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The Fabled Pour
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Country

Malaysia

I have 2 sourced drinks connected to Malaysia. The label on each card says how: where it began, what the country is known for, what people drink there, or where the origin is disputed.

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Malaysia on the world map. Boundaries are generalized Natural Earth data.

Drinks of Malaysia

Signature drinks and regional ones, with the evidence behind each. A drink marked non-alcoholic has no alcohol in the traditional serve.

  • Illustration of Teh Tarik: golden brown tea with a thick pale froth on top, in a small clear tea glass.

    Teh Tarik

    IconicSignature drinkNon-alcoholic

    Strong black tea blended with condensed milk and pulled by pouring it back and forth between two vessels from a height, which gives it a thick frothy top. It is served hot, and Wikipedia calls it Malaysia's national drink. Arab News advises pulling in metal vessels, not glass.

    Wikipedia says the craft of pulling was developed by South Indian street cooks after 1850 and that after World War II Indian Muslim immigrants running drink stalls switched to tea dust and added condensed milk to mask the bitterness. UNESCO added Malaysian breakfast culture, including teh tarik, to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024. Singapore and Malaysia both claim it.

    Made with: black tea, condensed milk.

    Confidence: mediumEvidence: en.wikipedia.org (opens in a new tab), arabnews.com (opens in a new tab)

  • Illustration of Tuak: yellowish, in a bamboo cup.

    Tuak

    Sarawak (Iban and other Dayak communities)

    IconicRegional drink

    Yellowish homemade rice wine made from rice or glutinous rice, yeast, sugar and water, fermented about four days and then aged at room temperature for at least a month. Hosts serve it to guests at Gawai Dayak and use it in the miring offering to ancestors and spirits.

    NST quotes a Sarawak resident saying tuak is a must-have during Gawai Dayak and other important occasions. Gawai Dayak is a harvest thanksgiving festival that begins in early June and runs for about a month. A Good Beer Hunting account says it is rude to refuse a host's offer of tuak and describes tuak served in a small cup as part of an offering to the gods.

    Made with: rice or glutinous rice, yeast, sugar, water.

    Confidence: mediumEvidence: nst.com.my (opens in a new tab), theborneopost.com (opens in a new tab), goodbeerhunting.com (opens in a new tab)

Map data: Natural Earth, public domain.