After Jalur Gemilang, it’s kuih nyonya’s turn to be weaponised as object of immigrant hegemony
FOLLOWING closely footstep of rightist UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh who has staunchly lambasted those who flew the Jalur Gemilang upside down as “an unpatriotic bunch of traitors”, a self-proclaimed mildly-radical nationalist has turned to ‘gastronomical theft’ to uplift his ethnical supremacy.
This came about as Tun Ahmad Al-Bab (@TunSyed78817) picked a bone with “a Chinese company” that sells a wide variety of Malay kuih by simply re-branding them as “Kuih Nyonya”.
Editor’s Note: Based on exchanges by commenters, the poster probably refers to Nyonya Colors which specialises in premium home-made Nyonya Kueh as one of the businesses.
“They refuse to acknowledge its origin (Malay) given (the) nyonya (Straits Chinese women) adopted Malay culture, speak the language and call (themselves) Peranakan (Chinese),” Tun Ahmad Al-Bab lashed out on X.
Chinese company be selling kuih melayu with different names now. "Kuih Nyonya"
They refuse to acknowledge it's origin (Malay) as nyonya adopted Malay culture, speak the language, and called "peranakan"
Stop hiding behind the "peranakan" name, you don't even speak Malay.
“Stop hiding behind the peranakan name, you (the company) don’t even speak Malay.”
To sidetrack a little, apart from kuih nynoya, the poster also claimed Mee Tarik (hand-pulled noodles) as a Malay heritage “originating from the Majapahit kingdom which Parameswara (Melaka’s first sultan) ate as breakfast before set sail on his trading mission to China”.
Back to the topic at hand, architect in his late 50s Anuar Aziz (@SaifulA77188378) defended Nyonya Colors for having “re-popularised traditional kuih at shopping malls till many Malaysians become aware of their names now”.
Others, too, do not perceive as offensive the act of commercialising traditional kuih with one commenter likening it to “Malay cooking char koay teow or even noodles without knowing their Chinese origin”.
Or the very fact that “many kuih owe their origin to Malay-Nyonya cultural fusion that even the word kuih originated from the Hokkien word 粿 (kway)”.
Even a Malay lady chided Tun Ahmad Al-Bab for behaving like Indonesians and Singaporeans who tend to claim Malaysian heritage cuisines as theirs.
After all, she accused the poster of slandering given Nyonya Color “has never re-name their kuih to a Chinese name”.
Australian-born entrepreneur, consultant, academic and researcher Murray Hunter who has been involved in Asia-Pacific business for the last 30 years tried to mediate by describing the ensuing phenomenon as “globalism just like taking cultural products of Indonesia and calling it Malay”.
Some commenters also pointed to Malay vendors “selling Indian delicacies such as roti canai, Indian curry, briyani, putu, kuih denderam and so much more while refusing to acknowledge its origin (India) and sometimes even changing their name”.
One commenter suggested that Tun Ahmad Al-Bab confront the Straits Chinese community with his grouses instead of “targettng the Chinese community as a whole”.
“Go argue with the Peranakan (folks) since they own the dish. If we ever re-name it Kuih Ah Beng or Kuih Ah Huat. then only come and fight with us.”
Ay the end of the day, one commenter who seemingly knows the poster spilled the beans by depicting him as “an ex-ISA detainee who’s now operating his anti-Chinese ops from Australia”, thus advising fellow Malaysians against “getting sucked into this cesspool of hate”. – Sept 24, 2025
Main image credit: My Colonial Café/Facebook
Main image credit: My Colonial Café/Facebook
As a Baba-Nyonya descendant myself , my input is Nyonya culture is a unique product of many generations of Straits Settlement inhabitants.
ReplyDeleteEthnic Chinese immigrants from China had , over many generations assimilated aspects of Malay culture fused with traditional Chinese culture, including food..A unique melange born of the Straits Settlement was created.
Possibly some intermarriage as well, though that is controversial.
Likely the children spoke the language of the mother at home, which was Malay.
During early Colonial days, the Straits Settlement British Administration really didn't care if a Malay woman consensually married into a Chinese family, without the man converting to Islam.
That didn't happen in the Malay States because, then and now, Shariah law mandating that only Muslim partners may legally marry was strictly applied, so the non-Muslim partner had to convert.