Darwin Locals In Australia Have An Annual Laksa Festival Because That’s How Much They Love It!

One of Malaysia’s popular foods, the laksa, is also a huge favourite for locals in Darwin, Australia.

Credit: Darwin International Laksa Festival/FB

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Malaysia is known for the variety of food from different cultures. Ask any Malaysian staying abroad, the first thing they miss is their favourite Malaysian meal. Tourists who leave Malaysia also long for the tasty food they have.

Thus, it’s not that surprising to hear that laksa is a popular dish in the town of Darwin, Australia. The Darwin locals are obsessed with laksa. According to BBC, some locals have made laksa their staple or main dish at home. They have laksa for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

The love for laksa is so great that there’s a whole festival celebrating the dish. However, no one knows how laksa became such a hot favourite dish in Darwin which has a population of 148,116 people as of 2024.

The Darwin International Laksa Festival

The Darwin International Laksa Festival is held annually and sees all restaurants in town compete among themselves for the Best Regional Laksa title. The winner also gets the coveted Golden Bowl trophy.

One of the festival organisers, Jo Smallacbe, said she grew up in Darwin and it has always been everyone’s favourite dish.

The festival encourages guests to try the different laksa varieties in each restaurant and vote for the best ones.

These restaurants sometimes go against the grain and come up with creative laksa variations such as laksa pizza and dessert.

What is laksa?

Laksa is a fish-based sauce and rice noodle dish that’s popular in Kedah. Many people love laksa for its fresh and sourish flavour from the lime.

However, the older generation seemed to love laksa more than the younger generation. There are different laksa variations in each Malaysian state and the dish can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Although laksa is popular in Malaysia, it’s also well-known outside Malaysia in countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.

P.S: The name ‘laksa’ is taken from the Sanskrit word that means “ten thousand.” The number or figure refers to the number of ingredients used to create the delicious flavours of the laksa.

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