Introduced by Koreans to us by means of import, this beverage that mixes plain milk with banana flavour was unsurprisingly taken to a liking immediately by our people.
As a proud Malaysian living in the sub-urban area of this country, raised from little with the setting of lush greens, banana trees are not rare to me nor anyone here. We were well aware of it even before we could walk.
It is familiar to us with the food we eat, whether savoury like Nasi Lemak or sweet like Lepat Pisang. (Which personally to me utilises both the fruit and leaf to make something delicious!).
Now, is the combination of banana fruit and milk such innovation to us Malaysians? The short is no. Our culture has always been mixing bananas and milk in dishes, just never with each other.
Bananas have been a key ingredient for one particular dish villagers cannot get enough of, which is Pisang Muda Masak Lemak Cili Api.
Meanwhile, one dessert that fixates on the use of milk is Cendol, which serves as the refreshing cold liquid to quench one’s thirst. (Well, in this case, it is coconut milk, but it still counts).
Banana milk has been a never encountered combination of ingredients that work so well today. But the story behind this beverage is pretty funny to outsiders like myself (and if people are reading this, you as well) because it would never have existed without the initiative made back in the 1970s.
Koreans back then disliked the plain and to some weird taste of milk. So the Korean government decided to introduce a new flavour, specifically banana flavour, because the fruit was considered hard to come across and was only reserved for the rich.
This is because bananas were imported from a tropical country like the Philippines to Korea and because the transport fees were pricey, people who were at the bottom of the pyramid never enjoyed the taste of bananas. With its introduction, many Koreans started consuming milk, thus fulfilling the government’s goal of making their citizens healthier.
That is why I think that even though this product got here from Korea and is technically new to us, the feeling of drinking it helplessly reminds you of where you belong as a Malaysian.
It is so unique yet so close to heart, a fusion of both Korean and Malaysian culture at its finest, and the best way to start our journey on exploring these cultures. Our story, Our Seoulture.