From communal gatherings to celebratory events, canned sardines have seamlessly integrated into the local culture.
Within the average Bruneian kitchen, amidst the basic necessities of rice, cooking oil, sugar, and the like, there are a handful of household food items that seemingly persist through the ages.
Canned sardines, for instance, are somewhat of a staple; we all recognise the brand, that iconic colour combo of yellow and red, with an image of a rooster that is much beloved, at least within the Malay archipelago of Southeast Asia.
Invented in the 19th Century, with its popularity reaching the ASEAN region only a century after, it is easy to overlook the impact of this seemingly trivial modern marvel.
But the fact of the matter is that this effectively preserved protein had a profound role in our culinary heritage, particularly for the rural and indigenous communities, as they try to blend innovation with tradition.
A PRACTICAL CHOICE
At 84 years old, Aning Sinak, a member of the Dusun community living in Kampong Lamunin, Tutong, recalled her childhood in the 1950s when canned sardines became the go-to protein served during communal gatherings and celebrations.
“In the past, sardines held a significant place in our daily lives. We used to say that regardless of whether it was a moment of joy or sorrow, a can of sardines would always come to the rescue. This tradition goes way back, even before the 1950s,” she said.
During community events or cultural festivals, sardines were served to feed the members who were assisting.
These gatherings often included around 50 people or less, in the days when rural communities were small and closely-knit. For a community accustomed to foraging, hunting, and trapping for food before the Sultanate’s modernisation, the advent of innovations like canned food was nothing short of a blessing, providing a reliable and accessible source of sustenance.
“Chicken or beef was an uncommon sight, primarily because rearing and slaughtering chickens was only done when necessary, while beef was reserved for significant occasions and served on the same day,” she explained.
Given that sardines were much more affordable and readily available, coupled with a lack of refrigeration, especially among rural and indigenous communities where modernity arrived late, canned sardines became a choice made out of necessity, added the elder Dusun woman.
Another member of the Dusun community in the same area, Tambah Bayan, shared that even in the 60s and 70s, Kampong Lamunin did not have any paved roads, and owning a car was not a luxury afforded to all members of the community.
“Markets were only found in towns, and we lived quite far from it. I remember that back in the day, even fish were sold from the back of a taxi car; the seller would drive from village to village,” said the 60-year-old.
“But canned sardines, we would get from a Chinese-owned tuck shop near our village; they were cheaper, easy to store, quick to cook, and it’s still the same brand that is being sold on the shelves today,” she added.
INNOVATION MEETS TRADITION
Despite assimilating a taste of the modern world into their daily lives, the Dusun community in Kampong Lamunin, have infused the dish with their own ethnic flair, using readily available native ingredients, to enhance the taste.
Eyon Ukoi, who runs a community-based farm-to-table initiative in Tutong, said that the culinary heritage of Brunei is more of a mosaic, and that even ethnic cuisine can evolve with the times yet still be rooted in ancestral knowledge.
She shared a salad dish made from canned sardines that was a norm for celebratory events, made unique with the addition of young shoots from the kulimpapa tree.
The kulimpapa tree, scientifically known as vitex pinnata, is a native plant to various countries in Southeast Asia, valued by certain communities for its medicinal properties and often used in traditional herbal remedies for various ailments.
“Each community brings its unique knowledge of the natural world. The kulimpapa, for instance, other communities only know it for its timber potential because it’s mostly used for making furniture or as firewood,” she explained.
This unnamed salad dish is served raw, prepared similarly to umai, another traditional raw fish salad found in Borneo.
To prepare this dish, start by mixing sliced garlic, shallots, chillies, and young kulimpapa leaves with the sardines directly from the can. Then, drizzle calamansi juice over the mix. The acidity of the juice effectively “cooks” the sardines, creating a slightly cured texture to the dish.
There is a cooked version of this dish that substitutes kulimpapa shoots with bean curd or tofu skins and asam kulit (assam skin). This variation is preferred during events with a large number of guests.
Unlike the dry raw salad, this cooked version is saucy and is prepared to feed as many people as possible.
“The kulimpapa shoot adds a unique blend of bitterness, enhanced by salt, spice, and the sourness of the other ingredients. It makes a refreshing palate cleanser,” she continued, adding that though canned sardines may not be native, they have been seamlessly integrated into our culinary heritage. – Wardi Wasil
