Preserving Peranakan Heritage Through Nyonya Kueh

Edmond Wong preserves Peranakan heritage by making and sharing Nyonya kueh, ensuring its cultural significance endures.

### Preserving Peranakan Heritage Through Nyonya Kueh in Singapore
* 🍰  Nyonya kueh, a traditional Peranakan snack, has been made by Edmond Wong's family in Singapore for almost 80 years, representing a cultural tradition that **dates back about 500 years**.
* 🌏  The Peranakan people, also known as Straits Chinese, are descendants of Chinese traders who settled in Southeast Asia and married local Malay women, blending their **cultures and traditions**.
* 🇸🇬  Singapore's Peranakan community has played a significant role in the region's history, contributing to **art, fashion, architecture, and food**, including **Nyonya kueh**.
* 🏛️  To preserve this unique culture, Edmond Wong and others are working to educate the public about Peranakan heritage through initiatives like the museum at Kim Choo Kueh Chang, which also **serves as a boutique shop**.
* 📜  Edmond believes it's crucial to share Peranakan history and traditions, as he fears that as Nyonya kueh becomes more popular, its **Peranakan roots may be forgotten**.
* 🏗️  Since the 1980s, preservationists and the Singaporean government have collaborated to promote Peranakan culture, establishing museums, exhibits, and programs to **preserve Peranakan heritage**.
* 🌱  Edmond's hope is that by passing down his grandmother's legacy and sharing the stories behind Nyonya kueh, the next generation will **continue to appreciate and understand this important aspect of Singapore's cultural history**.

Narrator: Peeling this gelatinous kueh lapis layer by layer is the correct way to eat it. Edmond: If you chew it without peeling, it means that you are actually shortening your lifespan. Narrator: For almost 80 years, Edmond Wong's family has been making these bite-sized treats in Singapore. Crafting them is part of a culture that goes back about 500 years. Nyonya kueh is historically significant to the Peranakan people, a cultural group prominent between the 15th and early 20th centuries that's working to be remembered today. Their varied and colorful snacks are a staple of Southeast Asian cuisine. But as the popularity of Nyonya kueh increases, some shopkeepers like Edmond fear its Peranakan roots will be forgotten. Edmond: For our business, we see us being not just only a food business, but a heritage business. People may enjoy to eat them,

but they may not know
the meaning behind it, and they may lose touch with the heritage. Narrator: We went to Singapore to see how Peranakan culture and the art of making Nyonya kueh is still standing. Kueh is a broad term for
bite-sized snacks or desserts commonly found in Southeast Asia, including cakes, dumplings, and pastries. Kueh are prepared differently by multiple cultures in the region. The ones made by Singapore's
Peranakan community are called Nyonya kueh. The neighborhood of Joo Chiat has long been a center
of Peranakan culture. It's where the shop Kim Choo Kueh Chang has been located since 1945. This business started off from my grandma. She started selling rice
dumplings under a banyan tree, and that's how we started. Narrator: Edmond still uses her recipes to make all the shop's kueh.

Today, the team is making a batch of one of their most popular items, kueh lapis. Edmond: It's a nine-layer steamed cake made with a base of tapioca flour, coconut milk, and sugar. In Chinese, we also call it jiu ceng gao, which means nine-layer kueh. When our forefathers came here, they couldn't use ingredients from China, so they used local ingredients like coconut, coconut shred, palm sugar, and then we create something that looks Chinese, but it's not Chinese. Narrator: Workers mix the ingredients into a paste and strain it. Kueh lapis is known for its colorful layers. In the past, makers would use plants for natural coloring, like butterfly pea flowers for blue shades or pandan leaves for green. But today, Edmond uses store-bought dyes to get each layer to the perfect shade of red or green. Each layer must be steamed one by one.

Then workers repeat the process of pouring and steaming eight times. With this step, timing is everything. Pour in a layer too early, and the colors could mix together,
ruining the entire batch. So workers carefully steam each layer for exactly five minutes
at 100 degrees Celsius. Because it's made without preservatives, the shop only makes about
320 kueh lapis a day. We try not to sell too much, because all these items
cannot be kept long. It's best eaten on a day
when it's being produced and best eaten fresh. Narrator: There's also a
specific way to eat kueh lapis. Edmond: You peel it layer by layer. The different colors of the kueh represents different phases of our lives. If you chew it without peeling, it means that you are actually
shortening your lifespan, because you're missing
out so much of your life. Emy: I've been eating
kueh since four years ago.

At first, I would just take it manually and just put it in my mouth. But after the staff here told me that I'm supposed to peel one
by one and taste the flavor, that's where I realized
that I have eaten kueh lapis wrongly ever since four years ago. Edmond: My grandma, before she passed on, she would say that, live your
life like the kueh lapis. You know, even if you're
met with difficult times, continue to peel through that layer. You'll eventually see a bright color. Narrator: Researchers believe kueh originated in southern Fujian, China, and were first introduced
to Southeast Asia by Chinese traders who
migrated to Malaysia during the 15th century. These traders married local Malay women, and their descendants, known as
Straits Chinese or Peranakan, preserved their traditions, including making Nyonya kueh for celebrations like Chinese New Year.

