Penang Heritage Food

Dr Ong Jin Teong is the author of Penang Heritage Food. The first edition of his book was sold out within a year and was re-printed several times. His book gives a Nonya perspective of traditional Penang dishes. Hence there are chapters on the two dominant Malay and Hokkien influences on Penang Heritage Food as well as Thai and South Indian Influences. The latter two influences distinguish Penang Nonya food from that from Singapore and Melaka. His book also gives an insight into the Hainanese and English influences on Penang Heritage food.

Jin Teong was born Penang into a Nonya family. He was exposed to cooking at home at an early age. His mother gave cooking demonstrations to the members of the Penang YWCA and the MGS Old Girls' Association. He went to London to study Electrical Engineering in 1963, where he extended his range of cooking. Dr Ong is a retired professor from the Nanyang Technological University's College of Engineering