December 2025

Our December issue examines the flavours, practices and foodways that define Malaysian life, from home kitchens and inherited techniques to the diverse cultural influences that shape Penang’s palate.

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A publication of Penang Institute, Penang Monthly is the voice of Penang - an inspiring read for the curious Malaysian, featuring stories about the people, ideas, and issues shaping the state's well-being. Sign up for a free account to enjoy unlimited access to all our articles.

More Blue Than Green: Revelling in Penang’s Marine Biodiversity

9 min read

THIS YEAR, in recognition of the importance of marine biodiversity, Penang will host the 6th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity. The central theme, “Marine...

by Prof. Dato' Dr. Zulfigar Yasin & Prof. Dato’ Dr. Aileen Tan

The Food and Beverage Industry in Numbers

3 min read

THE REVENUE FROM the food and beverage (F&B) industry in Malaysia saw an RM6.8 billion growth in the past decade, from RM44 billion in 2012 to RM50.8 billio...

by Negin Vaghefi

Women Artists Are Flourishing

6 min read

Artwork exhibited at RRRAWRRR!!!WHOA! Where do all these women artists come from? So, so many new young and emergent women artists now...

by Ooi Kok Chuen

The Weight of the Unspoken

4 min read

Everything is okay until it is not. People greet each other pleasantly until they turn to killing the other. Just like that, everything can change.It is the s...

by Carolyn Hong

Mothers At Work

7 min read

Many mothers are finding creative ways to balance family and work. Through freelancing, part-time jobs or starting their own businesses, they trudge forward to...

by Andrea Filmer

The Hefty Sacrifices Homemakers Make

7 min read

Thirty-nine-year-old Caroline Teoh is armed with a master’s degree in Business Administration and worked as a financial advisor in a multinational company...

by Braema Mathi

Braema Mathi

Dedicated to Tickling Funny Bones

6 min read

Justin Heyes.Executed well, comedy is as much an art form as music, dance, theatre and visual arts, requiring passion, inspiration, thoughtfulness and rel...

by Louise Goss-Custard

The Th’ng Tok: Dishes of the Long Table

7 min read

The kitchen bustles with activity in the days leading up to a th’ng tok event. The cacophony of knives cutting, slicing and chopping suffuse the atmosphere with the promise of a grand feast.

by Dato' Lillian Tong

Innovations in Traditional Food Manufacturing

4 min read

In Chinese families, a bowl of hot herbal soup and a saucer of premium soy sauce are an almost-daily tableau on the dining table. Despite being traditional foods, manufacturing them has seen many rounds of innovation through the years, involving cutting-edge technologies.

by Dr. Beh May Ting

Kenduri in Kelantan: Collective Feasts to Commemorate Life's Many Events

7 min read

SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL, human beings have felt the need to commemorate special occasions—be it as individuals or communities. We celebrate the universal experien...

by Izzuddin Ramli

Penang Food at a Crossroads

11 min read

For a long time, I wondered how I, for whom street food is at the core of my culture and eating habits, can find a diet that satisfies my cultural taste buds while still meeting present-day healthy eating guidelines.

by Lim Sok Swan

Appreciating and Defending Penang’s Glorious Local Food Supply Chain

6 min read

Grocery shopping at wet markets as an innocent longstanding lifestyle scarcely received any notice in international news until early 2020 when Western media began targeting “wet markets” at large, once it was discovered that the Covid-19 virus likely emerged from the wildlife market at Wuhan.

by Tan Yu Kai

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