GEORGE TOWN’S BABA-NYONYA

Since its founding in the 1780s, Penang has become home to people from all corners of the world. The earliest Chinese immigrants (mainly men) interacted with other local inhabitants, giving rise to the subsequent generations of Chinese Peranakans(or local-born). Unlike their immigrant forebears, the Chinese Peranakans or Baba-Nyonyas espouse a life that integrated other cultural influences into their own(Chinese) culture. By the mid-1800s, the Baba-Nyonyas became the prominent economic, political, and cultural force in Penang. Much of George Town’s history, culture, and food can be seen as a narrative of the Chinese Peranakan (aka Baba-Nyonya) milieu of Penang.