The Malay peninsula has seen ships arriving from the Middle East, India, Europe, China and Indonesia over the centuries as a result of which this country became a melting pot of culture and cuisine that has managed to retain its own unique flavour to this day.
Malaysian food, in particular, is highly influenced by Thai, Chinese, Indonesian and Indian cuisine. These influences extend from the use of the wok to the combinations of spices used in many popular dishes. Their food s generally spicy though the dishes are not always chilli-hot. In Malaysian food  traditional Southeast Asian herbs and spices merge with Indian, Middle Eastern and Chinese spices in Malaysian food, leading to aromatic combinations of coriander and cumin seeds with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, cardamom, star anise and fenugreek.