3. Coconuts and the Land Before Borders

Can coconuts really travel along ocean currents? Maybe, but that's probably not how they spread around the world.

We look at coconuts and Malaysia's ancient maritime history. The Malay and Indonesian archipelagos contain some 25,000 islands, home to communities that were once much more connected. These are the lands of Nusantara, a common ancestor of many South East Asian cultures.

We hear from food historian Khir Johari (@khir19) about the Nusantaran spirit and how different South East Asian cuisines have a lot more in common than we think.

And food writer Maria Stephanie (@ssshteffi) shares her efforts to revitalise foraging and cooking traditions that are fast-disappearing.

References and Resources

Food of Singapore Malays: Gastronomic Travels Through the Archipelago (2021), Khir Johari

Dialogues by Khir

Dari Bumi Nusantara ke Piring Kita, 2024, Maria Stephanie

Gunn BF, Baudouin L, Olsen KM (2011) Independent Origins of Cultivated Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) in the Old World Tropics. PLoS ONE 6(6): e21143.

Contesting Malayness - Malay identity across Boundaries (2003), Timothy Barnard

Credits

Hosted by Dr Noby Leong and Philip Gibson

Produced by Dr Noby Leong and Philip Gibson

Sound Design by Jack Barr

Satay? Okay! is produced by Kopi Productions Limited