Intro to Malaysian Food: Penang, George Town, Malaysia

Do you travel the world in search of mouth-watering cuisine? Then Penang is the perfect food paradise for you! Known for its huge variety of street food, Penang’s culinary scene is heavily influenced by its beautifully diverse Malay, Chinese, Peranakan and Indian cultures.

First time visitors to Penang may be a little overwhelmed by the large variety of food but help is on the way! I will break down what dishes are typically eaten during breakfast, lunch and dinner, and where you can find these dishes. Some of these food establishments are pretty much walking distance to one another but you can easily also hop into a cab to get there. Some cabbies don’t speak English well but if you say the name of the coffee shop or restaurant, they’ll most likely know how to take you there.

Congee (rice porridge) is a Chinese dish that’s eaten at breakfast, although you can eat it anytime during the day. It can be served plain with various side dishes (usually pickled vegetables and fried omelette) or you can enjoy congee cooked with meat and/or seafood which makes it even tastier! Penang has numerous kedai kopi (coffee shops) serving breakfast and lunch. They’re not fancy cafes but they serve good and cheap food ranging from congee and noodles to roti canai (Indian savory pancakes served with curry). ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).