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THE name 'Roti Israil' which went viral on social media has no connection with Israel, but used in conjunction with the name of its founder, the late Israil Tafzul Hussain - a traditional baker known to the community around Kuala Terengganu for more than seven decades.
The grandson of the shop's founder, Muhammad Farouq Mohd Rafi, 29, said the name had been used since 1950 and passed down through generations in their family.
He said the bakery started operating in Batu Buruk before moving to Kampung Bukit Kubang Jambu and continued to be one of the oldest traditional bakeries in the Kuala Terengganu district.
"People used to call it that (roti Israil) because my grandfather's name was Israil. After a while, people got used to it, but when outsiders heard it, it sounded strange.
"Some misunderstood when they saw the name 'roti Israil' but when we explained it, they understood and supported it because it was my grandfather's name, not related to any sensitive issue.
"When we explained it, only then did they understand that it was the name of a person, not a country," he said as reported by Sinar Harian.
Farouq said his late grandfather, who was of mixed Arab-Indian descent, started the business on a small scale in 1950 by selling bread in the village before opening a shop around the 1970s.
"The bread we produce is made traditionally without preservatives.
"The main basic ingredients are wheat flour, water, vegetable fat, salt and sugar. That's it," he said.
He said that at the beginning, they used a wood stove for the baking process before switching to the use of a modern oven.
"In the past, the flour mixture used flowers for fermentation, but now we use regular yeast. Although the method has changed, the taste and recipe are still the same as in my grandfather's time," he said.
Now, the business is managed by six siblings including Farouq after their father, Mohd Rafi, 61, suffered a stroke a few years ago.
Farouq said every day they produce around 20 to 30 loaves of various types such as large and small brick bread, sliced bread, sandwich bread, pounded sugar bread, nut-filled bread and homemade sekaya bread.
"We sell it directly at the shop, we don't send it out because this bread gets hard quickly.
"If you want it to last a long time, you need to have preservatives, but we don't use them because we want to maintain the originality of the bread and the taste of the bread itself," he said.
According to him, the bread is sold at prices between RM1 and RM5, while kek kuning is sold at around RM7 to RM7.50.
"Despite the increase in raw material costs, we maintain the price because there are still many regular customers, especially the elderly who are familiar with the taste and authenticity of this bread.
"We are proud that this recipe has survived for more than 70 years, and we will ensure that it continues to be well received by customers," he added. - October 15, 2025
