
The mesmerizing geometry of Malaysia’s most complex cakes - xingyzt
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/kek-lapis-sarawak
======
qubex
> _the Sarawak government designated it as a “protected geographical
> indicator,” decreeing that true kek lapis Sarawak can only be made within
> state borders_

I love stuff like this... a governmental body’s deliberate grab for _extra-_
territorial authority. We have similar things in Italy (D.O.C.: _Denominazione
di Origine Controllata_ , meaning “Name with a Controlled Origin”) but at
least that’s substantiated by a E.U.-level authority. I suppose in this case
it is supported by national authority, but the funny thing is that it’s only
within the confines of a higher authority that _grants_ these powers to its
lower constituents that such powers can exist (or within the context of
international trade deals). A better term than the active-voice ‘ _designated_
’ might’ve been the mixed active/passive-voice “ _requested, and was granted_
”, but I’m probably splitting hairs here.

I spent quite a while in Malaysia back in the early-to-mid 2000s, but I never
actually tried this. The ingredients don’t sound super-appetising to me.

EDIT: fixed formatting & punctuation.

~~~
brosinante
The geographical indication in the EU is used to protect a product's
name/brand, not stop it from being produced outside that area. I can make
Aceto Balsamico in my basement the traditional way (I'd need a basement
first), and can sell it, but not call Aceto Balsamico.

~~~
Melting_Harps
> The geographical indication in the EU is used to protect a product's
> name/brand, not stop it from being produced outside that area. I can make
> Aceto Balsamico in my basement the traditional way (I'd need a basement
> first), and can sell it, but not call Aceto Balsamico.

And this is exactly what happens in Italy, too; I did my apprenticeship there
and ran a Kitchen in Emilia Romanga, where quite honestly it seems everything
that comes out of there is protected (restricted is more like it) with that
seal.

However, after a few months I got invited to what can be best described as an
underground Farmer's Market to Industry only guests that moves around people's
farms/properties where they sell their products, be it Aceto, or Parmigiano,
Culatello, Lambrusco etc... as a white label product sold strictly for
'personal use' only, but a poorly kept secret was that it was possible it also
_somehow_ found its way to the tables of certain restaurants as an
accompaniment to an apperativo or as an anti-pasti. They're amazing products,
made by artisans with great care, but they simply lacked a that designation as
they were done in such small batches that even considering acquiring it would
set them back economically.

It was entirely like a faire with karaoke and music and dancing as well as
make-shift stalls for these kind of products and they made food, and since it
was mainly made up of a curated list of local chefs and farmers everything was
amazing, it was the one of the highlights of my career to have been allowed to
join and I wish I could have gone more often but work restricted me from going
as it was mainly held during service hours and only announced a few days ahead
of the event.

~~~
jaclaz
I don't want to seem too much a nitpicker on your spelling but:

>to an apperativo or as an anti-pasti

should be written as "an aperitivo or as an antipasto".

~~~
atdrummond
Is antipasti not the plural of antipasto?

~~~
jaclaz
Yes, antipasti is the plural of antipasto, and as such you cannot say "an
antipasti", but anti-pasto or anti-pasti is improper as it would sound as
someone that is "against meals".

Antipasto is a composed word, made from ante- (the prefix of latin origin
meaning before) and pasto (meal). The ante in composed words is sometimes
changed into anti, but the word is a known one and has no hyphen.

Whilst there are a number of accepted words including the prefix anti- (which
comes from Greek and means "against") the prefix (usually including the
hyphen) is instead used to make new derivatives/neologisms, i.e. if you are
against (say) smoking, you are anti-fumo or antifumo (and then antifumo
without hyphen might become an accepted word in the dictionary if it becomes
of common use)

~~~
Melting_Harps
Mi dispiace...

I learned Italian via solely listening to it only while working in the
country, best from an Austrian ex-lover who was from a border town in the
North no less... so much like the other 3 languages (non-English) I speak, my
grammar and syntax are admittedly usually off.

Thanks for the correction, though. Antipasto, no hyphen, got it.

As for this:

> I don’t see the issue with these kind of protections. If there were none,
> some massive corporation would come in, make a cheaper, worse version with
> the same name, and put the original makers out of business. Consumers lose,
> small businesses lose, local communities lose, and the only winner is BigCo.

