BELACAN

Shrimp paste or shrimp sauce, is a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian and Southern
Chinese cuisine. It is known as terasi (also spelled trassi, terasie) in Indonesian, ngapi (
[p]) in Burmese, kapi (

[kap]) in Thai, Khmer (

[kaapi]) and Lao (

[kap]), belacan

(also spelled belachan, blachang) in Malay, mm ruc, mm tp and m

[
- - : -ko) in Min Nan
Chinese. The Chakma people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, who call it sidol, use
shrimp paste extensively in their cuisine.

It is made from fermented ground shrimp mixed with salt. Some versions are in its wet form such as
those in Vietnam and other versions are sun-dried and either cut into fist-sized rectangular blocks or
sold in bulk. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Shrimp paste can be found in
most meals in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the
Philippines. It is often an ingredient in dip for fish or vegetables.
History
Belacan in a market of Malaysia

The tradition to prepare shrimp, fish or seafood through fermentation is widespread in Southeast
Asia; it can be found in Maritime Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines) to mainland
Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam), and southern China to a lesser
extent. Fermented fish or seafood is an ancient tradition in Southeast Asia, a similar tradition is
demonstrated by Cambodian prahok, which is quite similar to the shrimp paste.

Nevertheless, the origin of shrimp paste seems to point to Maritime Southeast Asia. According to
Thai tradition, the origin of kapi (Thai fermented shrimp paste) can be traced to their southern
territory. As far back as the eighth century, inhabitants of the coastal cities of Pattani and Nakhon Si
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used shrimp paste in their cooking.[2] They shared this practice with people from other coastal
nations in Southeast Asia, including regions now known as Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia
and Vietnam. After King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai occupied Pattani in the fourteenth century,
shrimp paste (kapi) became available in Thai court, although it was reserved mainly for aristocrats. In
1666, kapi was described by a Persian diplomat named Ibn Muhammad Ibrahim, in derogative
manner as "'rotten food unfit for cooking or eating."[2]

Kapi is also described by Simon de La Loubre, a French diplomat appointed by King Louis XIV to the
Royal Court of Siam in 1687. In one chapter, "Concerning the Table of the Siamese" he wrote: "Their
sauces are plain, a little water with some spices, garlic, chilbols, or some sweet herb, as baulm. They
do much esteem a liquid sauce, like mustard, which is only corrupted crayfish, because they are ill
salted; they called it Capi."[2]

In 1707, William Dampier described trassi (or terasi, Indonesian shrimp paste) in his book "A New
Voyage Round the World"; "A composition of a strong odor, but it became a very tasty meal for the
indigenous people." Dampier describe it further as, a mixture of shrimp and small fish made into a
kind of soft pickles, salt and water, and then the dough was put in a clay jar tightly. The pickling
process makes fish softened and become mushy. Then they poured arrack into jars to preserves
them. "The mushy fish remains was called trassi," Dampier wrote; "The aroma is very strong.
However, after adding a little part of it, the dish's flavour became quite savory."[3]

In 1880s, trassi was described by Anna Forbes during her visit to Ambon. Anna was the wife of British
naturalist Henry Ogg Forbes, the couple travelled through Dutch East Indies back in 1880s. In her
journal she describes the culture, customs and tradition of the natives; including culinary tradition.
Because of this foul-smelled ingredient, she accused her cook named Kobiz, for trying to poisoned
her, and throw away that "horrible rotten package", wrapped in banana leaf right away. Later she
wrote; "Then, I observed each dish of the native or European, those that I have consumed since my
arrival in the East contains this; the essence of that rotten stuff that has been used as a spice."