He lamented the increasing lack of experienced chefs skilled in heritage food, as well as the dropping quality of such food sold by street vendors, which he said will affect the tourism industry if not given attention.

“The younger generation is not interested in learning and mastering heritage dishes. People are also questioning why our food sold on the streets and in hotels is not as tasty as before,” Harian Metro reported him as saying at the launch of a cafe in Kepala Batas, Penang.

“We need to know how this came to be,” he said.

“Many makciks (ladies) making kuih today aren’t passing down their recipes because their children aren’t interested. If they pass away, their recipes will be gone. I am always worried about this,” he said.

Chef Wan said the institute should pool the nation’s chefs to discuss how to pass along their knowledge to the next generation. “They can produce an encyclopedia on Malay food, which will help uplift and promote our street food,” he said.

The tourism, arts and culture ministry should also be involved in preserving the knowledge of Malay heritage food, he said.