PENANG has taken steps to solidify its status as a Unesco World Heritage Site by gazetting 10 traditional dishes and six localise cultural customs as intangible heritage treasures.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, state exco for tourism Wong Hon Wai and state Heritage Commissioner Zalena Abdul Aziz unveiled the listings today before the media.
The main aim is to conserve and preserve the original taste and preparation for the world acclaimed dishes.
Chow read out the food listings, which would forever be enshrined as Penang intangible heritage culinary items.
They are: "nasi kandar, pasembor, char kue kak oh chien, kerabu bihun, mi hokkien, mi udang, mi sotong, mi jawa and roti benggali."
For the six cultural heritage observations and events, they are: "budaya nasi kandar, budaya kopitiam, perarakan thaipusam, perarakan chingay, perayaan st anne bukit mertajam and loghat (dialect) bahasa tanjong pulau pinang."
Chow said that the 16 items, would be formally inducted as state heritage at a ceremony later in May.
The items would be gazetted under the state heritage enactment 2011 (enactment 14).
It will be the first time that Penang's famed gastronomic dishes are protected and conserved under legislation.
There are plans to list more dishes in time.
Also present were the state heritage committee members such as Assoc Prof Dr Premalatha Karupiah and Penang Island City Council (MBPP) president and Lord Mayor of George Town Datuk Anthony Rajendran.
Rajendran was later asked to explain on how the local authorities will enforce to ensure that all chefs for the 10 heritage dishes would solely be Malaysians to preserve the original identities.
He said that the guideline is enforced in all MBPP operated food courts and now the council was reviewing to see if it can be extended to all food courts.
"We hope that ideally all of the hawkers selling such items must be local. We hope the ruling is applicable to all sides hence, we are reviewing the conditions."
Later, Zalena pointed out that the Tanjong dialect Malay is exclusively within the George Town enclave and use predominantly by the Penang Indian Muslim commune.
She said that it may sound similar to the Kedah northern Malay tongue, but it is in nature different, crisper and more accented compared to Kedah Malay. - January 29, 2026.
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