266 / 276
264
Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2023
Being a melting pot of cultures, Bruneian
cuisine benefits from the influence of
neighbouring countries such as Malaysia,
Indonesia and Singapore. This results in
a unique range of flavourful delicacies,
drawing inspiration from Malay, Chinese
and Indian cuisines.
Most meals are eaten with rice or noodles
while chicken, beef and seafood form
the base of various local dishes. Asian
cuisines ranging from Indian and Thai
to Japanese and Korean are relatively
easy to come by in Brunei. Western food,
particularly Italian, is also a popular option.
Local delicacies
Ambuyat
is a national and traditional dish
derived from the interior of
sago
trees.
Known for its sticky texture,
ambuyat
is eaten with a
cacah
(dipping sauce)
usually made of shrimp, lime juice and
chilli depending on the restaurant.
Locals use a utensil called
candas
, a
v-shaped bamboo stick similar to a pair
of chopsticks but adjoined together
at one end. After twirling the
ambuyat
around the
candas
, the
ambuyat
is dipped in the
cacah
and can be
swallowed whole without chewing.
Nasi katok
, one of the nation’s favourite
food, is a simple dish featuring rice, one
piece of fried chicken and
sambal
that
can range from sweet to savoury at all
levels of spiciness. It is said that in the
old days, people would knock (
katok
in
Malay) on the vendor’s door to buy a
pack of
nasi katok
, hence the name.
Also known as
ayam pansuh
, bamboo
chicken is a traditional dish among the
Iban community. Bamboo chicken is
prepared by stuffing marinated chicken
into bamboo poles then wedged shut
with bamboo leaves and cooked over an
open fire. Once cooked to perfection, the
bamboo chicken is served with rice.
Roti john, nasi lemak
and
mee goreng
are some of the local dishes commonly
found at food stalls. Visitors can often
find freshly prepared
ikan panggang
(grilled fish),
tongkeng ayam
(grilled
parson’s nose),
hati buyah
(grilled beef
lung) and
satay
(grilled chicken or beef
skewers) atop most barbeque pits at
these stalls. Various local
kueh
(cakes)
are also available, as well as refreshing
drinks like sugar cane juice,
air kelapa
Dining