Consumption Intention Towards Ethnic Food: Determinants of Dayak Food Choice by Malaysians
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Accepted Manuscript Consumption intention towards ethnic food: determinants of dayak food choice by malaysians Hiram Ting, Sharon Tan, Alexandra Nastassia John PII: S2352-6181(17)30007-0 DOI: 10.1016/j.jef.2017.02.005 Reference: JEF 102 To appear in: Journal of Ethnic Foods Received Date: 23 January 2017 Revised Date: 23 February 2017 Accepted Date: 23 February 2017 Please cite this article as: Ting H, Tan S, John AN, Consumption intention towards ethnic food: determinants of dayak food choice by malaysians, Journal of Ethnic Foods (2017), doi: 10.1016/ j.jef.2017.02.005. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT CONSUMPTION INTENTION TOWARDS ETHNIC FOOD: DETERMINANTS OF DAYAK FOOD CHOICE BY MALAYSIANS Hiram Ting* Institute of Borneo Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Kota Samarahan, Malaysia [email protected] Sharon Tan Faculty of Accountancy, Finance and Business, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, Penampang, Malaysia [email protected] Alexandra Nastassia John MANUSCRIPT Institute of Borneo Studies, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Kota Samarahan, Malaysia [email protected] *Corresponding Author ACCEPTED ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT CONSUMPTION INTENTION TOWARDS ETHNIC FOOD: DETERMINANTS OF DAYAK FOOD CHOICE BY MALAYSIANS ABSTRACT The awareness and trying of ethnic cuisine have increased due to the developing exchange of trade, movement of ethnicities across the globe, and tourist travelling opportunities. More people consume ethnic food for the appreciation of culture and the taste. Although the Dayaks are the largest indigenous group in Malaysia, little is done to date to explicate why Malaysians consume Dayak food. The present study aims to investigate Dayak food choice of non-Dayak Malaysians and assess its effect on consumption intention. Self-administered questionnaire-based survey was used and 195 respondMANUSCRIPTents were sampled purposively in Malaysia. The results show that only health conside ration and sensory appeal have positive effect on intention to consume Dayak food. It implies that most Malaysians consume only selected Dayak dishes occasionally. Practical implications of the study are provided. Keywords: Ethnic Food; Dayak; Consumption Intention; Food Choice; SEM INTRODUCTIONACCEPTED 1 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Ethnic food, food with a tale and history behind them, are consumed today because more and more people eat for the appreciation of culture rather than for the mere reason of survival. Although Abraham Maslow stated that the primary use of food is to satisfy hunger and the physiological needs [1], food has increasingly exerted many roles in human life. People with ethnicity are also eager to share about culture, and food can provide the avenue to provide nourishment for the body as well as for the higher need to be aware of what is being eaten. The awareness and trying of ethnic cuisine have increased in the past decades due to the developing universal exchange of trade, movement of different ethnicities accross the globe, tourist travelling opportunities, and globalisation [2]. Internationally, there is a trend towards “exotic” or ethnic food [3]. The most involved ethnic food consumer segments are largely found to be younger generation who work and live in big cities [4]. Consuming ethnic food provides them not only adventure but also emotionalMANUSCRIPT mobility. It brings to mind memories of vacations to unique locations, and it reflects and reinforces affective tie and openness to new cultures. The position of food in tourism has paramount value over last few years as tourists also seek authenticity, despite the fact that every ethnic group has different styles of preparing, cooking, preserving and eating style of food, and alteration, transformation or changes due to the waves of modernizationACCEPTED not only involved the preparation, equipments, ingredients, processing methods but also the eating decorum and others related matters. Ethnic native food in fact is a window of the identity of the Sarawak [5, 6]. This predisposition has allowed unique culinary attractions to be part of the holiday destination. Historically, owing to the 2 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT large forest area and style of living during the pre-independent era most of the native groups’ traditional food were created, prepared and cooked using the natural resources from the forest like meat of the wild animal, fish, shoots, stems, leaves, roots, barks and many others. These food treasures in turn have contributed to the uniqueness of Sarawak gastronomic tourism culture. Figure 1: Sarawak, located at the top-left region on Borneo 7, is the largest state by land area in Malaysia. Sarawak is in northwest