As a kid when I was reading the adventures of Asterix and Obelix, the colors and massive text fascinated me. As a teen, it progressed to a more funnier understanding, and once I hit my 20’s it was a comic that taught me about the complexities of people and food. But one of the most curious things in this is the food these characters ate – Wild Boar. It used to be one of the funniest bits in the comic and always cracked me up. So just once – out of curiosity, I had Wild Boar and it was interestingly delicious. Apparently, God had different plans for me to experience the true taste of Wild Boar.
Tom the food, Jerry my emotions:
In Sabah, food was an eclectic mix of international and local cuisine. The first ever thing I ate was Tom yum and I swear to God – the best ever (spice, flavor and authentic cooking – gave it character. Like I would marry it). The spices cleared my nose, the flavour opened my soul and the texture left me wanting more and more. Everyone on the table who had it went for seconds and kept talking about it. So through the trip you can imagine I had the best of best local food – I didn’t even care for the international cuisine, I just wanted to experiment with the local food and its wide variety of meat.
Spike my Sense
Journey with me on the bus. It’s day 3 and everyone is dead tired. The bus comes to a halt and there is a different smell to the air. As each person gets off, I’m still sleepy and groggy – but the smell opened my nose like never before. I got down and saw a hill, but still, my nose was making all the decisions. There was a spike in my hound like senses. I turn and see 2 shacks that are cooking some form of meat on a massive grill. Behind these shacks are massive forests that are dense and hypnotic. The smoke from this meat smelt delicious, but the color was unappealing – black and charred on the top (skepticism kicked in and I was ready to give up). The superstar chefs with us (Bobby and Sushil) asked the cooks to feed all of us – and that was the moment of truth.
Ideally, Everyone Became Nibbles
As she cut the meat, it was cooked to perfection – pink, white and juicy. I have cooked meat perfectly, so has my mum and many others – but this was a remarkable sight. The way the knife cut through the fat and sliced pieces for all our starving mouths was heavenly. The smoky flavour and the intense fat completely left me forgetting bacon – this is the big brother – WILD BOAR. For centuries this roadside shack has been keeping the wild boar numbers in check and that is their heritage. People from all over Sabah come to indulge their senses into the most traditional form of cooking meat – slow cooked on a grill. Chef Bobby even mentioned that, whenever he decides to make Wild Boar, he will travel into the wilderness to buy this is kilos. From pickles to fried, this delicacy has to be tried by every person on planet earth – hands down tastes better than bacon (yes I said it).
That’s all Folks
For every bite you take into this delicacy, you will be reminded of the wilderness and the smoke that wraps itself under the top skin that is charred for flavour. Understand that such meat can never be sourced anywhere else but in the greatest holiday place – Sabah.
