뇨냐 쿠에를 통해 페라나칸 유산 보존하기

### 싱가포르의 뇨냐 쿠에를 통해 페라나칸 유산 보존하기
* 🍰 페라나칸 전통 간식인 뇨냐 쿠에는 **싱가포르의 에드몬드 웡 가족이 약 80년 동안 만들어온 약 500년 역사의 문화적 전통**을 대표하는 간식입니다.
* 🌏 해협 중국인이라고도 불리는 **페라나칸족**은 동남아시아에 정착한 중국 상인의 후손으로, 현지 말레이 여성과 결혼하여 그들의 문화와 전통을 혼합한 민족입니다.
* 🇸🇬 싱가포르의 페라나칸 커뮤니티는 **뇨냐쿠에를 비롯한 예술, 패션, 건축, 음식**에 기여하며 싱가포르의 역사에서 중요한 역할을 담당해 왔습니다.
* 🏛 이 독특한 문화를 보존하기 위해 에드몬드 웡과 다른 사람들은 **부티크 숍을 겸하는 킴 추 쿠에 창 박물관**과 같은 활동을 통해 페라나칸의 유산을 대중에게 알리기 위해 노력하고 있습니다.
* 📜 에드먼드는 뇨냐쿠에의 인기가 높아지면서 페라나칸의 뿌리가 잊혀질 수 있다는 우려 때문에 **페라나칸의 역사와 전통을 공유하는 것**이 중요하다고 믿습니다.
* 🏗 1980년대부터 페라나칸 문화 보존 운동가들과 싱가포르 정부는 **페라나칸 유산을 보존하기 위한 박물관, 전시관, 프로그램**을 설립하여 페라나칸 문화를 홍보하기 위해 협력해 왔습니다.
* 🌱 에드먼드는 **할머니의 유산을 계승**하고 뇨냐쿠에 얽힌 이야기를 공유함으로써 다음 세대가 싱가포르 문화 역사의 중요한 측면을 계속 이해하고 감사할 수 있기를 희망합니다.

에드몬드 웡은 뇨냐 쿠에를 만들고 공유함으로써 페라나칸의 유산을 보존하고 그 문화적 중요성을 이어가고 있습니다.

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.

How A 500-Year-Old Rainbow Sweet Is Preserving One of Asia's Forgotten Cultures | Still Standing

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싱가포르에서 뇨냐 쿠에의 문화적 중요성

뇨냐 쿠에는 싱가포르 페라나칸 문화의 중요한 부분으로, 500년 전으로 거슬러 올라가는 역사를 지니고 있습니다.

인기가 높아지면서 그 문화적 뿌리가 잊혀질 수 있다는 우려도 있습니다.

유명한 쿠에 라피스를 포함한 뇨냐 쿠에를 만드는 전통 예술은 싱가포르의 주치앗 지역에서 여전히 보존되고 있습니다.

쿠에 라피스의 전통과 그 문화적 중요성

쿠에 라피스는 각 층을 붓고 찌는 세심한 과정을 거쳐 만들어지며, 방부제가 없기 때문에 일일 생산량이 제한되어 있습니다.

쿠에 라피스를 먹는 것은 특별한 의식으로 여겨지는데, 각 층이 인생의 여러 단계를 상징하고 껍질을 벗겨 먹는 전통적인 방식이 강조되기 때문이죠.

중국 푸젠성 남부에서 유래한 이 디저트는 중국 상인들에 의해 동남아시아로 전해져 페라나칸 문화와 전통의 중요한 부분이 되었습니다.

싱가포르의 페라나칸: 번영에서 생존으로: 싱가포르의 페라나칸

페라나칸은 무역을 위해 싱가포르로 이주하여 식민지 시대에 영향력 있는 중개인이 되었습니다.

제2차 세계대전 중 일본의 점령으로 인해 공동체는 황폐화되었고, 생존을 위한 투쟁으로 이어졌습니다.

현대에 이르러 페라나칸의 전통 음식인 쿠에 창은 생계를 유지하고 문화를 보존하는 수단이 되었습니다.

뇨냐 쿠에와 페라나칸 유산의 진화

싱가포르의 뇨냐 쿠에 생산량은 축제 시즌에 하루에 3만 개 이상에 달합니다.

수년에 걸쳐 페라나칸의 별미에서 모든 동남아시아인에게 사랑받는 필수품으로 자리 잡았습니다.

1945년에 설립된 브랜드인 킴 추 쿠에 창은 페라나칸의 유산을 보존하는 동시에 페라나칸 요리의 인기 상승에 적응하는 데 중요한 역할을 해왔습니다.

이 회사는 가이드 투어와 박물관을 통해 페라나칸의 역사를 공유하며 방문객들에게 뇨냐 쿠에의 문화적, 역사적 중요성을 알리기 위한 노력을 기울이고 있습니다.

싱가포르의 페라나칸 유산 보존하기

싱가포르의 페라나칸 문화를 보존하기 위한 노력은 1980년대부터 정부 지원 박물관과 프로그램을 통해 계속되고 있습니다.

페라나칸 커뮤니티는 문화의 결합에 초점을 맞추고 있으며 이 독특한 정체성을 미래 세대에게 알리는 것을 목표로 하고 있습니다.

에드먼드는 할머니의 유산을 계승하는 데 전념하고 있으며 앞으로도 더 많은 세대와 유산의 이야기를 공유할 수 있기를 희망합니다.