Preserving
our Heritage Cuisine for a Better Future!
Malaysia, our country rich in diversity,
culture and cuisine is truly a favorite country to visit in the eyes of the
world. Our multi-ethnic population contributes to a luscious melting-pot of
cuisine like no other. We have so much to offer in our heritage cuisine which
consists of majority of Malay, Chinese and Indian as well as minority of
locals. The result is a kaleidoscope of cuisine with complexity and diversity,
rich in flavours and culture. Therefore it is important that our heritage
cuisine be preserved and handed over through our generations to come.
BERJAYA
University College of Hospitality (BERJAYA UCH), a leading premier University
College in Malaysia, has recently launched their latest programme of Diploma in Heritage Cuisine offered by
their School of Culinary Arts.
BERJAYA UCH is the first University College approved by our Ministry of
Education Malaysia to offer students the fundamentals of 13 states’ cuisines
through history and cultural influences with the hopes of contributing towards
the preservation of Malaysian Culinary Masterpieces. The course includes Fundamental Heritage Cuisine, Malaysian
Ethnic Cuisine, Aseana Cuisine and a host of other subjects that
contributes to our heritage cuisine.
The launch was held at Samplings on the
Fourteen at Berjaya Time Square on 19 November 2015 with the presence of Mae
Ho, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of BERJAYA Higher Education Sdn
Bhd, BERJAYA UHC’s team and other distinguished guests as well as members of
the media and bloggers.
“The
Diploma in Heritage Cuisine is a 2-year programme that we will soon be
introducing to showcase authentic Malaysian food and cooking styles. This will
focus on local ingredients, spices, traditional cooking tools and equipment.
BERJAYA UCH, as a niche University College, has developed this programme to
create awareness on Malaysian heritage cuisine by understanding the rich
history behind the dishes through theory classes and practical cooking
experiences.” Mae Ho, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of BERJAYA
Higher Education Sdn Bhd remarked.
“It
is important that students understand the traditional cooking styles that have
been passed on from one generation to another. The mixture of our locally grown
aromatic herbs, spices mixed with locally made pastes and coconut milk evokes
memories of our forefathers’ cooking and will be a legacy to our children. For
example our rendang: with the use of different herbs and spices, cuts of meat
and various cooking methods, our rendang will take the world by storm. Through
this programme, we create documentation than can be handed down to our
children, grandchildren and succeeding generations.
Whether
its traditional cooking or re-creating dishes through modern innovation, these
are our traditional culinary masterpieces, this is our heritage. When you
mention Italian, French Chinese,
Japanese,
Korean and Indochinese cuisines, people know about it. When it comes to our
cuisine, it’s not even in the world map. Our unique Peranakan cuisine which are
from Chinese migrants who settled in
Penang
and Malacca and intermarrying with local Malays created the Nyonya style of
cooking by blending Chinese ingredients with various distinct spices and
cooking techniques used by the Malay/Indonesian community. Therefore, DBKL’s
Big Kitchen Festival 2015 is an amazing initiative to showcase our culinary
masterpieces” Mae Ho added.
The event showcased a mélange of
Malaysian cuisine, prepared by the BERJAYA
UHC Culinary team, such as Laksam,
Nyonya Popiah, Daging Opor Pahang, aneka Kuih Muih and more.
The Diploma
in Heritage Cuisine is designed for students who wishes to pursue their
understanding and appreciation of Malaysian Heritage Cuisines. It is a
programme focus on sharpening the students’ understanding importance of
heritage cuisines in our hospitality or food industry. In addition to learning
about the heritage cuisines, the programme also offers fundamental modules in
business and management subjects, preparing students for broader careers that
might even lead them into their own extrepreneur ventures besides working in
the private sectors.
It is a 2 years program plus a semester
of internship where students will undergo a comprehensive and intensive
hands-on training in an internship programme. There are three intakes in
January, May and September. Entry requirements are SPM / O-Levels / UEC or
equivalent with a minimum of three (3) credits and applicants who possess other
qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Through the programme, students can
exhibit effective principles in heritage cookery and application of basic
modern cooking methods of heritage cuisines. Various elements of basic heritage
knowledge and various cooking techniques, including an understanding of the
HALAL food preparation will provide a solid platform for students in gearing up
for their careers in their future.
Besides the fundamentals of heritage
cuisine and business modules, students are encourage to master their
communicative, leadership and teamwork skills in the working environment. Students
are also offered the opportunity to continue pursuing their degree studies upon
completion of Diploma in Heritage
Cuisine.
As part of the requirement by the Ministry of Education, students will
be required to take four (4) general subjects (Mata Pelajaran Umum):
1. Pengajian Malaysia/ Communication Malay Language 1,
2. Moral Education,
3. Thinking skills,
4. Community Services
For more information of the Diploma in Heritage Cuisine program,
visit BERJAYA University College of
Hospitality website www.berjaya.edu.my
or contact +603 2687 7000 and email info@berjaya.edu.my.
