Pusas
Traditional appetiser or snack of Sabah, Malaysia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pusas are appetisers or snacks of certain types of food among the Kadazan-Dusun and Rungus in Sabahan cuisine within Malaysia. The Dusunic community within Sabah is known for its certain types of snack foods accompanied by alcoholic drinks such as montoku, lihing, talak, tapai and various commercial beers.[1]
Etymology
It is a local term in the Kadazan-Dusun language referring to a snack or small dish enjoyed with alcoholic beverages, typically consists of grilled food, smoked meat, or finger food.[2]
Categories of pusas
Foods that are classified as pusas usually have a salty, spicy, or sour taste which is to stimulate the appetite while drinking alcoholic beverages.[3][4] Among the common types of pusas of the Kadazan-Dusun including:
- Tender shoots and meat: Sweet potato shoots cooked with chicken or fish.
- Salted fish: Dried fish fried with onions and chillies.
- Butod (Rhynchophorus vulneratus larvae): Sago worm.[5]
- Sinalau: Pork or other fried crispy smoked meat.
- Tuhau: Forest plants that are sliced and mixed with chillies and vinegar.
