NATIVE FOOD AND ALL ITS WONDER

FORAGED HERBS AS SOURCE OF FOOD
A taste can be invigorating at times, leaving a mark in your memory as it tickles you like a feather running on your skin. The act of cooking and preparing food can be a practice of remembrance in itself. And in many ways, we remember to relive the moments. The Orang Asli culture is centred on oral tradition, unravelling knowledge of changing landscapes and indigenous food seasons passed down by their ancestors.

The last century has pushed us to rely on the ever-growing industrial food system and this has undoubtedly caused detachment with our very own lush backyard — our forest. This series is part of an ongoing project to document and illustrate indigenous plants from our already depleting natural environment — in hopes to shed more light on the largely untapped subject. How can we see our food differently?

The following visual is a compilation of edible plants - as told by OA guides and teachers (primarily from the Temuan and Semai groups) in Gombak, Kuala Langat and Negeri Sembilan. The names for the plants and food are acquired and highlighted in the Semai and Temuan languages respectively, though some of the terms are similar to the ones in Malay.

Writing down plants and food is an effort to turn these fleeting memories of stories and tastes into permanent ones. The illustrations in this visual are solely from my observations, however flawed, they are visualisations from an artist and they are as how I perceive and describe them with my hands.

These plants were also featured in the latest book called Recalling Forgotten Tastes. More explanation and insight on indigenous food in the book itself (Link below).