opeh hak

→

Malay:

upih

+

Hokkien:

箬

poj:

ha̍h

expand for details Detailed etymology

definitions

noun

  1. the large leaf bases or leaf sheaths of Areca catechu, the areca palm (also known as the betel nut palm), which are traditionally dried (after which they turn a pale brownish-tan colour) and used to wrap food such as Hokkien mee, chee cheong fun, and chai tow kway. They are said to impart an aromatic, woody fragrance to the dish enclosed within.

    2. The opeh hak was more than just a wrapping - it was like one of the essential ingredients for the best fried Hokkien mee, fried hor fun, fried kway teow, etc.

    — 2020 July 10, Tony Boey. Johor Kaki, "Where Do Opeh Leaf Wrappings Come From? It is not a Leaf". https://johorkaki.blogspot.com/2020/07/where-do-opeh-leaf-wrappings-come-from.html

    synonyms:

    opeh leaf opeh

usage notes

This term is technically more accurate than the common synonym opeh leaf, as the opeh hak actually is a leaf sheath, not the leaf itself.


related:

opeh sireh

categories:

nature cuisine

references:

1. 

Collins Gem Malay-English, English-Malay Dictionary, Revised Edition — "upih". Haji Abdul Rahman bin Yusop. 1975, William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. p.284

2. 

PRPM - upih (in Kamus Bahasa Melayu)