Malaysian Tourism Minister Clarifies: No Intention to Patent “Local” Food Such as Laksa

September 25, 2009

By Wayang Times

malaysia tourism minister datuk seri dr ng yen yen patent food

Malaysia has no intention to patent local food but its citizens should know the origins of their food, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.

She expressed surprise over responses to her statement on local food and Malaysia’s intention to lay claim to several dishes which were synonymous with the country’s identity and ideal as tourism products.

Her statement that nasi lemak, laksa, bak kut teh, chilli crab and Hainanese chicken rice were Malaysian dishes has sparked off a “food fight” on the Internet, with some unhappy Singaporeans insisting that chilli crabs and chicken rice were theirs.

Interestingly, the National Heritage website (www.warisan.gov.my) has 100 types of food and drinks in its food heritage list.

These include nasi lemak, laksa, chilli crab and Penang char kuay teow.

“We have to claim ownership on some dishes but I never said we must patent them.

“Neither did I say that no other countries can cook such food. We are not trying to compare with other countries”, she said.

Local dishes could be part of the Malaysian tourism’s product branding as many were already in the heritage food list, she said.

Source: The Star

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