black ink

Ingredients

plants, fruits

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

The Malay community produces ink through various methods. According to the text, the primary constituents are sourced from plants and fruits. These recipes were processed following traditional Malay guidelines and were used extensively for religious, economic, and political manuscripts (p. 62).

Evidence

"Malay manuscripts usually were written in black ink. The Malay community uses black in almost all types of manuscripts. ... According to Wan Ali Wan Mamat (2017), the Malay community produces ink through various methods. The main ingredients for making the ink are plants and fruits. They processed these recipes according to the guidelines practice by Malay."

Remarks

Black ink was the standard medium for the vast majority of Malay manuscript types. The development of this ink technology coincided with the rise of maritime cities like Melaka and Acheh as knowledge centers from the 16th to 19th centuries (p. 59, 62). The pens used for application were typically crafted from palm and bracken, or occasionally animal fur from geese, ducks, and eagles (p. 63).