FOOD OF BABA AND NYONYA

Nyonya food is also known as Straits Chinese food or Lank Embok Embok. It is an interesting amalgation of chinese and malay dishes originated from the state of Malacca over 400 years ago.

During that time, mixed marriages between chinese immigrants, and local malay produced a unique culture. their descendants, the Straitsborn Chines, were known as peranakan - the ladies were called nyonyas and the men babas.

From the mixed marriages between chinese and malays, they had developed a distinct food such as pork bread, asam pedas, gulai lemak udang, ayam pongteh and chai kueh. They use a lot of spices that make the taste unique and delicous.

In addition, they use traditional tools such as "batu giling" to mix the ingredients. It takes a long time to prepare the ingredients. Today, we just only use blander to mix the ingredients.Usually they served the traditional foods on Lonar Chinese New Year, weddings, and auspicious events. in the past, festive occasions like weddings, birthday and other ceremonial events would provide opportunities for young nyonyas to sharpen their cooking skills. Unwed nyonyas were expected to be well-trained in cooking and sewing. If they intend to increase their chances of being match made with rich and respectable babas.

A fomous nyonya wedding dish is "jantung pisang" made of banana tree buds, coconut cream, chilies, shrimp paste, lemon and "belimbing". Heepew (fish and meatball in a rich sauce) is usually served for lunch.

Special nyonya dishes are prepared to mark auspicious occasions. For example, nasi kunyit (yellow rice) with hard-boiled eggs coloured red is distributed by a nyonya to her freinds and relatives to celebrate when her baby is one month old. This practice also marks the lifting of restrictions imposed on mother and child during the one-month period.

Another special rice dish is nasi lemak (coconut rice), which a nyonya mother-in-law would present to the mother of her son's bride 12 days after the wedding, to acknowledge that the bride was a virgin.

An interesting nyonya dish seved during Lonar Chinese New Year is ayam siyaw ( chicken in tamarind sauce). During the festivities, shops and markets would be closed for four consecutive days. As there were no refrigerators in their homes at the time, the nyonyas would buy several chickens, then cook the chickens with spices and use tamarind to preserve the meat. The ayam siyaow dish could then be served during any meal.

Taboos in Baba Nyonya Marriages

Having grown up with a Nyonya or Peranakan grandmother, there’s a lot of taboos and pantang-larang that you have to follow since young. The pantang-larang list ranges from the daily life activities up to special occasions. Let me share with you some of the taboos or peranakan marriage pantang-larang which I still remember:

* Pregnant women are prohibited to touch the items (gift, stuffs, wedding beds etc) or join in the preparations for the marriage ceremony. They are also strongly prohibited from entering the wedding chamber!

* If you have just given birth and have not celebrated the baby’s full moon, the mother and baby are not allowed to join in the marriage celebration or should I say they are not allowed to step in the front door of the groom and bride to be’s house! Even the family members staying in the same house are not welcomed as they are also deemed as “not cleansed“ yet until the baby’s “Full Moon“ celebration.

* Family members who are still mourning the passing away of their family member are also not allowed to join the Peranakan Marriage ceremony as it was deemed very inauspicious to the marriage couple.

* It is a major offences to the peranakan family during the olden days if the guests are wearing a whole black attire or white attire while joining the marriage ceremony as these attire are strictly mend for “sorrow occasion“ or funeral attire.

Match-making and Enquiring Ceremony

Match-making ceremony

In the past, all of the Baba and Nyonya’s weddings were arranged marriages. This is because they followed the tradition of Chinese. Normally, the elderly people will seek the service of a match maker when they felt that their child had come of age to be married.

The match-maker can be a professional match maker who normally has a large network of friends or he/she might be one of the close relative or friends. As a return for the successful match making service, the match maker will receive a red-packet with money and roasted pig trotter.


Enquiring (Merisik) ceremony

A group of elderly people (from the bridegroom family) will visit the short listed future-daughter-in law’s family. This visit is known as “merisek”, a custom that you could find both in Malay and Chinese community.

The “merisek” group is normally headed by the match-maker and a few elderly relatives from the bridegroom. However, the bridegroom’s parents will not participate in this “merisek” visit. The “merisek” group will inform the girls’ family of their intention and to seek approval.

They will not talk formally like in normal daily conversations, but talk in a mixture of pantun. It is from Malay influence.

