DESCRIBE A TRADITIONAL FOOD THAT YOU LIKE THE MOST.

Sabah is a state comprises of multi racial population. More than 33 ethnic communities are having their own distinct culture, language and identity. The Kadazan-Dusun community is one of the most populous races found in Sabah. Their culture is shaped by a long tradition involving and reflected in their culture and food. Food has always been the basic need of the people. For our local communities in Sabah eating and drinking local food is one of the best ways to understand more about the local culture. Since I belong to Kadazan-Dusun ethnic, so my favourite traditional food is also reflecting to the communities that I belong. Hinava is a traditional food for the Kadazan-Dusun community and this is the food that I like the most. Hinava is a Kadazan-Dusun language which means raw fish salad, made of fresh fish fillets using mackerel or kingfish angler. The way to prepare the hinava is, cut the fillet into fairly thick slices, mixed with lime juice and other ingredients such as chopped chili, sliced shallots, slice ginger, salt and grated dried seed of the bambangan fruit. Hinava does not need to be cooked, just mixed with lime juice because the citric acid will of the lime juice will cook and kills the bacteria in the fish. Hinava’s taste is savoury and sour. Hinava would be serve during special occasions such as harvest festival, weddings or birthdays. It is a healthy food and can be served as a dish typically with white rice or as an appetiser, these two combinations will make you jaw drop. As my conclusion, there are plenty of traditional dishes in Sabah but hinava is loved by many Sabahans. This raw fish salad is similar to sushi. Hinava will wake your taste buds up.