The development of Nyonya cuisine in the Malay Archipelago: Penang and Malacca Nyonya cuisine

Youri Oh,Nurul Fatin Afiqah Hj Abdul Razak,Donovan Hee Tat Wee,Eric Lu Ching,Zubaidah Rahman

doi:10.1186/s42779-019-0010-x

Youri Oh, Nurul Fatin Afiqah Hj Abdul Razak + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-019-0010-x

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Abstract

Nyonya cuisine is widely spread in the Malay Archipelago which is known as fusion of Chinese immigrant and local Malay cuisine. The cuisine has been established and developed with globalisation and movement of people in the region. Furthermore, it is identified as cultural product or image of the society which represents the identity of the people in the society. This study is to understand the establishment and development of Nyonya cuisine in line with the migration of the Peranakans in the Malay Archipelago via the exiting literatures. Data collected are from secondary sources, derived from relevant literatures, media and academic articles and authorised websites relevant to Nyonya cuisine and the Peranakans in the Malay Archipelago. The authors’ observation is also used to grasp the distinction in Nyonya cuisine. As results, Nyonya cuisine is a representative result of cultural hybridisation by migration of the Peranakans into the Malay Archipelago, geographical proximity and political factors. Nyonya cuisine today is further developing along with the influx of global culture into the region which fosters rejuvenation and exchange of cuisine.

Highlights

By the spread of globalisation, the world becomes more integrated and movement of people across the borders seems more frequent than ever
Nyonya cuisine is a product of cultural process evoked by globalisation and global migration movement and has widely spread in the Malay Archipelago that became a fusion of local cuisine and migrants’ cuisine
This article endeavours to explore the development1 and spread of Nyonya cuisine in a link with migration of the Peranakans, who are Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia region, to the Malay Archipelago, based on data collected from secondary sources, mainly derived from relevant literatures, academic articles and authorised websites with regard to Nyonya cuisine and the Peranakans in the Malay Archipelago

Summary

Introduction

By the spread of globalisation, the world becomes more integrated and movement of people across the borders seems more frequent than ever. Over the course of history, food has evolved into a sort of ‘cultural image’ that represents the people and regional identity as ‘eating is a daily reaffirmation of cultural identity [2]’. Preparing and presenting ‘culture image’ created such table manners, recipe and art form that give further distinctive features of the cuisine. This contributes to a popular saying ‘you are what you eat’ meaning the food that you eat represents and defines you [3]. Nyonya cuisine is a product of cultural process evoked by globalisation and global migration movement and has widely spread in the Malay Archipelago that became a fusion of local cuisine and migrants’ cuisine

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