5 Fun Facts on WHY Laksa is One of the Most Amazing Dishes in This Planet!

laksa, popular, famous

There are many people who are food lovers and they love to put their tastebuds to the test by eating different varieties of new dishes and food.

“Pull up a chair.  Take a taste of this creamy, sinfully, savoury broth, lay back and ahhhhh… Life is so endlessly delicious, so come and join us!”


Yes, this is the phrase that perfectly defines “Laksa”. With an astonishing whiff and incredible taste, Laksa is a mouth-watering dish that is liked by everyone and is worthy to be tested tasted not once, but again and again.

There are 5 reasons that below which clearly defines why Laksa is liked so much and what makes it a popular dish.

1) Invention of Laksa through a love story

The story of Laksa emerged through a love story during the time of trade when the Chinese traders used to visit Malay Archipelago in 15th century and the men and women started falling in love with the locals. The love relationships were then transformed into a strong bond through marriages between the two with different cultures and religions. In fact, they were known by different names like Peranakan in Malaysia and Kiau-Seng in Indonesia. Isn’t it amazing to have a unique and diverse community?

The wives of the traders were extraordinarily and talented and had a great knowledge of spices and flavours, therefore, experimenting with them gave rise to a delectable traditional dish which was then termed as Laksa.

2) No Silk Road, No Laksa

The only countries where authentic Laksa is found are Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. Professor Penny Van Esterik in one of his books “Food Culture in Southeast Asia” mentioned Silk Road which made the existence of Laksa possible. The Chinese got knowledge about the spices when they arrived in Indonesia in the 16TH century. They can be considered as the “maker or creator of the perfect Laksa”.

3) “Uncountable” ingredients and Types of spices:

It was not only the history that was the main contributor to the invention of Laksa. In fact, there were various reasons why Laksa got this name. The meaning behind the name of this dish is defined in different ways by different people. R.J. Wilkinson mentioned in his dictionary meaning of the word as Ten-Thousand in Sanskrit while in Persian language if one ‘H’ is added to the word Laksa then it will become Laksha which means slippery: kind of noodles. There are many other countries that are connected through Silk Road and each has some or the other name of their dishes resembling the word “Laksa”. Laksa also has quite a number of ingredients and each ingredient adds a unique taste and aroma to the dish.

4) “Test your taste buds”:

As time passed, the dish gradually gained a lot of popularity especially the Laksa soup. Laksa can be categorised into 3 main categories, and these are Curry, Siamese and Assam. The locals understood that the traditional Chinese dishes and soups lacked a little pinch of spice and taste so the locals began to add spices, chillies, herbs and an ingredient called coconut milk which is a game-changer.

Thus, the Laksa curry gained many food lovers in no time throughout Malaysian states like Perak, Negeri, Melaka and many more. The Laksa curry was also found in Singapore, Katong and in Indonesia. Siamese Laksa, one of the forms of laksa dish is now popular in Malaysia, although it got its origin from Thailand. Thai people are lovers of spice and red curry paste, and therefore the laksa dish is greatly liked by the Thai people. The Assam Laksa is similar to Siamese Laksa but one ingredient is not present in this dish, the coconut milk.

5) Golden Spice that makes Laksa a unique dish:

There is this 1 spice “tamarind” that gives a delicious taste to the dish and that makes the dish a little tangy, which adds a great flavour to Laksa. Laksa dishes are often made using rice vermicelli, which is the perfect combination of the Laksa soup base. It’s “not just another simple yellow noodle”

So, here it is, you have all the complete knowledge about this delicious mouth-watering dish.

Once you’ve tasted Laksa, you cannot resist trying it again and again due to its varieties and different combination of spices. This post will not only give you an idea about the invention of Laksa but instead, it explains the different variations of Laska and the countries that are famous for it.

Act now, don’t wait, grab your spoon, just give this dish 1 hearty, sip and get ready to “swim in the ocean of spice and flavours”.

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