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Pansuh: traditional bamboo cooking over an open fire. Photo credit: the author. |
By Masri Sareb Putra
In the lush rainforests of Borneo, where Malaysia's Sabah state spans diverse landscapes, culinary traditions reflect a deep connection to nature. Among the most distinctive is pansuh, a cooking method that encapsulates local ingenuity and layered flavors.
Pansuh involves stuffing bamboo tubes with chicken, fish, or pork, seasoned with local herbs, ginger, lemongrass, and sometimes wild ferns. The bamboo is sealed with tapioca leaves and slow-cooked over an open fire.
As heat builds, the bamboo releases a subtle, earthy aroma that infuses the food. Simple proteins are transformed into tender, fragrant dishes rich in natural complexity.
Sabah's Signature Cuisine: The Aromatic Pansuh Tradition
Often called ayam pansuh when featuring chicken, this technique is more than food. It is a cultural ritual passed down through generations, emphasizing sustainability through the use of abundant natural materials.
What distinguishes pansuh as Sabah’s culinary hallmark is its blend of simplicity and sophistication. It relies on foraged ingredients, highlighting Borneo’s exceptional biodiversity rather than elaborate preparation.
Tourists seek pansuh in cultural villages around Kota Kinabalu and Ranau, where indigenous guides demonstrate the process amid misty highlands. The experience merges gastronomy, landscape, and living tradition.
Economically, pansuh contributes to Sabah’s tourism sector, valued at over $2 billion annually. Post-pandemic demand for low-impact, outdoor dining has increased, with visitor numbers rising about 15 percent.
However, climate change poses challenges. Shifts in rainfall and forest composition threaten bamboo availability, prompting renewed calls for conservation.
Pansuh’s appeal also lies in its versatility. Variants known as manok pansuh incorporate tapioca or sago, adding a starchy base to the dish.
Health-wise, steaming in bamboo preserves nutrients without added oils, aligning with global wellness trends. This method resonates with contemporary preferences for clean, natural cooking.
In upscale resorts, chefs reinterpret pansuh with fusion elements, such as coconut milk, bridging tradition and modern culinary expression.
For Sabahans, pansuh is more than sustenance. It symbolizes resilience and communal identity, often prepared during festivals like Kaamatan, the harvest celebration.
In an era dominated by fast food, pansuh stands as a reminder of the enduring value of slow-cooked heritage.
Visualize a bamboo tube split open, revealing golden meat glistening with herbs as lemongrass-scented steam rises. Or a group gathered around a fire, sharing stories while waiting.
These scenes capture pansuh’s essence, anchoring it firmly within Sabah’s gastronomic identity.
Shared Culinary Heritage with Dayak Peoples: Iban, Bidayuh, and Others
Pansuh’s roots extend beyond Sabah, interwoven with broader Dayak traditions across Borneo. The Dayak, encompassing over 200 indigenous subgroups, share cooking practices shaped by the island’s ecology.
Among the Iban of Sarawak, manok pansuh is prepared by marinating chicken with forest spices before steaming it in bamboo. This mirrors practices found in Sabah.
In Sabah, Murut and Kadazan-Dusun communities adapt pansuh with local variations, sometimes adding fermented fish to enhance umami flavors.
The Bidayuh, or Land Dayaks of Sarawak’s highlands, use bamboo to cook pork and vegetables. Preparation is communal, especially during ritual feasts.
Other Dayak groups, such as the Orang Ulu (Kayan and Kenyah), incorporate wild game, reinforcing a shared culinary language across regions.
These similarities stem from Borneo’s unified ecosystem. Bamboo is abundant, and fire-based cooking preserves food in humid tropical climates.
Historical migrations and trade blurred cultural boundaries, allowing pansuh-like methods to spread across the island.
Despite variations, the core principle remains constant: bamboo as a vessel for aromatic infusion.
Anthropologists note that such shared practices reinforce social bonds. Meals symbolize harmony, cooperation, and respect for nature.
Today, inter-state festivals highlight these overlaps, promoting Borneo as a unified gastronomic landscape.
Urbanization threatens transmission, but initiatives such as proposed UNESCO recognition aim to safeguard this intangible heritage.
For food scholars, pansuh exemplifies adaptive indigenous knowledge and offers lessons in sustainable eating.
Demographic Overview of Indigenous Populations in Sabah
Sabah’s demographic mosaic reflects its ethnic complexity, shaped by migration, colonial history, and geography. By 2025, the population is estimated at 3.76 million, up from 3.42 million in 2020.
Indigenous peoples, classified as Bumiputera Sabah or Anak Negeri, comprise approximately 58.6 percent, or about 2.2 million residents.
This category includes 39 recognized ethnic groups, from coastal Bajau communities to highland Murut societies, each with distinct languages and traditions.
The Kadazan-Dusun form the largest group, numbering about 698,300 in 2020 and likely higher today. They dominate west coast districts such as Penampang.
The Bajau, numbering around 592,400, are known for maritime livelihoods, particularly in eastern Sabah.
The Murut, estimated at 112,900, inhabit southern border regions and retain strong ties to forest-based traditions.
Other indigenous groups, including Rungus and Brunei Malays, further enrich Sabah’s cultural landscape.
Non-indigenous populations include Chinese communities, small Indian populations, and over one million non-citizens, largely migrant workers.
Urbanization has reshaped demographics. Kota Kinabalu now exceeds 500,000 residents, drawing youth away from rural areas.
While federal policies support indigenous rights, land disputes persist amid palm oil expansion.
Fertility rates remain relatively high at around 2.5 children per woman, sustaining population growth.
However, indigenous poverty rates hover near 20 percent, underscoring the need for inclusive development.
Estimating Dayak Communities in Sabah: Numbers and Challenges
The term “Dayak” broadly refers to non-Muslim indigenous peoples of Borneo, but in Sabah it is used cautiously. Local communities prefer specific ethnic identities.
Official censuses do not list “Dayak” as a separate category. Instead, populations are grouped under Bumiputera Sabah.
Iban communities, originally from Sarawak, migrated to Sabah beginning in the 1920s. Numbers increased after the 1960s due to labor demand.
Estimates suggest several thousand Iban reside in Sabah today, included within the broader “Other Bumiputera” category.
Nationally, the Iban population is about 798,000, with the vast majority living in Sarawak.
Bidayuh communities are smaller still. Of Malaysia’s 205,900 Bidayuh, most remain in Sarawak, with fewer than 10,000 estimated in Sabah.
Across Borneo, Dayak populations total around 2.2 million, but Sabah’s indigenous peoples are classified differently.
The 2020 census confirms the absence of a distinct Dayak category, complicating precise counts.
Identity fluidity adds complexity. Some Kadazan-Dusun individuals identify culturally as Dayak, while others do not.
Migration data suggests Sarawakians, including Dayaks, make up 5–10 percent of Sabah’s workforce, implying up to 200,000 with Dayak affiliations.
These figures remain unverified and highlight the need for updated surveys.
This ambiguity reflects Borneo’s cultural fluidity, where identities evolve rather than remain fixed.
For policymakers, greater recognition could strengthen representation and ensure traditions such as pansuh remain visible within Sabah’s diverse cultural fabric.