Borneo, bordering another state of Malaysia, Sabah, to the northeast, Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, to the south, and Brunei in the northwest. Borneo is the largest island in Asia. The Dayak in Sarawak, a state in Malaysia, is geographically separated by Dayak ethnicities also scattered across the Indonesian Kalimantan sidMANUSCRIPTe of Borneo. Comparatively, Sarawak is the largest of the 14 Malaysian states located on the island of Borneo and is separated from Peninsular Malaysia by the South China Sea as shown in Figure 1. Sarawak ʼs cultural and racial compositions are more diverse than that in Peninsular Malaysia. Dayak has become a convenient label to refer to the Iban, Bidayuh and the Orang Ulu, as there are the most populous groups [8]. It is also a generic term that refers to the non-Muslim indigenous peoples of the Borneo Island [9]. The Dayaks are a riverine and farming people, inhabiting the middle and upper reaches of rivers in Borneo. Owing to the large forest area and the style of living before ACCEPTEDthe formation of Malaysia, the Dayak’s traditional food, such as Paku kubok (ferns) (Fig. 2), tuak (alcoholic beverage made from rice wine) (Fig. 3) and ayam pansuh (meat cooked with bamboo) (Fig. 4), were created, prepared and cooked using the natural 3 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT resources from the forest [5]. These food treasures, including Daun Sabong (Fig. 5), Midin (Fig. 6A), Pekasam Ensabi (Fig. 6B), Daun Bandung Tutok (Fig. 6C) and Terung Dayak (Fig. 7), made by local natural ingredients such as wild animal meat, fish, shoots, stems, leaves, roots, barks and many others have contributed to the uniqueness of Sarawak gastronomic culture. In light of what they are and how they live, Dayak food becomes the best reflection of their culture. As such, Dayak food not only offers unique dishes, but also represents the riches of traditions and practices of the people. Figure 2: Paku Kubok ( Neophrolepis acutifolia ), giant jungle ferns stir-fried with wild ginger flowers, anchovies and chillies 11 . Paku kubok is believed to have benefits to health, especially for women during confinement period. It can increase the production of breast milk. Hence, this dish is served greatly for women.MANUSCRIPT When stir-fried, the texture of the fern remains crunchy. Figure 3: Tuak, or rice wine is brewed from glutinous rice 17 . This drink uses yeast which is often readily available in local markets, or some prefer to ferment it with ginger and galangal and rice powder. Tuak is usually served during special occasions, such as weddings, and as a main celebratoryACCEPTED drink during the harvest festival, called Gawai Dayak by the native Dayaks in Sarawak. It can be stored for a very long time, and is said to taste better with age. 4 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Figure 4: Ayam Pansuh, chicken stewed in bamboo with tapioca leaves and seasonings 10 . This is one of the famous traditional dishes of Dayak in Sarawak. It is made of chicken and tapioca leaves. All marinated meat will be filled into the bamboo and capped with tapioca leaves. Then, the bamboo is placed over the wood fire. This dish is commonly served during every festival celebration in Sarawak. Figure 5: Known as Daun Sabong by the Iban ethnicity, Daun Dodah by the Bidayuh ethnicity, and Daun Melinjo with scientific name Gnetum gnemon , sometimes eaten raw or stir fried 12 . It is especially stir-fried with shrimp paste.MANUSCRIPT The taste is subtle and unique. It is often served in their meals in Sarawak. Cultvated Melinjau trees have light green leaves throughout whereas the wild Melinjau trees gives red and pink leaves with the older green leaves. Figure 6A: Midin, the jungle fern, Stenochlaena palustris , is one of most well-known dishes by tourists and visitorsACCEPTED when cooked. It has become an indispensable dish in local food courts and restaurants 13 . This fern is distributed widely over the jungle of Sarawak. It is commonly cooked with shrimp paste or alcohol. It has also been served as a green salad with vinegar. 5 ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Figure 6B: Pekasam Ensabi, pickled local cabbage, with a sour and slightly salty taste 14 . It is also known as Kimchi of the Iban even though it is not spicy. It can be mixed with lime when served. This is one of the well-known cuisines in Dayak society. Figure 6C: Daun Bandung Tutok, Manihot esculanta or pounded tapioca leaves sautéed with garlic. It can be found among Iban and Bidayuh cuisines 15 . It is commonly cooked with onion, chili and garlic. This is a common dish that may appear in daily meal. Traditionally, the tapioca leaves are pounded with a lesung batu, also known as the pestle and mortar. MANUSCRIPT Figure 7: Terung Dayak, also known as Terung Assam, Solanum ferox 16 . It is commonly made into soup. It tastes pleasantly sour. However, it can also be made into jam.