Sarawak to showcase its unique cuisine at World Expo 2025

Free Malaysia Today

11-07-2025

Sarawak tourism minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah cooking up a Melanau dish called Tumpik, a pancake of sorts made from sago, dried coconut and salt.
PETALING JAYA : Sarawak is set to bring its rich culinary heritage to the global stage as part of the state's broader effort to promote tourism and empower local communities.
State tourism minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said Sarawak had 34 ethnic groups, each with its own deep-rooted culinary traditions, and that this would be a key selling point at the World Expo Osaka 2025 next month.
'Sarawak is well known as a melting pot of cultures.
'But recognition is not the destination. This is an invitation to innovate, elevate and redefine how the world sees Sarawak,' he said at the launch of Serumpun Sarawak, a gastronomy-driven cultural platform set to showcase the Bornean state's cuisine at the World Expo.
Led by renowned chef James Won, Serumpun Sarawak will curate a six-to-seven course dinner for over 160 international VIPs, using indigenous ingredients and traditional techniques.
Karim said the team, which includes chefs, farmers and community leaders, was a reminder that the unity of Sarawakians was capable of crafting something 'powerful, enduring and extraordinary'.
Sarawak's signature dishes include Sarawak laksa and mee kolok, with the late widely acclaimed food critic Anthony Bourdain describing the former as 'the breakfast of the gods'.
Following its debut in Osaka, Serumpun will return to Malaysia for a second showcase in Mulu, Sarawak, this October, where indigenous communities will take part in cultural performances, workshops and food showcases.
'This is where our culture breathes,' Karim said. 'We are bringing our food to the world and then bringing the world to Sarawak.'
He said the initiative aligns with the state government's tourism push, which has already generated RM1 billion in tourism receipts as of May 2025.
Won said Serumpun would strive to empower local communities, describing the initiative as a 'gastronomic platform to preserve, elevate and bridge indigenous communities in Sarawak through cuisine'.
'We're not trying to change the world, but we want to inspire the next generation not to be idle. There's so much wisdom in indigenous knowledge that can't be taught in schools. Food is only the beginning,' he said.