That's exactly what has happened anyway in food without those things at the
very source, farms are mainly a consolidated conglomerate all over the World;
but in Italy the biggest food monoliths are able to have amazing clout,
especially in ER, but the truth is that Italy has an integral counter-balance
as it has a deep and rich history with it's cuisine such that the consumers
are far better educated and entirely unlikely to fall for the the allure of a
'race to the bottom' as ER prides itself as 'Il Paese del Buon Gusto.'

It was such a pleasure cooking in ER where many of our patrons would give me
direct feedback and come back to see the improvements as we went throughout
the season(s) as many were locals and how so many invited me and my staff into
their own homes to hang and show us how they make those aforementioned
products without the labels. And just so it's clear, its not like they don't
have some that are protected along side as well.

Modena is best known for it's Aceto, but one of the patrons I mentioned had
vats going back over 500 years that were moved to Maranello during WWII due to
damage and re-purposing of what was mainly farm land and not only did it have
that regional seal, but he had proudly stated that he had sold out his entire
foreseeable inventory (at the times) for the next 3 years. He had no desire to
expand, and he took great pride in just making an amazing product that
embodied his family's traditions and his local culture.

The situation is just a lot more nuanced than what you're making it out to be,
and also you have to understand that Italy is a country with 50+ types of
cheeses, and probably well over 100 types of pasta, that are really just
colloquially named to _differ_ from the others and are only slightly
different, if at all, than others.

What I'm trying to say is that Italy specifically is so fragmented that I
don't think what you propose is a real threat after having lived and worked
there.

Ironically, this is also why they say Italy is entirely ungovernable as well.

~~~
jaclaz
Don't worry, no need to be sorry, Italian as a language is "tough" for a
foreigner, or - maybe better said - once you get over the basics (which appear
simple)it gets nuanced, and - generally speaking - Italians tend not to
correct too much foreigners as long as they can understand them.

Besides the fragmentation you noted, you have to add also the language one,
even if today almost anyone can speak and understand Italian and normally uses
it, in many areas local dialects are still widely in use, often partially
mixed with Italian, to the point that the Italian you learned from a girl from
the north, border with Austria, will be (slightly) different from the one you
would have learned if she was from - say - Rome, both for the accent and for
the use of one word instead of another.

------
9nGQluzmnq3M
Kueh lapis is delicious, but by local standards eye-wateringly expensive due
to the effort involved, even when it's just "regular" layer cake and not
further remixed like the Sarawak variant. With a minimum wage of RM 1100/mo,
that RM250 cake is a week's income.

Some well-known local chains if you're even in the region:

[https://lavender.com.my/](https://lavender.com.my/)

[http://www.bengawansolo.com.sg/cat_signature_range.aspx](http://www.bengawansolo.com.sg/cat_signature_range.aspx)

In the spirit of HN, perhaps there's room for a startup to automate the
process with robotics and 3D printing...

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dwd
When I was living in Labuan most food places sold cakes (usually a simpler
pattern) and nasi lemak (coconut rice topped with sambal and wrapped in a
banana leaf) for breakfast.

Maybe an acquired taste but I found the amount of butter and oil a bit sickly.

~~~
te_chris
Nasi lemak is one of the worlds great dishes, at any time of the day!

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maxk42
These are beautiful. I worked in a Malaysian restaurant as a young adult and
unfortunately they didn't serve cakes. I'm a little saddened to think I may
never get to experience one.

~~~
Chunklight
When Covid calms down, Sarawak is a wonderful place to visit.

~~~
darrenf
Agreed. Kuching makes a fantastic base, and it's remarkably easy to visit the
incredible, diverse places across the state. My partner and I visited in
Autumn 2019 and had an amazing time. Highly recommend Bako national park in
particular!

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082349872349872
As a low 懐石, these cakes would be nice to eat after reading:
[https://aeon.co/ideas/is-there-any-real-distinction-
between-...](https://aeon.co/ideas/is-there-any-real-distinction-between-high-
and-low-pleasures)

Bonus battenberg track:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA)

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jelliclesfarm
They seem to be the Malaysian equivalent of Battenberg cakes but more
intricate and complicated

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blunte
I thought for sure the title was a typo for "caves". But no, they are complex
cakes!

