A Pilot Study on the Practice of Preserving Authenticity in Traditional Malay Kuih among Producers in Klang Valley

Abstract

Within the food heritage topic, the traditional food has always been given the limelight for cultural celebration as well as a nation’s identity representation. It has been researched more these days as the value in promoting it to the world promises national economic growth by the tourism activities. However, given the fact that the world is moving forward with globalization, standardization is becoming more apparent across the globe and the traditional food has been getting more threats than just age. In Malaysia specifically, the question of authenticity in the Malay traditional food in general is a never-ending debacle. The argument of what is authentic is still going on with plethora of justifications that are adapting to, and against the standardization. To investigate the matter, a qualitative research design is proposed, and pilot study was initiated. The traditional Malay kuih was chosen to be the object of the research as its product breadth is a range of dynamic delicacies to the sensory as well as traditions. The producers of traditional Malay kuih are the vital informants to expose the insightful meaning of authenticity in the delicacies, and the practices that they normalized to make them accordingly. Considering that these producers are well established in their production of authentic traditional Malay kuih for substantial years of operation, the phenomenological approach is used to gain the lived experiences of the informants regarding the idea of authenticity that they embedded in their production. Having said that, this paper presents the pilot study as initiation for the exploration into the practices of preserving authenticity in traditional Malay kuih among producers in Klang Valley.