1883 P. L. Simmonds Malabar Oil-Sardine (Clupea longiceps). Large quantities of oil are made from this fish on the coast of Malabar.
1891 G. Watt V. 113 The ambiguous term ‘Malabar Oil’ is applied to a mixture of the oil obtained from the livers of several kinds of fish frequenting the Malabar Coast..and the neighbourhood of Karachi.