Baba Nyonya (Peranakan)

Peranakan and Baba-Nyonya (tradition Chinese: 峇峇娘惹; Hokkien: Bā-bā Niû-liá) are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th century Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region during the Colonial era. It applies especially to the ethnic Chinese populations of the British Straits Settlements Malay and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations, who have adopted partially or in full Nusantara customs to be somewhat assimilated into the local communities.

While the term Peranakan is most commonly used among the ethnic Chinese for those of Chinese descent also known as Straits Chinese (土生華人; named after the Straits Settlement), there are also other, comparatively small so-called Peranakan communities, such as Indian Hindu Peranakans, Indian Muslim Peranakans (Jawi) (Jawi being the Javanised Arabic script., Pekan a colloquial contraction of Peranakan) and Eurasian Peranakans (Kirstang= Christians).

YANG Jin Fong D.Mus., an Assistant Professor of Nationala Cheng Kung University, who say, Bā-bā is the Taiwanese pronunciation of the father, and Niû-liá is a Taiwanese pronunciation of "Mom."

Food in Malacca

Chicken rice balls
Famosa Chicken Rice Ball 28 and 30, Jalan Hang Kasturi, corner of Jln Hang Kasturi and Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Walk). A huge restaurant serving the dish in an alluringly bright red building. It also has branches in Jalan Bendahara, Mahkota Parade Shopping Mall, Tesco Malacca and Jaya Jusco Malacca in Ayer Keroh. Very efficient service even when overflowing with people. However, some hardcore connoisseur of the dish regard this as a tourist trap and its quality not up to mark.
Hoe Kee 4, Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Walk). A few steps nearer to Malacca River from Famosa is this chicken rice ball outlet. You should get here early or you'll end up in a queue to get a table. This is the original Chicken Rice Ball shop, and for most, the taste here is simply incomparable to the newer competitors. This outlet has been operating in this small corner for decades, but still attracts lots of customers, both locals and tourists alike. Chicken rice balls
Famosa Chicken Rice Ball 28 and 30, Jalan Hang Kasturi, corner of Jln Hang Kasturi and Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Walk). A huge restaurant serving the dish in an alluringly bright red building. It also has branches in Jalan Bendahara, Mahkota Parade Shopping Mall, Tesco Malacca and Jaya Jusco Malacca in Ayer Keroh. Very efficient service even when overflowing with people. However, some hardcore connoisseur of the dish regard this as a tourist trap and its quality not up to mark.
Hoe Kee 4, Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Walk). A few steps nearer to Malacca River from Famosa is this chicken rice ball outlet. You should get here early or you'll end up in a queue to get a table. This is the original Chicken Rice Ball shop, and for most, the taste here is simply incomparable to the newer competitors. This outlet has been operating in this small corner for decades, but still attracts lots of customers, both locals and tourists alike.

Tan Kim Hock

Tan Kim Hock Product Center (85, 87, 89 Jalan Bendahara [10]) sells famous food specialties from Melaka, like Dodol, Cincalok, Belacan, dried fruits, durian cake, etc. Might be a good idea as souvenirs for friends back home. Mr Tan Kim Hock, the founder of the company, occasionally still walks around with his famous white suit giving out free stuffs

Must Try

You'll be able to sample some rather peculiar Malaccan food. On top of the list is of course Peranakan or Baba-Nyonya food, which until recently was totally uncommercialised and confined to the kitchens of old grandmothers. Now, there are a string of restaurants claiming to serve Peranakan food, most unfortunately seem to be on the tour bus circuit. The dishes are slightly different from that of the Penang Peranakan. Usual ones include ayam pongteh (chicken in bean sauce, originally cooked with pork) and ayam buah keluak (chicken cooked with a bitter fruit) and a whole array of desserts. Another famous Malacca dish is what is commonly called "chicken rice ball". Although it is called Hainanese chicken rice, it is not from Hainan, China, but invented by the Hainanese immigrants to Malaysia a long time ago. The chicken for this dish is very much the same as the boiled chicken offered throughout Malaysia; what is unique is the rice - it comes in ping-pong sized balls. Yet another Malaccan speciality is satay celup. It is like lok-lok found in other parts of the country but instead of dipping your skewered foodstuff (fishballs, crabsticks, meat, prawns and etc) into boiling water, you dip them into a boiling vat of satay sauce. The sight of boiling satay sauce may not appeal to you but the crowds at the satay celup outlets seem to suggest that many have overcome their phobias.
Of course, Malacca is where you'll find Portuguese-Eurasian food. The greatest concentration of outlets will be at the Portuguese Settlement. Seafood is popular, as is the fiery "devil curries".
For local Malay delicacies, worth trying:
Asam Pedas, the signature dish of the state. A very hot and mild sour curry which accompanying white rice. Normally eaten during lunch and dinner.
Sambal Belacan, a side dish, super hot.
Cencaluk, can be found sold along the roads near Klebang Beach. Made of fermented krills. A bit weird tasting for those who are not used to it.
Lemang, glutinous rice cooked in bamboo, sold on the side of the road to Teluk Mas
Ikan Bakar, head to Umbai, Pernu or Serkam for a dinner of fresh caught grilled fish and crustaceans.
Kuih Udang, you can find this popular tea time dish in Alor Gajah town. The sauce is nice too.
Kuih-muih, traditional cakes and deserts like dodol, wajik, lempok, inang-inang, gula melaka and many more are sold in shopping mall at Bandar Hilir, Klebang Beach and kampung area throughout the state.
Other local but not typically Malay food:
Roti John, an invented omelette sandwich, very popular among the Malays. For a good one, look for the restaurant in Tanjung Kling.
Local burger, the street stall vendors, generally local Malay men serve quite tasty and satisfying burgers and hotdogs and it's cheaper than ordinary fastfood restaurants too.
The recent tourism boom has seen many new food and beverage outlets open in Malacca, and especially in the heritage area of Jonker and Heeren Street. However, competition is great and some outlets fail to survive. Places you discover on your first visit may not be around anymore on your second.

