BERJAYA University College of Hospitality Launches Diploma in Heritage Cuisine

Preserving our Heritage Cuisine for a Better Future!

Malaysia, our country rich in diversity, culture and cuisine is truly a favorite country to visit in the eyes of the world. Our multi-ethnic population contributes to a luscious melting-pot of cuisine like no other. We have so much to offer in our heritage cuisine which consists of majority of Malay, Chinese and Indian as well as minority of locals. The result is a kaleidoscope of cuisine with complexity and diversity, rich in flavours and culture. Therefore it is important that our heritage cuisine be preserved and handed over through our generations to come.

BERJAYA University College of Hospitality (BERJAYA UCH), a leading premier University College in Malaysia, has recently launched their latest programme of Diploma in Heritage Cuisine offered by their School of Culinary Arts. BERJAYA UCH is the first University College approved by our Ministry of Education Malaysia to offer students the fundamentals of 13 states’ cuisines through history and cultural influences with the hopes of contributing towards the preservation of Malaysian Culinary Masterpieces. The course includes Fundamental Heritage Cuisine, Malaysian Ethnic Cuisine, Aseana Cuisine and a host of other subjects that contributes to our heritage cuisine.

The launch was held at Samplings on the Fourteen at Berjaya Time Square on 19 November 2015 with the presence of Mae Ho, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of BERJAYA Higher Education Sdn Bhd, BERJAYA UHC’s team and other distinguished guests as well as members of the media and bloggers.

“The Diploma in Heritage Cuisine is a 2-year programme that we will soon be introducing to showcase authentic Malaysian food and cooking styles. This will focus on local ingredients, spices, traditional cooking tools and equipment. BERJAYA UCH, as a niche University College, has developed this programme to create awareness on Malaysian heritage cuisine by understanding the rich history behind the dishes through theory classes and practical cooking experiences.” Mae Ho, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of BERJAYA Higher Education Sdn Bhd remarked.

“It is important that students understand the traditional cooking styles that have been passed on from one generation to another. The mixture of our locally grown aromatic herbs, spices mixed with locally made pastes and coconut milk evokes memories of our forefathers’ cooking and will be a legacy to our children. For example our rendang: with the use of different herbs and spices, cuts of meat and various cooking methods, our rendang will take the world by storm. Through this programme, we create documentation than can be handed down to our children, grandchildren and succeeding generations.

Whether its traditional cooking or re-creating dishes through modern innovation, these are our traditional culinary masterpieces, this is our heritage. When you mention Italian, French Chinese,

Japanese, Korean and Indochinese cuisines, people know about it. When it comes to our cuisine, it’s not even in the world map. Our unique Peranakan cuisine which are from Chinese migrants who settled in

Penang and Malacca and intermarrying with local Malays created the Nyonya style of cooking by blending Chinese ingredients with various distinct spices and cooking techniques used by the Malay/Indonesian community. Therefore, DBKL’s Big Kitchen Festival 2015 is an amazing initiative to showcase our culinary masterpieces” Mae Ho added.

The event showcased a mélange of Malaysian cuisine, prepared by the BERJAYA UHC Culinary team, such as Laksam, Nyonya Popiah, Daging Opor Pahang, aneka Kuih Muih and more.

The Diploma in Heritage Cuisine is designed for students who wishes to pursue their understanding and appreciation of Malaysian Heritage Cuisines. It is a programme focus on sharpening the students’ understanding importance of heritage cuisines in our hospitality or food industry. In addition to learning about the heritage cuisines, the programme also offers fundamental modules in business and management subjects, preparing students for broader careers that might even lead them into their own extrepreneur ventures besides working in the private sectors.

It is a 2 years program plus a semester of internship where students will undergo a comprehensive and intensive hands-on training in an internship programme. There are three intakes in January, May and September. Entry requirements are SPM / O-Levels / UEC or equivalent with a minimum of three (3) credits and applicants who possess other qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Through the programme, students can exhibit effective principles in heritage cookery and application of basic modern cooking methods of heritage cuisines. Various elements of basic heritage knowledge and various cooking techniques, including an understanding of the HALAL food preparation will provide a solid platform for students in gearing up for their careers in their future.

Besides the fundamentals of heritage cuisine and business modules, students are encourage to master their communicative, leadership and teamwork skills in the working environment. Students are also offered the opportunity to continue pursuing their degree studies upon completion of Diploma in Heritage Cuisine.

As part of the requirement by the Ministry of Education, students will be required to take four (4) general subjects (Mata Pelajaran Umum):

1. Pengajian Malaysia/ Communication Malay Language 1,

2. Moral Education,

3. Thinking skills,

4. Community Services

For more information of the Diploma in Heritage Cuisine program, visit BERJAYA University College of Hospitality website www.berjaya.edu.my or contact +603 2687 7000  and email info@berjaya.edu.my.