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Kadazan-Dusun · Murut · Rungus · main

Linopot

Also called: Linongot

Linopot is rice, usually hill rice or a mix with sticky rice, wrapped in a doringin, tarap or banana leaf into a neat parcel. It is the traditional Kadazan-Dusun, Murut and Rungus way to carry and serve rice with side dishes.

  • Earthy
  • Mild
  • Fragrant

Updated

Linopot: rice parcels wrapped in leaves, stacked in a basket
Linopot quick facts
OriginSabah
CommunityKadazan-Dusun, Murut, Rungus
Typemain
FlavourEarthy, Mild, Fragrant
Typical priceRM2–5 per parcel
WherePenampang, Ranau, Keningau

Origin and culture

Linopot began as a practical packed lunch for farmers heading to the fields: rice wrapped in a large leaf keeps warm, stays clean and picks up a mild fragrance from the wrapper.

Today it is a centrepiece at Kaamatan and a common order at restaurants serving traditional food, where it arrives with sides such as hinava, pinasakan, tuhau and bambangan.

Ingredients

  • Hill rice or sticky rice

    Sometimes mixed with tapioca or sweet potato

  • Doringin, tarap or banana leaf

    Used as the wrapper

What does Linopot taste like?

Nutty, slightly chewy rice with a faint green, leafy aroma. It tastes plain by design, and the side dishes bring the flavour.

How Linopot is made

  1. 1

    Cooked rice is spooned onto a softened leaf, folded into a tight square parcel and tied or tucked closed.

  2. 2

    The parcels are served as they are; diners unwrap and eat from the leaf.

Where to eat Linopot

Kadazan-Dusun restaurants in Penampang and Kota Kinabalu, Kaamatan stalls, and tamu markets.

Restaurants serving Linopot

  • Leaf-wrapped linopot rice parcels in a basketCafe

    Penampang · Pavilion Bundusan

    Housia Cafe

    Sources mention: Tavantang set (linopot, hinava, fried basung, tuhau), Hinava

    Kadazan-DusunSabah LocalStatus unconfirmed
    Researched from 2 sources · not yet visited

Is Linopot halal? Dietary notes

Rice and leaf only, so halal by ingredients. The sides served with it may not be.

Linopot dietary information
PorkNo pork
SeafoodNo seafood
VegetarianYes

Linopot FAQ

What leaf is linopot wrapped in?

Traditionally doringin or tarap leaves, and sometimes banana leaves. The leaf adds a light fragrance and keeps the rice warm.

What do you eat with linopot?

Typical sides are hinava, pinasakan (braised fish), tuhau, bambangan pickle and grilled fish or meat.

Sources and further reading

  • Linopot, Wikipedia. Accessed 6 October 2026

Related dishes

  • Hinava: strips of lime-cured mackerel with red chilli, shallot and young ginger on a banana leaf

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Hinava

    Hinava is a Kadazan-Dusun dish of raw fish cured in lime juice and tossed with chilli, shallot, ginger and grated bambangan seed. It is fresh, sour and sharp, and it's served as a side with rice.

  • Pinasakan: whole mackerel in a yellow turmeric broth with chillies, served in a bowl on a woven mat beside fresh turmeric, shallots and dried chillies

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Pinasakan

    Pinasakan (pinaasakan sada) is a Kadazan-Dusun dish of fish, often mackerel scad, simmered without oil in a sour broth of takob akob fruit, turmeric and salt until the liquid reduces and the fish keeps for days.

  • Tuhau: chopped wild ginger relish with red chilli in a jar and a small bowl

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Tuhau

    Tuhau is a pungent Kadazan-Dusun and Murut relish made from the stems of a wild ginger (Etlingera coccinea), chopped and mixed with chilli, lime or vinegar and salt. It is eaten in small amounts with rice and fish.

  • Tubs of jeruk bambangan, pickled wild mango, for sale

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Bambangan

    Bambangan is a large wild mango (Mangifera pajang) native to Borneo, with rough brown skin and bright yellow-orange flesh. In Sabah it is best known pickled with salt and its own grated seed, as a sour relish for rice.

Guides and trips with Linopot