Malaysian cuisine is derived from the pith extracted from the sago palm, and is the staple food for the Melanau and the Penan peoples of Sarawak. Sago starch is prepared as a gooey and sticky paste by the Bisaya and Kedayan communities called ambuyat, and is called "" by the Melanau. It is eaten by rolling the paste around the prongs of a bamboo fork, and dipped it into soup, "sambal", or other varieties of gravies and dipping sauces. Aside from being the source for sago pith, the sago palm is a source of another delicacy for the indigenous peoples of Borneo:
Sago Lane for the hard beds occupied by the dying. According to Milwaukee Sentinel in 1957, “about 70 persons a month come to each of the houses to die in loneliness”. The death houses never closed their doors, workers took shifts by day and night and kept the business running 24/7. 1960s: The poor conditions of these houses of Sago lane soon attracted international attention. In 1961, the newly elected government quickly stepped in to place a ban on these houses. The death houses began to close down and number of houses dwindled. Existing death houses converted to funeral parlors instead. Sago