Fort Cornwallis, asam laksa and char kway teow are among 50 cultural heritage items recently gazetted in a landmark move to institutionalise the protection of Penang’s rich multicultural legacy.
In the latest round of gazettements on 7 May, Penang recognised 15 heritage sites, the Nillaikalakki Silambam martial art and 18 heritage food items under the Penang State Heritage Enactment 2011.
Among the prominent landmarks gazetted were Fort Cornwallis, Penang Free School, the Penang High Court, Kapitan Keling Mosque, Acheen Street Malay Mosque, Khoo Kongsi, the Penang State Museum Board building and St George’s Church.
Penang Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the latest recognitions marked a major step in the state’s cultural preservation efforts.
“Although the Penang State Heritage Enactment 2011 was passed as early as 2011, no official state-level cultural heritage gazettement had been carried out under the enactment over the past 15 years,” he said.
“As such, the Penang government took proactive and important steps this year to translate the legal provisions into concrete action.”
The May 2026 gazettement also gave heritage recognition to many of Penang’s best-known dishes and street food staples, including asam laksa, char kway teow, cendol, teh tarik, air batu campur, roti canai, putu mayam, muruku, mi goreng mamak, martabak and kari kapitan.
Earlier, on 22 January, the state gazetted several intangible cultural heritage elements, including nasi kandar culture, kopitiam culture, the Thaipusam and Chingay processions, the St Anne’s Feast in Bukit Mertajam and the Penang Tanjong dialect.
Traditional food items such as nasi kandar, pasembor, oh chien, Hokkien mee, mi udang and roti Benggali were also gazetted in January.
Wong said the gazettement exercise went beyond administrative procedure and reflected the state’s commitment to preserving Penang’s historical memory, cultural diversity, artistic heritage and social identity.
“Heritage is not merely a repository of local memories, but also an important bridge in strengthening national unity,” he added.
Wong said all heritage items gazetted at the state level could potentially be proposed for recognition under the National Heritage Act 2005 and eventually nominated for UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Source: New Straits Times
