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FireFlyz | 29
G
hee
Hiang is a name synonymous with Penang and is probably
the most famous brand for mung bean pastry, which is hardly a
surprise as the brand has had a 158-year head start compared to
its competitors. The brand was established in 1856 during a period
when the tinmining and rubber industries inMalaya (nowMalaysia)
was flourishing and attracted many Chinese immigrants from
Southern China. One of them was the founder of Ghee Hiang, the
Teng family, who then invited a pastry chef from Fujian to bake traditional Chinese
pastries in their shop. Little did they know that this would mark the beginning of a
favourite snack for generations to come.
The brand had its humble beginnings as a sundry shop that also sold pastries amongst
other things, with consignments sent to coffee shops on bicycle. The C’ng, Yeoh and
Yeap family then bought over the business from the Teng family who did not have an
heir to inherit the business in the 1900s, steadily
growing the brand into a household name that
would see long queues of people outside the
shop, eager to get a taste of the famed pastries.
Today, the brand has evolved and Ghee
Hiang’s pastries, the most famous being the
mung bean pastry or
tau sar pneah
as it is
fondly known as, commands a large following
not just locally, but from visitors all over the
world. It’s not hard to tell why as well, as you
bite into the freshly baked, crispy pastrywith its
tantalising fragrance of shallots. Themung bean
paste has a rich, melt-in-the-mouth texture that
will have you reaching for more each time.
Perhaps what gives this pastry its appeal
is the human element that is involved – till
this day, each little biscuit is handmade by
around 80 workers at the company’s factory.
The process starts with the mung beans
Ghee Hiang
Beach Street Retail Boutique
95 Beach Street,
10300 Penang,
Malaysia
+604 262 0635
Macalister Road Retail Boutique
216Macalister Road
10400 Penang
Malaysia
+604 227 2222
www.ghee-hiang.com
W o r d s :
E s t h e r C h e w ,
I m a g e s :
P X S t d i o s
FireFlyz discovers the history and heritage behind
GheeHiang, Penang’smostwell-known century-old
brandwho’s famous for their Tau Sar Pneah (Mung
Bean Pastry).
Bites of History