Jonker Street

A definite haven for antique collectors and bargain hunters. Authentic artifacts and relics. some dating as far back as 300 years, can be found among a host of interesting collectibles, each with its own history and mystery. Jalan Hang Jebat, formerly known as Jonker Street, is known worldwide among famous antique collectors as one of the best places to hunt and bargain for antiques.

The night view for Jonker Street is totally different than the day time. Stalls are selling food, with the lights on, it give a very different feel for the visitor. Relaxing and entertainments

A Famosa

A Famosa, or "The Famous" in Portuguese, is among the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Asia. Once part of a mighty fortress, this tiny gate (called the Porta de Santiago) is all that is left of a once-mighty fortress. In 1511 a Portuguese fleet arrived under the command of Alfonso de Albequerque. His forces attacked and successfully defeated the armies of the native Sultanate. Moving quickly to consolidate his gains, Albequerque had the fortress built around a natural hill near the sea. Albequerque believed that Melaka would become an important port linking Portugal to the spice trade from China. At his time other Portuguese were establishing outposts in such places as Macau, China and Goa, India in order to create a string of friendly ports for ships heading to China and returning home to Portugal.

more Information on http://www.cuti.com.my/Sub/Melaka/guide_afamosa.htm

history of Malacca

Malacca is located on the Western Coast of Peninsular Malaysia facing the Straits of Melaka, about 147 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur and 245 kilometers from Singpore.

Melaka was founded by Parameswara (or Raja Iskandar) the last Malay ruler of Temasik (ancient Singapore) in 1396 when he and his followers retreated up the straits to Muar, then to Sungai Ujung before settling at Bertam near the estuary of Melaka River.

Finding the place of strategic location, he decided to make a permanent settlement there, naming it "Melaka" after the name of the tree he leaned against.

The Melaka Sultanate occupies a special position in the history of Malaysia. Its inauguration marked the beginning of the emergence of a new Malay empire. The birthplace of the Malay Sultanates and Malaysia's historic city, Melaka provided the stage on which the Portuguese, Dutch and English played out their roles in shaping the history.

Melaka emerged as a strong maritime trading state under the industrious Parameswara and his chiefs. Melaka also began to be noticed by Muslim traders from West Asia and India, who until that period, had been concentrating their activities in Aru, Pedir and Pasai en-route to the East, especially China. Because of its strategic location straddling the Straits of Melaka, it thrived as a port-of-call and a centre of entrepot trade with ships and merchants from China, Japan, India, Arab and South Africa.

In 1511, it fell to the hands of the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch in 1641 after a fierce battle. In 1795, Melaka was given to the British to prevent it falling to the French when the Netherlands was captured during the Napoleonic Wars. It was returned to the Dutch in 1818 under the treaty of Vienna but was later exchanged by the British for Bangkahulu, Sumatra. From 1826 onwards, the British East India Company along with Singapore and Penang governed it, under the Straits Settlement administration in Calcutta.

The Dutch, who held Melaka for over a century, left many fine buildings marking their heritage. The most imposing relic of the Dutch period is the Stadthuys, a strikingly pink town hall which is today the oldest Dutch building in the Far East. Right next to it stands the bright red Christ Church, constructed with pink bricks imported from Holland and covered with local red lacerite. Today, these buildings together with the ruins of the Portuguese built A Famosa and St. Paul's Church are the most prominent reminders of the Europeans' presence in Melaka.

After World War II, anti-colonial sentiment bred in the country among the nationalists, the result of which was the proclamation of Independence by Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, Malaysia's first Prime Minister, at the Padang Pahlawan (Warrior's Field) at Bandar Hilir, Melaka on 20 February 1956.

info selected from: http://www.cuti.com.my/guide_melaka.htm

Cuti-Cuti Malaysia

1 station-Malacca Know as The Historical State and is the third smallest Malaysian states, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsular, on the Straits of Malacca. It border Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south. The state's capital is Malacca Town. This historical city centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.

Although Malacca was once one of the oldest Malay sultanates, the state has no Sultan today. Instead, the head of state is the Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Governor.

Information from: Wikipedia

Pictures from: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malacca.jpg

asiatravelguide.org/.../tour-malacca-malaysia/

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