What food should you try in Brunei? What is most commonly sold in local restaurants?
Brunei cuisine
The island Southeast Asian country is made up of a diverse array of different ethnicities, tribes and nations, as well as a range of local and imported cuisines.
Despite this, the cuisines of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei maintain a similar character.
As in mainland Southeast Asia, the staple food is rice and various types of noodles.
Unlike mainland Malaysia, there is a much stronger influence of Arabic and Indian cuisine. Adaptations of native dishes to suit local tastes are also common, creating their unique, unmistakable character.
The island peoples of Southeast Asia often tend towards hot and spicy foods.
Brunei specialties
Despite the strong influences of neighbouring countries, you can taste typical specialities exclusive to Brunei.
The main local dish is the very strange ambuyat.
This is a sticky starchy porridge extracted from the interior of palm trees completely tasteless, which is wrapped on a bamboo stick and dipped in a sour spicy sauce.
In restaurants and markets, ambuyat is always sold on the menu with other side dishes such as beef, pumpkin, cucumber, carrots, green beans and much more.
Other popular Bruneian dishes include the following:
- Nasi katok - rice with chicken, fish and many other spicy side dishes, this is the most common dish in Brunei
- Kuih Koci Gula Kelapa - sweet rice cake filled with coconut
- Milk and fruit drinks - various fruit juices mixed with milk, tea or chocolate are very popular
How to eat like a local
Eating food at local street stalls is safe. Compared to other Asian countries, Brunei is strict about hygiene even in the marketplaces.
There is also no shortage of chains such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Jollibee or Burger King. Among the local youth, these Western or Filipino chains are extremely popular.
It is advisable to use bottled water, hot tea or coffee, or bottled soft drinks from international producers, and to eat cooked food and fruit that has been peeled by hand.
