Before the Japanese occupation during World War 2, rice in Malaya was of the single-cropping type. For centuries, the type of rice grown and consumed was of the indica varieties. Due to the scarcity of food, the Japanese imported rice of japonica variety, a double-cropping type that is less sensitive to the lack of sunlight, resilient to pests and can be planted off-season. As a result, rice could be harvested twice a year. When the British returned after the war, they continued with the japonica rice programme to feed the Malayans. In 1964, the Malinja rice, a crossbreed of japonica and indica varieties, was produced by the Malaysian agricultural agency. Mahsuri, also a japonica-indica crossbreed, became prevalent from the 1970s onwards.
Mahsuri was named after a historical figure, a mother of one and a noblewoman of the island of Langkawi, Kedah, who was accused of adultery and was wrongly executed. Before her death, she cursed the inhabitants of Langkawi to suffer ill luck for seven generations. The incident was said to occur in 1819. Not long after, the Siamese army attacked Langkawi, burning everything to the ground, including the rice hidden in the underground warehouses. A landmark, Beras Terbakar, or Burnt Rice, continued to yield exactly that – burnt rice grains – in the ground. The author got to see and touch these blackened grains in the 1980s during a holiday on the island. Mahsuri, the hybridised japonica-indica variety, was named after this tragic figure whose legend continues to live in hearts and minds of Malaysians, symbolising courage, innocence and resilience.
Salina Christmas 