Eat Your Way Through Penang

The second in our Recipes & Wanderings cookbook series, Penang continues Apartamento and Belmond’s journey through vibrant culinary communities around the world. With its buzzing hawker markets and brightly painted shop fronts, it’s a place where bustling city gives way to tropical jungle and floating fishing villages are found bobbing in secluded bays. Here you will find one of the proudest bastions of Peranakan culture, a result of the Southeast Asian diaspora that influences everything from cuisine to fashion and design.

The recipes in this book come courtesy of a diverse group of culinary contributors, including André Chiang, Abby Lee, Kirthanaa Naidu and Malcolm Lee, who have generously provided dishes of their own invention that draw influence from Penang. Alongside these recipes, photographer Luo Yang presents an intimate visual portrayal of the island, complete with the vibrant street food that makes this one of Southeast Asia’s culinary capitals. Discover the best Malaysian recipes – including Penang duck curry, Sambal Belacan and Ais Kacang – as well as a selection of essays from writers such as Anna Sulan Masing and Tash Aw.

Disembarking in George Town, the island’s capital, from Belmond’s luxury sleeper train, the Eastern & Oriental Express, prepare to be lost in the heady flavours of this Malaysian melting pot. The ‘wanderings’ section of this book comes from varied suppliers that make this food possible – from family-run nutmeg plantations to durian farms perched high on jungle-clad hills, overlooking sparkling seas.

An island indelibly marked by its colonial past, Penang is a place where Chinese, Indian, Malay, and European cultures blend seamlessly into one distinctly modern Malaysian mélange. Whether you’re starting the day with jewel-like Kuih accompanied by sweet Kaya Toast or burning the midnight oil at a smoky street market dishing up spice-crusted Ikan Bakar or fragrant Assam Laksa, the island is a feast for the senses as well as the stomach. To truly know Penang, you must taste Penang, and we hope this book whets your appetite for journeys ahead.