Being a melting point for multiple races, there are various cuisines and foods, which aggressively compete for taste buds in the state. Most of the locals here are proud of being pastime eaters and this shouldn’t really surprise you during your visit to the state. Around the clock, you can be sure that you will be able to get nearly any type of food you crave for in most of the major towns of Perak. You will find restaurants situated along nearly all the streets of Perak and you can be sure that there is abundant of food to eat here and you will really never go hungry.
Fast food chains have been re-shaping the cuisine and food industry in Perak and this has enhanced the competition even more. You will find some of the well known brands of fast food chains like Kentucky, McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Fried Chicken and even A & W, all which have multiple outlets within the state. In Perak, the three major kinds of cuisine that rock the state are Indian, Malay and Chinese. Malay cuisine is of course the dominant cuisine in Perak considering that the Malay are the largest ethnic group not just in Perak but in the whole of Malaysia and account for more than half of the population.
Chinese cuisines are also common in Perak as well mainly because of the rich history of trade between Malaysia and China for centuries. Indians on the other hand have for more than 2000 years been visiting Perak and Malaysia in general thus spreading the influence of their local cuisine as well. Lemang is a popular Malay delicacy that everyone visiting Perak should consider tasting. This dish is prepared from glutinous rice that is cooked in bamboo tube and prepared over a slow fire.
Lemang is a must have dish during the many local festivities here like the Hari Raya Haji and Hari Raya Aidilfitri where it is served alongside some rending. It is believed that indigenous people of Perak used to cook rice using bamboo thus explaining the origins of this dish. Another very popular Malay delicacy that you should visit is Tempoyak. This is actually durian extract that is preserved and well kept in a traditional urn. It is eaten common with other dishes as well as chilies as well. Durain is popular ingredient in Perak and thus makes this dish very popular as well.
Seafood is also very common here in Perak and there are so many joints where you can taste fresh seafood during your visit to Perak. Tanjung Tualang which is only an hour drive away from Ipoh town is a place where you will find specialty freshwater spawns, which are priced reasonably and very delicious as well. There are also some very delicious drinks as well like ice blended Sarsi and ais lengkong kuning which is ideally a mixture of yellow jelly, sugar, water and lime. Restaurants and fast food joints are distributed all over Perak and you can get nearly any food of your choice here.