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

Kim Choo Kueh Chang has been serving bite-sized treats called Nyonya kueh in Singapore since 1945. These colorful snacks are a staple for Peranakan people — a cultural group prominent between the 15th and early 20th centuries that’s working to be remembered today. But as the popularity of Nyonya kueh increases, some shopkeepers fear that its Peranakan roots will be forgotten. We visited Singapore to see how Peranakan culture and the art of making Nyonya kueh is Still Standing.

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

[deathdrone]

The Peranakan people are those of mixed Malay and Chinese heritage for those that want to know, not to be mistaken with Malaysian-Chinese which are fully ethnic Chinese but have been in Malaysia for centuries.

[rrinnlonginus]

We call this "Kek/Kuih Lapis" in Malaysia. It literally translates to layer cake and I can promise you, I have not seen a single person, including me to a certain point, to not ever eat these with a whole mouth bite despite me knowing that you're supposed to peel it layer by layer.

Edit: Forgot to say this video is a pleasant recommendation because my grandma is spam cooking cakes now in the kitchen for no reason.

[eunikehalim]

These were staple snack for me as a kid living in Indonesia as a peranakan people. It's so tasty and nostalgic. I also like to peel the layers of the kueh lapis when I eat it, but not because of the longetivity reason, just for fun :)

[TCMK]

So I am Thai and moved to the US as a kid. When I was in elementary school my mom used to make these for my school potlucks and everyone told me it was disgusting and weird. As an immigrant child it hurt so bad.

[ItsPronouncedQ]

I used to buy these from the Cambodian grocery store! My parents would always get annoyed when I ate it layer by layer, telling me not to play with my food, but it always tasted better to me that way. Good to know my instincts weren't wrong!

[isalutefamille]

Most kuehs in southeast asia are fashioned from rice flour due to abundance of rice in the area. The kuehs that I bring to parties for are always a hit with my gluten free diet friends in the west.

[Elinavlogforwalking]

Yep, there is also a version of this snack in Vietnam, known as "Bánh da lợn", translated in English as "Pork - skin layer cake", not because it is made from pork, but of its similarity in layers

[megabigblur]

I'm Malaysian Chinese including some Peranakan ancestry, and I think the part about peeling it layer by layer to avoid shortening your life is just made up to impress foreign tourists or to keep small children occupied.

[rolandlwtay]

Eating it layer by layer provided so much fun when I was growing up as a child.

[Tigerlady]

I actually first read about these treats in a book called "The Woman Who Breathed Two Worlds" but I could never picture how Nyonyan kueh actually looked. It's really cool seeing them in this episode!
I also would recommend the book as good historical fiction for the Nyonyan people around the turn of the century, its long but its written by a descendant of the culture IIRC.

[stickerhappy]

In the Philippines, we also have these delicacy called “Sapin-sapin” which literally means “layer”

[Patrick-eefl]

In Thailand, we called it “Kanom Chan” or Layered snack. I love to peel each layer and eat it one by one. It is still my favourite dessert til this day.

[jackred]

Baba-Nyonya originate from Malacca/Malaysia. They are the result of 1st wave Chinese immigration from an interracial marriage of Chinese princess Hang Li Po and Sultan Mansur Shah of Malacca. The princess brought a bunch of people with her to settle at Bukit Cina and they mixed with the local Malay people and culture. Nyonya didn't spread out until the British came, then they spread to Singapore and Penang to find work, along with 2nd wave Chinese immigrants (who are fully ethnic and culturally chinese).

[tommyle]

In Vietnam we call it "Bánh Da Lợn", literally means pig skin cake, and we eat all the layers at once haha

[psudomail]

In Thailand, we call Kanom Chan (layered treat)

[violinalivia]

It's amazing to see singapore share many same to similar type of desserts with Indonesia. Indonesia also has Kueh lapis and it is sold in wet market, hawkers streetfood and even supermarkets. It's part of many Indonesian's childhood as we grew up eating these traditional sweets.
When even saw the lady cut many bacang hanging by ropes, my mouth starts to water and instantly feels nostalgic. No matter the country, this traditional desserts should be preserve as a symbol of cultural heritage. Amazing this shop is keeping these traditional sweets alive. 😍

[chervywong]

Hi business insider, the leaves used to wrap kueh zhang is not pandan leaves. It's bamboo leaves, which is two completely different types of leaves.

[sabinebottone]

I’m from the US, and I absolutely love this treat! There’s a tiny market near me that sells them every now and then and I always buy them when I see them in the fresh food section… Thank you for the helpful tip that I’ve been eating them the wrong way this whole time! 😅

[ridwandadu]

Thank you very much for this History of the Peranakan. As Indonesian Peranakan I have eaten all those delicacy through the hand of my Grandmother who made them. When I visited her house I occasionally help her flipping the kue lapis (the brown one). Never have thought through this short video I learned about my past, culture and origin. Yes, food connects us . . . better than facebook.

[TheMrBonzz]

It's still a pretty popular snack here in Indonesia, it's dirt cheap too i don't know why y'all are acting like it's going extinct or something.