“Peranakan” means locally
born and bred and is the name given to Straits-born Chinese of the
Straits Settlements whose roots can be traced as far back as the 15thcentury
from the time of Admiral Cheng Ho’s visit to Malacca when the
Chinese Princess Hang Li Po was presented as bride to Sultan Mansur
Shah, who was the Malacca sultan then. The large entourage that accompanied
the Chinese princess to settle in Malacca later intermingled and married
the local populace, mainly Malays. They were also thought to be descendants
of the early Chinese seafarers and traders who plied the trading routes
between Southern China and Malacca, and who later settled down in
Malacca after marrying the local dames. Therefore the Peranakans were
popularly believed to be descendants of these inter-marriages between
the immigrant Chinese and the locals and they have in turn, over time
churned out their very own unique culture, language, dressing and
also cuisine.
The Chinese Peranakan are generally of the Hokkien
dialect, from Singapore, Malacca right up to Penang. However, we do
have those who are Cantonese, Hakka and even Hainanese and this makes
the community more interesting and richer culturally.
When the British colonized the country, there were
the Federated Malay States, Unfederated Malay States, and also The
Straits Settlements which were made up of Malacca, Singapore and Penang,
of which Malacca was considered to be the cultural centre. Besides
the Straits Settlements, Peranakans can also be found in quite large
numbers even in Phuket in Thailand, Yangon in Myanmar and also Medan,
Padang, Surabaya, Palembang and Bandung in Indonesia.
The Straits-born Chinese, who are also known as Babas
(males) and Nyonyas (females) were much respected by the British for
their wealth, good command of English, their political allegiance
and also their role in helping the British government maintain law
and order besides promoting social harmony among the different peoples.
Many Babas were even appointed compradores of the bigger western companies
and establishments. Being loyal subjects of the British crown, they
were also fondly known as ‘King’s Chinese’ , ‘Queen’s
subjects’ or ‘British subjects’ then. During that
rich era under the British rule, the Straits Chinese British Association
was formed in Singapore on 17 August 1900. In October that same year,
a branch was quickly formed in Malacca and Penang followed suit in
1920. Its name was later changed to the Peranakan Association.
The older generation of Babas and Nyonyas were a
uniquely vibrant, colourful, refined and elite urban community with
a rich and proud cultural identity of its own. They led illustrious
careers and have stamped their mark in the fields of sports, economy,
culture, social as well as political and have produced a number of
prominent sons over the years, the most famous being Tun Sir Tan Cheng
Lock, one of the founding fathers and architects of Independent Malaya,
his son Tun Tan Siew Sin and also Singapore’s foremost politician
Lee Kuan Yew, the late former President Wee Kim Wee, and other famous
figures like Goh Keng Swee, Toh Chin Chye and Tan Tock Seng, among
countless others.
Over the generations right up to this day, the Peranakan
community has been known for their undivided loyalty to the government
of the day and their various contributions to society in general.
By this inborn selfless attitude, the Baba’s and Nyonya’s
of years gone by have left a valuable legacy of altruism and service
to their fellow countrymen.
However, as is true with many other minority communities
in this modern day, this rich and unique cultural heritage of the
Babas and Nyonyas has inevitably been watered down over time. This
cultural dilution is a truly sad fact and with emigration of the younger
generation, inter-marriages, urbanization and modernization, less
and less true blue Peranakans are practicing the way of life, culture
or even the unique Baba language, let alone the dressing and culture.
But fortunately enough, one thing is surely not losing its hold so
fast, and that is the Nyonya cuisine which has over the years been
a closely-guarded secret and passed on from generation to generation
of Babas and Nyonyas. |
The recipes for authentic Nyonya
food are always very complicated and its preparation painstakingly
detailed and sophisticated. A lot of local spices and herbs are used
in Nyonya cooking viz. Daun Limau Purut (kafir leaf), Daun Kunyit
(turmeric leaf), Lengkuas (galangal), Buah Keras (candle nuts), Serai
(lemon grass), Daun Pandan (fragrant screwpine), Daun Kadok, Daun
Cekur, Kunyit (turmeric), Ketumbar (coriander), Jintan Putih (cumin),
Jintan Manis (fennel), Kayu Manis (cinnamon), Bunga Lawang (star anise),
Bunga Cengkeh (cloves), Biji Sawi (mustard seed), Belimbing (carambola),
Assam Jawa (tamarind), Assam Gelugor (dried tamarind slices), Santan
(coconut milk) and of course Red Chillies, Dried Chillies, Cili Padi
and the mother of all ingredients, the Belacan (shrimp paste also
known as “Malacca cheese”).
Nyonya cooking has also been influenced to a certain
extent by the geographical proximity of certain countries in the region,
for example Malacca and Singapore Nyonya cuisine has a little influence
from neighbouring Indonesia and Penang from Thailand, with its slightly
more sweetish and sourish taste. Nyonya cooking is actually all about
blending the ingredients, timing and fire control. All said, Nyonya
food is generally hot and spicy with a combination of sweet, sour
and herbal and others, and will never fail to tingle your palate and
provide a new exciting taste especially to those new to our special
cuisine. Like they say, “You’ll never get sick of Nyonya
food for every meal is a new & exciting experience.”
Nyonya Kueh (Nyonya cakes) is very popular for breakfast,
tea time and as desserts. It owes its popularity to the elaborate
preparations involved and the refined and tasty finished products.
The Nyonyas make wonderful ‘kuehs’ like Kueh Koci, Kueh
Talam, Kueh Bongkong, Kueh Kesui, Kueh Bingka, Ondeh-ondeh, Kueh Kuria,
Pulut Inti, Pulut Tartar, Kueh Ku, Kueh Bangkit, Kueh Tear (pineapple
tarts), Sagoon, Kueh Belanda, Dodol and so on and so forth.
And because of the widespread constant yearning for
this special cuisine, we cannot help but feel that there is some sort
of resurgence of the neo-Peranakan culture, especially its cuisine
with the emergence of Nyonya food outlets everywhere, locally as well
as around the globe. As far flung as its people are all over the world,
so is the expanse of the Nyonya cuisine, which can be found in most
major cities in the world like New York, Manhattan, Washington, London,
Paris, Frankfurt, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth , etc. |
By virtue of their better standing
in society and their accumulated wealth, many Babas and Nyonyas of
the bygone era had found it necessary to immortalize their status
by building large mansions using all imported materials like Dutch
tiles, long French windows with stained glass, Chinese wooden carvings
and furniture made of blackwood and embedded with mother-of-pearls
motifs. The huge mansions were usually colossal and consisted of a
main hall, a second hall, one or two courtyards, bedrooms, a bridal
chamber and of course a large kitchen. The interior as well as exterior
décor were largely a fusion of eastern and western influences,
making it a unique feature of the Peranakan home. There were many
such homes built during the pre-war days but as history would have
it, many were destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Malaya along
with the loss of many valuable Peranakan artifacts and possessions
including rare antique porcelain crockery.
Some of these buildings however still stand to this
day and can be found in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren Street) and
Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Street) in Malacca and Muntri Street, Magazine
Road, Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah (Northam Road) and Prangin Creek in
Penang. |
