Tamu (Bryan Koh)

Little has been written about the cuisines of Borneo, the fourth largest island in the world, occupied by three nations, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Fascinated by its history, astonishing biodiversity and peoples, Koh spent four years travelling across the island to meet some of the myriad communities contributing to its culinary landscape, from indigenous ethnic groups, like the Iban, Dusun, Murut, Malays and Banjarese, to settlers like the Chinese, Javanese and Bugis. The result is the rich, engaging and kaleidoscopic Tamu: A Guest at the Bornean Table, written as a travelogue with food firmly at its core. More than just culinary information and recipes, Tamu also sheds light on the lives, culture and traditions of the people who make up this fascinating land. It is also rich with information on the lesser-known botanicals that form the foundation of the island’s local cuisines. As with his previous three literary endeavours, this book is sumptuous with food and location photographs, all of which were executed by Koh, who also designed the book.