Tok Panjang The Evolution of a Peranakan Heritage Feast

by Arthur S K Lim

The legacy of Tok Panjang, the Peranakan dining experience, is so exuberantly presented here. The insights into the contexts of how Peranakan dishes were served, is one of the book’s most valuable contributions from a historical context. - Peter Lee, Peranakan scholar and Founding Curator of NUS Baba House

Tok Panjang is known simply today as a sumptuous, iconic Peranakan banquet of a wide range of classic, signature dishes.

Some may know that the name is derived from tok, the Hokkien word for ‘table’, and panjang, Malay for ‘long’.

Others might also understand that Tok Panjang is a communal celebratory meal served on birthdays, weddings and other festive occasions.

This book delves into the origin of the practice, back to when the name Tok Panjang did not exist. It sets out specific menus and explains when and why designated dishes were served together on particular types of crockery.

Arthur S K Lim traces Tok Panjang to its roots and describes its evolution with reference to his family’s practice and traditions.

In the process, he shares his mother’s time-tested recipes for the dishes that make up the various Tok Panjang feasts.

Size: 130 x 195 mm
Extent: 128 pages
Binding: Flexibinding
Weight: 244 g
ISBN: 978-981-18-8357-6