination for adventurous food lovers as they can visit the main attractions while enjoying the numerous food dishes available in the area.
And, for those who are keen to try Pangkor’s laksa mee, they can head to the beautiful island anytime throughout the year as it is not affected by the monsoon season unlike other islands in the east coast of the peninsula.
The island is also expected to attract more local and foreign tourists in conjunction with the Pangkor International Poems and Folk Songs Festival (Pulara) from Dec 1 to 4.
Apart from food and unique attractions, I believe accessibility is another main reason why Perak has remained the most popular destination among domestic tourists.
With excellent air, road and rail connectivity, the main attractions in Perak are just a few hours away from other main cities in the country.
Intensive campaigns for Visit Perak Year 2017, with the tagline “World of Wonders”, have already shown positive results and more people are eager to enjoy the unique attractions in the state, including its sumptuous food.
The writer, M Hamzah Jamaludin is a UM science graduate who refused to follow Einstein's path and chose journalism for a more colourful life — a crucial decision that helped spare labs and research facilities from accidental explosions