Sinalau

Sinalau, salau or sinalai refers to the types of traditional smoked meat common among the indigenous Kadazan, Dusun, Murut, and Rungus of Sabah in Malaysia. It can also be referred to as the traditional method employed by the indigenous ethnics of smoking meat over indirect firewood and charcoal heat, which is also considered as a symbol of Sabah's cultural richness and culinary tradition.

In the Dusunic languages, the word sinalau carries the meaning of "smoked", referring to meat that was dried with fire. The word was further compiled by British Consul in Brunei Spenser St. John in his list of "Vocabularies on the Dayak languages of Borneo" regarding the indigenous people he met throughout his life and service on the island, which was later published in "The Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo" by English-born anthropologist and museum curator Henry Ling Roth in 1896.

This type of sinalau preparation involves the selection of fresh wild boar meat (called bakas) obtained through hunting activities in the surrounding interior forests of Borneo. Once retrieved, the fresh meat is cut into large pieces and marinated with a mixture of salt and local herbs such as garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and turmeric. After the marinating process, the meat is then grilled over slow firewood, with the process taking several hours, during which the meat is hung over the fire and the smoke from the wood gives a unique aroma and flavour. Along the route from Tamparuli to Kundasang Valley, especially around Kelawat Village, various roadside stalls selling fresh sinalau bakas are available, although these stalls usually operate irregularly, depending on their fresh catch. Other inner Sabah districts such as Keningau, Kota Belud, Ranau, Tambunan, and Telupid are also famous for selling the delicacy, especially at the local tourist markets.

The sinalau wogok is another version of indigenous smoked meat which uses the domesticated pig meat, typically served with linugu/linopot (steamed glutinous rice wrapped in leaves) and shrimp paste condiments. Wogok/vogok carries the meaning of "pig" in local Tambunan Dusun and Coastal Kadazan language. This type of sinalau is available throughout the roadside stalls within the Penampang–Papar–Kimanis road, in the Pan Borneo Highway, which is the traditional home of the local Kadazan people.