Village named after a lethal fish

	By Badrolhisham Bidin, April 24, 2011 With and abundance of pufferfish a long time ago, it is no surprise that a quaint little village in Santubong, a 45-min drive from Kuching is called Kampung Buntal, a Malay translation of the feared but delicious fish. While many fear consuming this fish with its bloated stomach, which contains a toxin that can cause nausea and even death, there are those who swear it is one of the tastiest sea creatures.
	Villager Kassim Ahmad said the village was a known pufferfish haven, especially for the bako, kuning and barat species. And as far as he can remember, there have been no reports of deaths following consumption of the fish in the village.
	"It is said that in the good old days, fishermen who cast their nets would get more pufferfish than any other fish. The fish came in droves to the seaside near the village, hence the name.
	"But now, it is not easy to get ikan buntal," said 66-year-old Kassim who has heard the story countless times from his parents and grandparents.
	"A long time ago, there were more fish than humans here. Now, it is the other way around.
	"But once in a while, fishermen would return with heaps of ikan buntal, which has become a delicacy among locals and even outsiders, who frequent the numerous seafood restaurants here.
	"The village may be quiet during the day, but in the evening, it attracts droves of tourists because of the seafood, although ikan buntal is usually not on the menu," said Kassim, who was once a fisherman.
	Kassim now runs a coffee shop near the market. His family also runs a homestay.
	Fishmonger Salleh Ben said certain parts of the pufferfish cannot be consumed and the cook should know which parts to discard.
	"The head must be thrown away together with parts of the intestines, leaving only a small portion which is edible.
	"But not all know how to slice the fish. Only the older folk can handle the ikan buntal," he said.
	Another fishmonger, 61-year-old Jah Rabuan said ikan buntal is best cooked asam pedas style or with tempoyak.
	"But it is not easy to get ikan buntal these days. We depend on the fishermen but they return with a bountiful harvest of ikan buntal only occasionally."
	Ikan buntal can fetch as much as RM3 per kg but the price could also go as low as RM2 per kg.
	Hasdi Maarof said although the fishing profession is being taken over by the young, many still leave for Kuching to work in factories and hotels.
	"The young girls mostly work in resorts nearby.
	"That just leaves us idling around at the coffee shop every day," said the 77-year-old.
	He said the villagers were trying to promote the homestay programme, especially among patrons of the annual Rainforest Music Festival held at the Sarawak Cultural Village nearby.
	The rustic but charming village has about 1,000 residents, mostly senior citizens and children.