Appetite for life - WALK OF LOVE

The Pineapple Festival
5 th – 7 th December
Every year without fail, this festival
in the food bowl of Sarawak, Sarikei
attracts people from all over the
State. Many come for the ‘original’
Sarikei pineapple which means the
sweet, succulent variety found here,
in this the pineapple town! Now,
there are numerous varieties of these
juicy fruits to choose from; depending
on your choice, you could look for the
biggest ones, sweetest ones, juiciest
ones or simply one for the curry
dishes – you name it, they have it
and will recommend the right one
for your needs. So, this year, come
December, make the trip to the town
and discover for yourself the numerous
varieties available.
Certainly, pineapples will be your main
attraction at the festival but browse
around the stalls set up specially for
the event. Almost all types of food and
pastries using pineapple as the main
ingredient can be found and that’s just
the beginning. Try the pineapple juice
mixed with other fruits and this punch
will certainly make you come back for
more. And don’t forget the very tasty
pineapple fried rice which is sure to
please the guests when served using
the hollowed out skin of the fruit!
Most foreigners are familiar with
canned varieties of pineapple, in cubes,
slices or juices. These too are found
at the festival and there will be stalls
that give demonstrations of making
the most of these canned fruits in
daily cooking and food presentations.
In the hands of innovative chefs, the
pineapple can really be quite a surprise
package both as an ingredient and also
for garnishing.
Locals know too that when processing
the pineapple, all the discarded parts
can also be used for animal feed and
more recent research work have come
up with other uses for these discards.
Though not common here, pineapple
has been converted into alcohol and
perfume as well as other chemical
agents for use in industries.
For those interested in the cultivation
of the fruit, the various departments
and agencies will also be on hand
DestinationTalk
En. Abang Mohd Borkan (left) presenting souvenir to
En. Michael Dawi Ali, Resident of Sarikei
– only one of its kind in Sarawak!
to give advice on all aspects of small
and large scale cultivations. The soil
in Sarawak favours the crop and so
many varieties can be successfully
planted here. From acquiring seeds to
marketing the fruit, the whole exercise
of pineapple farming is available at
the festival. As in previous years the
event awards prizes to the winners in
the various categories of pineapple
competition and the proud farmers
walk home with smiles and goodies
from the organisers. Like at every
festival in the State, there will be
songs and dance performances to
add to the liveliness of the event.
Even if you are only interested in
eating the fresh fruit, make a trip
there to learn more about what
makes it fascinating.
For further information, please call
Sarikei District Office
8 Floor, Wisma Jubli Mutiara, Jalan Bersatu,
96100 Sarikei, Sarawak.
Tel: (6) 084 656725 Fax: (6) 084 651012
Oct-Dec2008BorneoTalk | 47