In the gourmet paradise of Malaysia , you can taste various kinds of cuisines, especially in Malacca, where it was resided by immigrants from Indonesia and ruled by Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and then Japan. It is a society with Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikh and the indigenous group where they are integrated together. The food available here is varied and you can even taste the southern China cuisines here. Nyonya cuisine encountered a second major change in the 18th century, where the number of women emigrated from Guangdong increased . Some of them settled down here and some are married with Babas. Since then, they have mixed Guangdong cuisine into Nyonya Cuisine as compared to Nyonya Cuisine with Hokkien style that appeared long ago. The Guangdong style Nyonya cuisine has become another mainstay in Nyonya Cuisine . This cuisine is inherited from Chinese favourite herbs, mushrooms, dried food, bean paste and others, combining Malay's ingredients, such as candlenut, laksa leaves, belacan and fermented shrimp paste, it is also mixed with Indian and Middle Eastern spices, Java's vegetables such as buah keluak, fern plant and ulam. Nyonya families use some of these ingredients as dyeing properties to produce natural foods. It is usually the woman who cooks for her family. Under the mother's guidance, the daughter is always an expert in cooking. While the housewives will gather and discuss about cooking techniques, making Nyonya food taste the same, it is normally sour, sweet, salty and spicy. Its culture is merged between Malay and Chinese, and influenced by Indonesia. Malacca was once the world's merchant gathering point enabling the birth of Baba and Nyonya ethnic groups. Therefore Nyonya Cuisine is supposed to have arrived earlier in Malacca than in Singapore and Penang. I'll summarize it as " Malay Archipelago Delicacies of Nanyang cuisine." Nyonya cuisine using the spices are used not only as food seasonings, they possess health benefits as well. Adding some spices into dishes could warm the body, promote blood circulation, stimulate the gastrointestinal tract, help metabolism and improve the appetite. Spices such as cinnamon can reduce women's menstrual discomfort. Pepper, curry and other spices contain properties that can burn fat if consumed on a regular basis.
