How Nasi Lemak Became The Most Talked About Food Of 2017
From beloved national dish to... condoms and a Miss Universe dress.
By Samantha Khor — 14 Dec 2017, 07:36 PM
Of all the food trends that have shaped 2017's food landscape, none have come close to wrestling the top spot away from Malaysia's national dish. We are, of course, referring to the much talked-about nasi lemak.
Though nasi lemak-inspired food and even desserts are not new to the Malaysian market (see: nasi lemak gelato and nasi lemak cheesecake), the classic dish can't seem to escape the spotlight this year. :p
It all started when these gorgeously-plated nasi lemak cakes by Tiana Kitchen, a home-based catering service in KL, went viral on social media
The nasi lemak cakes were even presented to dance-rock band DNCE when they were in Kuala Lumpur for a concert in August (because 'Cake in the Ocean', heh). Joe Jonas looks pretty confused...
Funnily enough, the frenzied hype didn't exactly start in Malaysia. It was actually our food frenemy Singapore who sparked the whole "nasi lemak reimagined" trend when their McDonald's came up with a nasi lemak burger in August!
The nasi lemak burger, which came in a box labelled "Just for you, Singapore", was created by McDonald's Singapore in conjunction with the country's National Day.
One thing for sure, it got Malaysians thinking, "How did we not come up with this first??!!"
Not to be outdone, several Malaysian eateries came up with their own take of the nasi lemak-inspired burger. The "competition" got a little heated when some Singaporeans got triggered by myBurgerLab's tweet...
Don't worry - myBurgerLab took all the drama in stride, throwing some pretty epic shade right back at the "salty Singaporeans".
Side note: The Nasi Lemak Ayam Rendang burger is still available at all myBurgerLab outlets until 31 December so if you haven't tried it, now's the time! You can also check out our review of the burger here:
Down under, PappaRich Australia got quite a few laughs with an advertisement featuring a Caucasian lady eating nasi lemak with, er, chopsticks...
On the bright side, it's probably a very successful marketing gimmick 'coz people were queueing up for the nasi lemak promo!
Just when you thought we'd run out of things to do with nasi lemak, a Malaysian condom company decided to create nasi lemak-inspired condoms... and we actually got ahold of the world's first box of Nasi Lemak Panas!
Sounds like a bizarre concept, but it actually smells pretty good! Also, it comes coated with warming lubricant... smirks
Last but not least, we wrapped up the year with a public display of our claim to the classic dish in the form of a nasi lemak dress worn by Miss Universe Malaysia to the 2017 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas just last month
In case you're wondering, Miss Universe Singapore's national costume was inspired by Gardens by the Bay.
Which Malaysian food do you think should have a chance to shine next year? Let us know in the comments section below!