Two books on the rare Indian Peranakan art of cooking shed light on heirloom recipes.
Indian Peranakan recipes from the two books, Heritage Food Of The Peranakan Indians: In A Chitty Melaka Kitchen and The Melaka Chetti Kitchen: Culinary Journey Of 500 Years.
Both books contain numerous classic recipes of the Chetti Melaka people, who are the oldest Peranakan group in South-east Asia. The community, which traces its ancestry to 15th-century Melaka, descended from South Indian merchants, mainly Tamils, who married women of Malay, Chinese, Javanese and Batak descent.
The Chinese Peranakans, also called “Peranakan Cina” in Malay, are believed to have settled in Melaka around the 16th century, according to BiblioAsia, a publication of the National Library of Singapore. It includes a QR code that links to a pop-up animation feature explaining key aspects of Chetti heritage. It was a design collaboration between the association and students from Lasalle College of the Arts.
Also, because of intermarriage over the centuries, various elements of Malay and Peranakan Chinese cuisine have become part of the ancestral heritage. The book is available at selected local outlets such as Basheer Graphic Books and Books Kinokuniya, but stocks are running low – there are fewer than 500 copies available from the first print run of 2,000 books.
Malaysia-based academic Dr Neo, a Unesco programme leader of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Institute of Ethnic Studies in the National University of Malaya, felt there was an urgent need to document the recipes and culinary rituals of the Chetti Melaka community before the practices disappear. His family descended from Mr Tan Tock Seng , one of Singapore’s eminent philanthropists, who built Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore in 1844.
There is also kuah lada ikan bilis, a dish of dried anchovies and potatoes cooked in a peppery fish curry with tartness from tamarind juice. He observes that Indian Peranakans in Melaka speak a Chetti language comprising Malay, Tamil and Hokkien at home, but rarely their mother tongue, which is Tamil.
For instance, Cheng Beng in Malaysia is observed as Naik Bukit by the Chettis in Melaka. Special dishes of significance to the ancestors are placed on banana leaves and bunga rampay . “The Melaka Chetti absorbed influences from around them and made rituals uniquely their own,” says Dr Neo.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Debtor's notes left outside Woodlands and Bedok flats, 2 men arrested for loanshark harassmentTwo men were arrested on June 27 for two separate cases of loanshark harassment.
Read more »
Over $6m worth of vapes, vaping components seized by HSA in raids of Telegram distributorsTwo men and two women, aged between 34 and 52 years old, are assisting with investigations.
Read more »
– Indian founder’s decision to move back to Bengaluru sparks debateWhile some support his intention to provide his daughter with a broader experience, others view it as “a little extreme.”
Read more »
Modi's govt calls on Indian state to look into Reuters report on Foxconn hiringBENGALURU : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government on Wednesday said it has asked the Tamil Nadu state to submit a "detailed report" after a Reuters story revealed that Apple supplier Foxconn rejected married women from iPhone assembly jobs in the country.
Read more »
Modi wins test of strength in Indian Parliament with election of SpeakerBJP member Om Birla received more votes than his rival, an MP from the opposition Congress party.
Read more »
US needs Chinese students in humanities, Indian students for sciences, US diplomat saysConcerns about theft of US expertise have subjected Chinese students to unwarranted suspicion.
Read more »