LEMANG is a traditional Malay food that is loved by all communities.
The bamboo is used to cook lemang.
For Arman Bakhtiar, 49, and two of his friends in Hulu Langat, Selangor, Ramadan is the time to head into the forest on the motorcycles in search of bamboo.
Armed with machetes, saws and mosquito repellent, they scour the forest to find bamboo ordered by lemang makers.
“We gets orders for 3,000 to 4,000 bamboo culms a week. But as we get closer to Hari Raya, we must move further into the forest where it becomes more difficult to find bamboo,” said Arman.
Arman said a person must know which plants are suited to make lemang.
“I have 20 years of experience looking for lemang bamboo so just by looking at it, I know whether it is mature enough for the job and should be cut down. Otherwise we give the bamboo a chance to grow,” he said.
Harvesting bamboo for lemang earns the farmers a decent income. Their main concern is that the price of a bamboo culm hasn’t changed over the last 20 years. At its lowest, a culm fetches RM1 and reaches RM1.20 at its peak. – April 29, 2022.
A lemang seller cooks over an open fire in Beranang, Selangor. Lemang is a must-have for Raya. Without the bamboo, lemang will not taste the same. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.A man cleans trims a bamboo in the Hulu Langat forest in, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.Arman Bakhtiar (right) and his friend stack the bamboo they have cut down in Hulu Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.A bamboo culm for leman fetches about RM1. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.Arman Bakhtiar shows the perfect bamboo size for cooking lemang. - The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.Harvesting bamboo for lemang earns farmers a decent side income. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.Bamboo culms are neatly stacked for delivery at a coffee shop in Hulu Langat, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.The lorry arrives to pick up bamboo for delivery in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.Bamboo culms are in demand during the Raya season for the making of lemang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.A lemang seller stuffs banana leaves into a bamboo culm before filling it with glutinous rice. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, April 29, 2022.
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