MAKKAH: Pilgrims who crave for Malaysian food will be happy with the choice of dishes available here, whether in the street stalls, restaurants or the cafeteria of the hostels they are staying in.
Once they complete the Subuh prayers in the Masjidil Haram and walk out into the streets, they can feast their eyes and tastebuds on ‘nasi lemak’, ‘roti canai’ and the must-have drink, ‘teh tarik’ which are found in almost every street.
Ahmed Nabeel, 38, who works in the cafeteria at one of the lodgings for Malaysian haj pilgrims here said the ‘nasi kerabu’, ‘nasi dagang’ and ‘laksam’ sold in the cafeteria are supplied by traders who are Pattani Malays living in the surrounding areas.
“They send the food which we have ordered for the haj season. We usually take about 40 to 50 packets of each type, and all are usually sold off by lunch.
“We also have ‘nasi lemak’ fried noodles, as well as Malay kuih like ‘seri muka’, ‘karipap’ and ‘kuih lapis’ which Malaysian pilgrims enjoy,” the Arab youth told Bernama in fluent Malay.
This year, 30,200 Malaysians will be performing the haj, assisted by 640 Tabung Haji staff. To date, 16,628 have arrived here and in Madinah. – Bernama