Draft:Buah melaka (Kuih)

Buah melaka refers to a kind of traditional Kuih that is popular in Malaysia,Singapore and Brunei especially in Malacca the origin of the Kuih .

Buah melaka
Buah melaka or Onde-onde famous desert Kuih in Malaysia
Alternative names
  • Kuih buah melaka

(Malacca and Malaysia)

  • Onde-onde

(Malaysia and Sumatra)

  • Ondeh-ondeh

(Singapore)

  • Kuih pancit
(Brunei)
TypeKuih
Place of originMalaysia
Region or stateMalacca
Created byMalacca Malay
Main ingredientsglutinous rice flour, pandan, gula melaka or gula nise, grated coconut, salt
Other informationKlepon, bua loi, mont lone yay baw, Khanom tom, tangyuan, modak

History and naming

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This Kuih already create before the colonial era, that is after the city of Melaka was opened by Parameswara, the melaka tree became the pride of the people of Malacca until today[1].

 
Melaka trees in Malacca Hill
 
Malacca fruit

Buah melaka is inspired by the Melaka fruit tree which is (Phyllanthus emblica) a species from the Gooseberry family. This kuih is based on glutinous rice flour, pandan leaves, melaka sugar and grated coconut. One of the culinary ingredients of the Melaka community is gula Melaka, this sugar has a high concentration in Malaysia compared to gula nise, red gula, or kabung gula. That's why Buah melaka(Kuih) got its name from the appearance of melaka fruit and the combination of melaka sugar.

This dessert is famous among Peranakan Chinese and Peranakan Indian in Malaysia namely Baba Nyonya and Chetty,Malacca.

In addition to being known by the name 'Buah melaka(Kuih), it is also called Onde-onde which comes from the Portuguese word Onde-oande meaning everywhere in (Bahasa Malaysia)mana-mana. It is possible that when the Portuguese arrived in Melaka City, they ate Buah melaka(Kuih) and found melaka trees everywhere, then they named them Onde-onde [citation needed]. In Singapore call Ondeh-ondeh every word between e and h they will add the letter H. While in Brunei call Kuih pancit because when eaten the sugar will splash.

In Kelantan they call it Onde-onde or Kekohcar, different from the use of sugar, they have their own sugar which is nise sugar gula nise which is the pride of Kelantan people.

In Indonesia there is a cake that is almost the same which is Klepon meaning animal ovary, the ingredients used are slightly different which is the addition of suji leaves, glutinous rice flour, rice flour and using Aren sugar, the sugar of the Javanese community. The terms they used are very different from the words Buah melaka and Onde-onde which are real in physical.

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The royal blue Buah melaka
 
Buah melaka or Onde-onde photographed by Malaysian Chinese in Australia
 
Ondeh-ondeh in Singapore

References

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  1. ^ Shazlan Ahmad, Ahmad (7 October 2010). "Buah Melaka@Onde-onde Melaka's historical heritage". Sayang Melaka. Retrieved 11 July 2024.