Bosou
Fermented fish, meat or vegetables from Sabah, preserved with rice and pangi fruit
Bosou is a traditional fermented food of the Kadazan-Dusun people in Sabah, East Malaysia. It is made by mixing vegetables, freshwater fish, or meat with salt, white rice, and pangi fruit, then fermenting the mixture for several weeks. Bosou is known for its salty, tangy taste and is eaten raw as a condiment or cooked with other foods.
- Made with vegetables, fish or meat, salt, rice, and pangi fruit
- Fermented for two weeks to a month in airtight jars
- Known for its strong odour and tangy, salty taste
- Eaten raw or cooked, often as a condiment or with rice
- A traditional food of the Kadazan-Dusun in Sabah
What is Bosou?
Bosou is a fermented food from Sabah, made by the Kadazan-Dusun people. It uses either vegetables, freshwater fish, or meat, which are mixed with salt, white rice, and the pangi fruit as a preservative. The result is a food with a strong smell and a salty, tangy flavour. Bosou can be eaten raw, especially the vegetable version, or cooked with other ingredients. It is often served as a condiment or side, and sometimes with rice or noodles.
Where does Bosou come from?
Bosou comes from Sabah in East Malaysia and is part of the food heritage of the Kadazan-Dusun, the region’s main indigenous group. The practice began as a way to preserve extra fish or vegetables before refrigeration was available. The use of pangi fruit is a key feature that sets bosou apart from similar fermented foods in other parts of Malaysia, such as pekasam.
How is Bosou made?
To make bosou, vegetables, freshwater fish, or meat are mixed with salt, white rice, and pangi fruit. The pangi seeds are toxic if raw, but fermentation makes them safe. The mixture is packed into airtight jars and left to ferment for two weeks to a month. The rice ferments, producing lactic acid that preserves the food. Additional ingredients like chillies, ginger, or onion may be added for flavour. Commercial bosou is often fermented for up to eight weeks.
How and when is Bosou eaten?
Bosou is eaten in different ways. Vegetable bosou can be eaten raw after about a week, while fish bosou is eaten raw after three to four weeks, once the bones soften. Meat bosou, such as wild boar, is cooked before eating. It is usually served as a condiment with rice, or added to fried noodles. Because of its strong odour, bosou is always kept in airtight containers.
Kinds of Bosou
There are several types of bosou, depending on the main ingredient. Sada uses fish, kinotuan uses vegetables, bobongou is another fish version, and kungkung uses animal skin. The method and main ingredients can vary between households and regions, but all use pangi fruit as a preservative. The West Malaysian version, pekasam, differs by not using pangi.
What Bosou means
Bosou is a symbol of Kadazan-Dusun heritage and is part of daily life in Sabah. It is sold in jars at local markets, known as tamu. The food reflects traditional ways of preserving food before modern refrigeration and is still valued for its unique taste and cultural significance.
Questions people ask about Bosou
What is bosou made of?
Bosou is made by fermenting vegetables, freshwater fish, or meat with salt, white rice, and pangi fruit, which acts as a preservative. Sometimes chillies, ginger, or onion are added for extra flavour.
Where does bosou come from?
Bosou is from Sabah in East Malaysia and is a traditional food of the Kadazan-Dusun people, the region’s main indigenous group.
How is bosou eaten?
Bosou can be eaten raw, especially the vegetable and fish types, or cooked if made with meat. It is served as a condiment, with rice, or added to noodles and other dishes.
What does bosou taste and smell like?
Bosou has a distinctive salty and tangy flavour, and a strong odour. The taste and smell come from the fermentation process and the use of pangi fruit.
How is bosou preserved?
Bosou is preserved by fermenting the ingredients with salt, rice, and pangi fruit in airtight containers for several weeks, which produces lactic acid that keeps the food safe to eat.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Bosou", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes, and it is not dietary or allergy advice: recipes differ from cook to cook. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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