Kerepek is a Malay traditional snack food made from unripened fruits or root vegetables consumed by the Malay society for generations. However, with the availability and wide selection of modern and imported foreign snack foods in the local market, there are concerns about the continuity of traditional snack food consumption among the younger generations. This study explores the factors that are important to Malay young adults in their decision to consume kerepek. Data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews in Klang Valley, Malaysia. A total of fifteen informants were involved in the investigation involving young Malay adult traditional snack food consumers aged between 20 and 25 years old. Four factors were identified as important in the consumption of kerepek; familiarity, naturality, crispiness, and price fairness. The findings suggest that kerepek producers need to consistently deliver these elements that are desirable to the young traditional snack food consumers. An understanding of traditional snack food consumers’ preferences may not only ensure the sustainability of the traditional snack food business but as well as promote continuous appreciation of Malay traditional food among the younger generation which is crucial in the context of culinary heritage management.
Aziz, A. R. (2019). Melakar Hala Tuju Masakan Melayu Masa Kini: Antara Tradisi, Moden dan Hibridisasi. Gastronom Warisan 2, 96–105.
Choi, Y. M., & Jeong, J. Y. (2019). The determinants of imported food purchase of Muslim consumers in Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 11(6), 1539–1556. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-12-2018-0228
Dutton, J. (2010). FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED: POSTCOLONIAL BARRIERS TO TRADITIONAL FOOD CONSUMPTION IN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN CANADA. The University of Guelph.
Dzul, Z. (2017). Chips off the old block. New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/pulse/2017/07/253494/chips-old-block
Galli, F. (2018). Traditional Food: Definitions and Nuances. Case Studies in the Traditional Food Sector: A Volume in the Consumer Science and Strategic Marketing Series, 3–24. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-101007-5.00002-6
Hamzah, H., Karim, M. S. A., Othman, M., Hamzah, A., & Muhammad, N. H. (2015). Challenges in Sustaining the Malay Traditional Kuih among Youth. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 5(5), 472–478. https://doi.org/10.7763/ijssh.2015.v5.502
Haryanto, B., Purwanto, D., Dewi, A. S., & Cahyono, E. (2019). How does the type of product moderate consumers’ buying intentions towards traditional foods? (Study of consumer behavior in Indonesia). Journal of Asia Business Studies, 13(4), 525–542. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-10-2018-0299
Hess, J. M., Jonnalagadda, S. S., & Slavin, J. L. (2016). What is a snack, why do we snack, and how can we choose better snacks? A review of the definitions of snacking, motivations to snack, contributions to dietary intake, and recommendations for improvement. Advances in Nutrition, 7(3), 466–475. https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.009571
Ishak, N., Mohd. Zahari, M. S., Ahmad, R., & Ibrahim, S. (2018). Nurturing Common Acceptable Food through Acculturation. Journal of ASIAN Behavioural Studies, 3(9), 97. https://doi.org/10.21834/jabs.v4i17.77
Ismail, F. (2019). keeping Malaysian Food Authenthic. New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2019/03/471412/keeping-malaysian-food-authentic
Kocaman, E. M. (2018). A cross-cultural comparison of the attitudes of employees towards the presence of traditional foods in business menus. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 13(May), 10–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2018.05.002
Lebar, O. (2018). Penyelidikan Kualitatif; Pengenalan Kepada Teori dan Metode (Edisi Kedu). Penerbit Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.
Maguire, M., & Delahunt, B. (2017). Doing a Thematic Analysis: A Practical, Step-by-Step Guide for Learning and Teaching Scholars. All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 3, 3135–3140. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIA.2014.2306979
Sharif, M. S., Zahari, M. S., Nor, M. N., & Muhammad, R. (2016). Restriction on Malay Traditional Food Practices. Asian Journal of Quality of Life, 1(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v1i1.31
Mielmann, A., & Brunner, T. A. (2019). Consumers’ snack choices: current factors contributing to obesity. British Food Journal, 121(2), 347–358. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2018-0309
Fikri, M. N. H., Abdul Rahman, A. E., & Noh, I. (2021). Exploring culinary heritage practices among the younger Chetti generations in Melaka. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-021-00101-8
Nahar, N., Karim, S. A., Karim, R., Ghazali, H., & Krauss, S. E. (2018). The globalization of Malaysia national cuisine: a concept of ‘gastrodiplomacy’’.’ Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Culinary Arts, 10(1), 42–58.
Nor, N. M., Sharif, M. S. M., Zahari, M. S. M., Salleh, H. M., Isha, N., & Muhammad, R. (2012). The Transmission Modes of Malay Traditional Food Knowledge within Generations. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 50(July), 79–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.08.017
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Perry, M. S. (2017). Feasting on culture and identity: Food functions in a multicultural and transcultural Malaysia. 3L: Language, Linguistics, Literature, 23(4), 184–199. https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2017-2304-14
Pustaka, D. B. dan. (2022). Definition of Keropok. Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka. https://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=keropok
Raji, M. N. A., Ab Karim, S., Ishak, F. A. C., & Arshad, M. M. (2017). Past and present practices of the Malay food heritage and culture in Malaysia. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 4(4), 221–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jef.2017.11.001
Ramesh, R., Shakila, J. R., Sivaraman, B., Ganesan, P., & Velayutham, P. (2018). Optimization of the gelatinization conditions to improve the expansion and crispiness of fish crackers using RSM. LWT - Food Science and Technology, 89(October 2017), 248–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2017.10.045
Ramli, A. M., Zahari, M. S. M., Halim, N. A., & Aris, M. H. M. (2016). The Knowledge of Food Heritage Identithy in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 222, 518–527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.145
Renko, S., & Bucar, K. (2014). Sensing nostalgia through traditional food: An insight from Croatia. British Food Journal, 116(11), 1672–1691. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-02-2014-0089
Roselli, L., Cicia, G., Cavallo, C., Del Giudice, T., Carlucci, D., Clodoveo, M. L., & De Gennaro, B. C. (2018). Consumers’ willingness to buy innovative traditional food products: The case of extra-virgin olive oil extracted by ultrasound. Food Research International, 108(July 2017), 482–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.03.070
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach, 7th edition. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_102084
Sharif, M. S. M., Nor, N. M., Zahari, M. S. M., & Muhammad, R. (2015). What Makes the Malay Young Generation had Limited Skills and Knowledge in the Malay Traditional Food Preparation? Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 202(December 2014), 152–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.08.218
Sharif, M. S. M., Zahari, M. S. M., Nor, N. M., & Muhammad, R. (2013). Factors that Restrict Young Generation to Practice Malay Traditional Festive Foods. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 101, 239–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.197
Walch, A., Loring, P., Johnson, R., Tholl, M., & Bersamin, A. (2019). Traditional Food Practices, Attitudes, and Beliefs in Urban Alaska Native Women Receiving WIC Assistance. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 51(3), 318–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2018.09.003
Zahari, M. S. M., Tumin, A., Hanafiah, M. H., & Majid, H. N. A. (2019). How the acculturation of Baba Nyonya community affects Malacca food identity? Asian Ethnicity, 20(4), 486–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631369.2019.1605825.
In-Text Citation: (Aris et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Aris, M. M. M., Rahman, A. E. A., Noh, I., & Jalis, M. H. (2022). The Consumption of Malay Traditional Snack Food-Kerepek among Young Malay Adults. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(11), 1061– 1072.
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
