The aborigines retain their Animist religion, believing that there is a spirit in everything. FOOD Rice is the staple food in Malaysian cuisine. It is often eaten at breakfast with coconut milk, anchovies and boiled egg. Noodles are also popular. Malaysian recipes often include coconut, shrimp paste, satay , fish or meat.
Nonya food is a combination of Chinese ingredients with Malaysian herbs and spices.
The regional variations of Chinese cooking are available as well as the food of the other ethnic and religious groups. In Malaysia a popular way of eating is to buy food from the hawker stalls in the street which offer a wide variety of different foods. Fresh fruits include durian , mangoes, jack fruit, star fruit, papaya, pineapple and pomelo. The peninsula of Malaysia, like Singapore, was important historically as a meeting place for traders between China and India. Islam was brought to the area by Arab and Indian traders in the thirteenth century.