Pitcher Plant Rice Picture
This unique Pitcher Plant Rice is my picture to welcome 2012. What and why you may be asking, just like me, I was totally dumbfounded when I saw some local ethnic Dayak people selling these at one of the small-town markets in Sarawak Borneo.
Taking a very serious look at this, I was still in awe and had to ask my friend Jojo if this was really sold as food.
He looked me in the eye and his reply – yes, the local indigenous people here eat these Pitcher Plant Rice or Nasi Periuk Kera as they are called in Malay. Talk about some of the strange foods found in Malaysia and Borneo, this one takes the cake for me.
These pitcher plants with rice were sold at RM1(US$0.30) a cup and it was filled with brown rice and peanuts.
The whole monkey cup is steamed and then served cooked. Only a special type of pitcher plant is used for the cooking of this dish.
The pitcher plant or Naphentes also grows wild in the rainforest of Borneo, therefore, it is easily sourced by the local villagers.
To date, I still do not know the history of this but from what I learned, the Land Dayaks of Sarawak near the district of Bau and Serikin usually consume these as a snack.
Over in Peninsular Malaysia, some northeastern states like Pahang and Kelantan also have a similar dish called Nasi Periuk Kera or Lemang Periuk Kera which is a sticky rich type.
I was on my way to the famous Serikin Market which is about an hour from Kuching when I chanced upon this strange dish from a road side market. Knowing how odd it was, I simply had to try it.
And the verdict? You had to pull out the little green pandanus leaf in the middle, then peel off the pitcher plant skin and then eat the brown rice.
The taste? It was pretty interesting if you ask me as it was quite bland but the peanuts made up for the overall taste. It went down well, nothing outrageous but an experience to remember. So there you have it, a very unique Pitcher Plant Rice as my picture for 2012.
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