Going Bananas over Pisang!
The Pisang (banana) is a common feature in the everyday life of the Baba Nyonya community – in our food, household use, rituals and even folklore.
Join us in Chakap Masak as we explore and celebrate the many facets of pisang in English and Baba Malay featuring:
- a cooking demo on favourite Baba Nyonya pisang desserts/dishes including Jantong Pisang a rarely known banana flower bud appetizer.
- pisang history, folklore, superstitions, trivia, story (Bibik Pisang) and pantun (Malay verses)
- delectable Makan Kechil prepared by Allspice Institute
Our participants:
Nyonya Noreen Chan, 58, is a sixth generation Peranakan with roots from Singapore and Malacca. Amongst her treasures are memories spent in the kitchen with her grandmother, and her Mama’s handwritten recipe books.
Noreen has previously contributed Dalam Dapur articles on cooking and local ingredients to The Peranakan Association Singapore.
Nyonya Cynthia Wee-Hoefer, 73, is a former journalist and now actively promoting the Peranakan culture and Baba Malay language. She co-founded, with Richard Tan, the Chakap Baba-Nyonya group. She has contributed articles relating to her upbringing in Katong and the Peranakan culture in The Peranakan Association Singapore publication, Friends of the Museum magazine and various magazines.
Nyonya Louisa Ong is a Professional Storyteller and a Member with Storytelling Association (Singapore). She is a trained drama coach, public speaker, storytelling coach as well as a published author of the Go, Go Green Gavin series under the pen name of Louisa Joanne Lee. She has performed in upstate New York where she has lived with her family, sharing Asian stories through Kamishibai (Japanese paper theatre) storytelling. Louisa is from a multi-generational Peranakan household and is a descendant of Ong Ewe Hai who once owned Bukit Brown in Singapore.
Allspice Institute, an advocate for heritage, wellness, and culture, empowers individuals through world-class culinary and hospitality education.
Rooted in giving back, our foundation is imbued with a commitment to working with charities to support the needy, youth at risk, individuals with distinct abilities, and the elderly through the unifying power of food,
Chakap Baba-Nyonya is an informal group of individuals intent on reviving the joys of speaking their Baba Malay mother tongue, a patois of bazaar Malay peppered with Chinese dialects and English.
The group has been meeting over the past three years to read Peranakan play scripts, stories, listen to pantun (rhyming verses) and songs, to strengthen their identity, bond and enjoy friendships made through their shared heritage.