Malaysian minister says heritage dish status for bak kut teh nothing to do with race, religion

Stop turning the bak kut teh (pork rib soup) discussion into a religious issue and show respect for Malaysia’s multiracial structure, Tourism Minister Tiong King Sing said on Wednesday.

Tiong said as per the National Heritage Act 2005 (Act 645) discussions on whether to turn bak kut teh into a heritage dish has nothing to do with religion or race.

The Bintulu MP said bak kut teh is not a new dish as it has been part of Malaysian society for a long time.

“We know that there are halal and non-halal versions. There is even a vegetarian version of bak kut teh.

“The recognition of bak kut teh as a heritage food is based on Act 645 and does not involve issues of race or religion,” he said.

With that in mind, Tiong called on all quarters to respect the different cultures and religions in Malaysia so as to protect the harmony in the country.

“I implore everyone to always respect our multicultural and multireligious society for the sake of unity and harmony among our people,” he said.

“I feel that there is no need to explain the matter further as there are already a lot of discussions being held on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and others.”

Bak kut teh is a popular pork rib dish cooked gently in a complex broth of herbs and spices for hours and is often – but not always – served with a bowl of shallot-flavoured rice.

Bak kut teh was among the 10 dishes declared by Heritage Commissioner Mohamad Muda Bahadin on February 24 as national heritage dishes.

Earlier this month, Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh described the action of recognising bak kut teh as a national heritage dish as “extremist,” claiming it showed “a lack of sensitivity towards the country’s Muslim population.”