To ensure that the couple will have happy day after their marriage, they will ask for the selected girls’ date of birth or “Pek Zhi“. Later, they will consult a Feng Shui Master to check the boy and girl compatibility with each other. After everyone has come to an agreement, a ceremony of exchanging gifts between the two families known as Lapchai which also known as engagement day will be held.
The common gifts used for the “Lapchai” ceremony between the families of the bride and groom before the wedding are
• jewelleries pig trotter
• auspicious fruits
• a pair of red candles
• dowry (money)

Baba and Nyonya Wedding - Introduction

The Baba Nyonya, which also known as Cina Peranakan is one of the unique community found in Melaka. This community had existed before the 15th century due to intermarriages between the Chinese traders and local Malays. The intermarriages increased after marriage of Sultan Mansur Syah with Princess Hang Li Poh from China.

Written records from the 19th and early 20th centuries show that Peranakan men usually took bride from within the local Peranakan community. Peranakan families occasionally imported brides from China and sent their daughters to China to find husbands.

Most Baba and Nyonya are not Muslim, and have followed the traditions of the Chinese, although some have been converted to Christian.

In the past, the Baba and Nyaonya mainly resides along Heeren Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) & Jonker Street in the heart of Melaka city. Their existence could be seen clearly based on their unique house architecture, costume (Kebaya Nyonya & Kasut manek-manek), cooking and language (Bahasa Peranakan).

A traditional Baba and Nyonya’s wedding is complex as there are many rites preparations and ceremonies which lasts up to 12 days. Therefore, now, most of the younger generation prefers to skip some of the ceremonies.

Similar like their Chinese counterpart, the Baba and Nyonya put a great emphasis on choosing lucky dates and times which believe will bring good luck for them or their family. However, their taboos are much more and strictly than the Chinese.

The wedding ceremony of the Baba and Nyonya is mostly based on Chinese tradition, and is one of the most colourful wedding ceremonies in Malaysia. At weddings, the Dondang Sayang, a form of extempore rhyming song in Malay which sung and danced by guests at the wedding party, was a highlight. Someone would begin a romantic theme which was carried on by others, each taking the floor in turn, dancing in slow gyrations as they sang. It required quick wit and repartee and often gave rise to laughter and applause when a particularly clever phrase was sung. The melodic accents of the Baba and Nyonya lend to the charm of this performance.

The other costume of Baba and Nyonya

Nyonya Kebaya is a unique tradisional dresses for their ethnic. The main thing that differentiate Nyonya Kebaya from the other kebaya is the materials that be used in the top of kebaya. The materials are gauze, cotton, voile or georgette. we must use "anak baju" when want to wear Nyonya Kebaya.

The top was embroidered by the beautiful motifs expecially in the collar. The motifs that be used is colourfull flowers. The motifs are usually hand-made. Although have a machine-made embroided, but people still like hand-made embroided because hand-made embroided look more beautiful between when we used machine.

Kebaya labuh usually worn by elderly ladies. "anak baju" also must be used for this kebaya and have three brooches infront of the kebaya. For the "kebaya pendek", it always used by younger nyonya. This kebaya also sewn by body shape.

Nyonya Kebaya use 'kain sarong' for the bottom. For the sarong, batik java is used. Batik java also known as "batik jawa". The "sarong" always sewn according to the body for look more beautiful.

'kasut manik' was embroidered with full of patience and skills. the small beads from Czech Republik used to sem this shoes. In modern times, people like to used crytal beads to put in the shoes.

The pattern or motifs that they always use to sew in 'kasut manik' is colouring flower influence by pottery and 'batik sarong'.

Costume Of Baba and Nyonya

The sarongs, kebayas, and kasut manek was save in cabinet during wedding ceremonies.

For bride, they used the wedding costume and it covered by jewels, gold and diamondkeronsang brooches. They also used almost 15 pinned onto a pedepan ( a special collar for jewels), rows of malay, chinese and europian style gold and diamonds necklaces, and filigree gold pendants.

Besides that, the bride also worn diamond earings, bracelets, anklets, and the glittering crown. It made by multitude of hairpins and Barbaric magnificience is one of the effect or theme of nyonya bride.

For the groom's costume, they worn a loose, long and flowing scholar's robes. The robes reaching down to the ankles and a silk jacket embroidered with auspicious motif in a gold threat, and a cone-shaped taselled hat or skull cap. They also put jewellery on his hat ornament but it was restricted.

Baba Nyonya Costume