Little has been written about the cuisines of Borneo, the fourth largest
island in the world, occupied by three nations, Malaysia, Indonesia and
Brunei. Fascinated by its history, astonishing biodiversity and peoples,
Koh spent four years travelling across the island to meet some of the
myriad communities contributing to its culinary landscape, from
indigenous ethnic groups, like the Iban, Dusun, Murut, Malays and
Banjarese, to settlers like the Chinese, Javanese and Bugis. The result
is the rich, engaging and kaleidoscopic Tamu: A Guest at the Bornean
Table, written as a travelogue with food firmly at its core. More than
just culinary information and recipes, Tamu also sheds light on the
lives, culture and traditions of the people who make up this fascinating
land. It is also rich with information on the lesser-known botanicals
that form the foundation of the island's local cuisines. As with his
previous three literary endeavours, this book is sumptuous with food and
location photographs, all of which were executed by Koh, who also
designed the book.