Trails of Heritage: The Melaka Chetti Legacy Explored

The Melaka Chetti Kitchen: Culinary Journey of 500 Years is an attempt at tracing Malaysian food history and documents what Melaka Chetti food is, drawing up an itinerary of what is typically cooked in Melaka Chetti kitchens; some recipes are unique to the community, some are not, but they still constitute a part of the Melaka Chetti gastronomy, serving to show how they are different and also the same as the communities around them. A comprehensive collection of over 150 recipes that have been in Melaka Chetti families for generations are presented. Efforts have been taken to ensure the recipes are kitchen-tested for authenticity and stories told as they were related—"this, we believe, is crucial to the successful transmission of our heritage” MCHAM president Indrani Pillay had said. “Our food is very much a part of our life. Food is linked to everything: our culture, tradition, history, geography, demographics, language and spiritual practices. Presenting our recipes with stories and pictures allow us to tell the Melaka Chetti story through food.”