When the British established a port in Singapore in 1819, many Peranakans migrated there for trade opportunities. Their fluency in Chinese, Malay, and English helped them become middlemen between British and locals during the colonial era. By the early 20th century, they were among Southeast Asia's most influential people, contributing their own distinct art, fashion, architecture, and food throughout the region. But Japan's occupation of Singapore during World War II devastated the community. Many Peranakans, including Edmond's grandmother, lost their fortunes and had to sell their belongings to survive. Edmond: During the time of war, she had to try and make a living for herself, and the only skill set she had back then were the culinary skills passed down to her from her maternal grandmother. It's not meant to be a business. It's really for survival. Narrator: The decades following World War II

also marked a shift to modernization in Singapore. Many Peranakans left their traditions behind. By the 1970s, the community was on the verge of extinction. For Edmond's grandmother and other Peranakans, selling their Nyonya kueh was a way to make a living while keeping their culture alive. And Edmond is working to do the same in her honor. Edmond: Well, my grandma was not educated. But she teach us through the things that she knew, like kueh and the cookies and rice dumplings. Narrator: These rice dumplings, or kueh chang, have been prepared the same way since the shop opened. Workers start by filling pandan leaves with rice and meat, and wrapping them into a pyramid shape. Then the dumplings are tied with a small rope and boiled for one and a half hours. These days, kueh chang is the shop's best seller.

Edmond: During non-festive season, we produce about 1,000-plus a day. During the festive season, you'll see us producing more than thousands, maybe 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 pieces a day. 

Narrator: Over several decades, Nyonya kueh has gone from a Peranakan delicacy to a staple for all Southeast Asians throughout Singapore. 

Edmond: We are a brand that's been around since 1945. So basically, you will see us as a brand that grew with Singapore. We are really fortunate that throughout the generations, we have a lot of Singaporeans and foreigners supporting us. 

Narrator: But because kueh has become more popular, some see it as a Singaporean delicacy instead of a Peranakan one. And Edmond worries its Peranakan roots could be forgotten over time. 

Edmond: All these Peranakan stories,

it tells us how to live our life. One of these days, if the
stories are not being shared, then my fear is, yes, people
may enjoy to eat them, but they may not know
the meaning behind it, and they may lose touch with the heritage. Narrator: That's why he
believes it's so important to share Peranakan history
with others while he can. Kim Choo Kueh Chang partnered with the Singaporean government to convert a portion of its restaurant into a boutique shop and museum. Visitors can attend guided
tours to learn about the different aspects
of Peranakan heritage. The collection includes family heirlooms, art, and traditional clothing. Edmond: A lot of these items
are either from my grandmother or, of which late, a lot of families who do not wish to keep them anymore. We actually do purchase directly from them if they no longer want to keep them. We share stories here.

We teach people how to consume the food. We teach them about the history, about why we eat certain
things certain way. And it's really important.
More than the food, you know, we want to be custodians. We want to promote the Peranakan heritage.

Narrator: Edmond isn't the only one working to preserve this unique culture. Since the 1980s, preservationists and the Singaporean government have worked to promote Peranakan culture. Today, Singapore is home to multiple government-backed
Peranakan museums and exhibits like the one
at Kim Choo Kueh Chang, as well as programs meant to preserve Peranakan architecture.

Edmond: The Peranakan
community, or the culture, is not about the marriage of races. It is largely about the
marriage of cultures. And if we can embrace this concept and help more of us understand it, basically all of us in Singapore,
even in Southeast Asia.

can embrace and share this culture also. Ever since I found out
much about my heritage, it gives me identity. I know my heritage. I know my culture. I will always remember
that this is my home, and I'll always have to come back here. Narrator: His hope is
that the next generation will get to understand the history behind the kueh they know and love. Passing down his grandmother's legacy is the best way to do that. Edmond: In the same way stories
being passed down to her, she also passed down to
us, to this generation. And we hope that we can
continue to share this story with many more generations to come.

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The Cultural Significance of Nyonya Kueh in Singapore

Nyonya kueh is a significant part of Peranakan culture in Singapore, with a history spanning back 500 years.

As its popularity increases, there are concerns that its cultural roots may be forgotten.

The traditional art of making Nyonya kueh, including the famous kueh lapis, is still being preserved in Singapore's Joo Chiat neighborhood.

The Tradition of Kueh Lapis and Its Cultural Significance

Kueh lapis is made through a meticulous process of pouring and steaming each layer, with a limited daily production due to the lack of preservatives.

Eating kueh lapis is considered a specific ritual, as each layer represents different phases of life, and the traditional way of peeling and eating it is emphasized.

The dessert has its origins in southern Fujian, China, and was brought to Southeast Asia by Chinese traders, where it became a significant part of Peranakan culture and tradition.

The Peranakans of Singapore: From Prosperity to Survival

Peranakans migrated to Singapore for trade, becoming influential middlemen during the colonial era.

Japan's occupation during World War II devastated the community, leading to a struggle for survival.

In modern times, the Peranakans' traditional food, like kueh chang, has become a way to make a living and preserve their culture.

The Evolution of Nyonya Kueh and Its Peranakan Heritage

Nyonya kueh production in Singapore can reach over 30,000 pieces a day during the festive season.

Over the years, it has transitioned from a Peranakan delicacy to a beloved staple for all Southeast Asians.

The brand, Kim Choo Kueh Chang, founded in 1945, has played a significant role in preserving the Peranakan heritage while adapting to the dish's growing popularity.

The company has taken steps to share Peranakan history through guided tours and a museum, aiming to educate visitors about the cultural and historical significance of Nyonya kueh.

Preserving Peranakan Heritage in Singapore

Efforts to preserve Peranakan culture in Singapore have been ongoing since the 1980s, with government-backed museums and programs.

The Peranakan community is focused on the marriage of cultures and aims to promote this unique identity to future generations.

Edmond is dedicated to passing down his grandmother's legacy and hopes to continue sharing the story of his heritage with many more generations to come.