Malaysia - Top 5 drinks to try

Malaysia is renowned for it's wide variety of dishes across Malaysian, Chinese and Indian cuisines. It is not only food that is plentiful here, the drinks choices are endless. As Malaysia is majority Muslim country, alcohol is not always available in the hawker centres and most Malay restaurants. Therefore you will notice that in these places they have lots of other types of beverages available. I have compiled my top 5 which I believe are some of the most popular and tastiest.

Malaysians tend to make all of their drinks with lots and lots of sugar so if you are against this in anyway then take note of some of the useful words below.

- Panas - hot

- Ais - ice

- O - black coffee with sugar

- C - with evaporated milk and sugar

- Kurang manis - less sweet (it will still be sweet but not so overpowering)

- Kosong or tak nak gula (drop the k's) - no sugar

- Bungkus - takeaway

- Satu Lagi - another one

- Terima Kasih - thank you (the Malays don't seem to use these words between eachother however it is always nice to be nice and they will appreciate it)

Teh Tarik (Pulled Tea)

Teh Tarik translates into 'Pulled Tea' and is said to be the National Drink of Malaysia. Black tea, sugar and condensed milk are mixed together and poured through the air between two canisters or jugs to create a frothy finish. The term 'pulled' is given as when the pouring is occurring, the distance between the jugs becomes wider and wider creating the effect that the tea is being pulled through the air. It is pretty impressive the level of control and steady hands that is required and the result is even more amazing. It can be quite sweet due to the mix of sugar and condensed milk so if you prefer to taste tea over sugar, order Teh Tarik kosong. Kosong is the Malay word for zero/nothing and in a restaurant setting it is understood as no sugar.

Teh O Limau (Tea with Lime)

Another popular drink in keeping with the tea family is Teh O Limau. Basically it is black tea with lots of sugar and fresh lime squeezed in to it.

It can be ordered hot (panas) or cold as with most drinks here however if you really want a refreshing hit, ask for ice. Beware of the pips when drinking, for such small limes there are lots of them.

Note: Limau in Malaysia means both lemon and lime.

Kopi (Coffee)

Kopi is the Malay word for Coffee (Kopitiam meaning Coffee Shop) and you can find this pretty much everywhere you go. It is Malaysian coffee mixed with condensed milk giving it the sweet taste it is famed for. Not only do they have kopi there is Nescafe as well so if you want the real deal make sure you say Kopi. If you say coffee they can mistake it for Nescafe, confusing right. There is nothing wrong with Nescafe however you can get that worldwide, it is always best to try the countries own.

If you are a real hardcore coffee lover and like strength just order 'Kopi O' - Black coffee with sugar or 'Kopi O Kosong' - Black coffee, no sugar.

Kopi (hot with condensed milk and sugar)

Kopi Ais (iced coffee w/condensed milk and sugar)

Kopi Float (coffee with ice, icecream, condensed milk and sugar)

BRU Coffee

This is my personal favourite out of all the hot drinks. BRU is the biggest coffee brand in India. You can find it in all Indian and some Malay restaurants however it never seems to be listed on any drinks menu so it is a kind of 'in the know' drink. It has the same concept as Kopi that it is mixed with condensed milk and sugar so the same theory and wording applies if you want less sweet/no sugar. In most countries you have to ask for the sugar and milk to be added, here it is the opposite way around.

Cham

Known as Yuenyeung in China and Cham in Malaysia, this drink is a hybrid of coffee and tea so you get the best of both worlds. Although any time I have ordered this drink it does taste more parts coffee than tea.

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