Penang

Penang wurde früher oft als die "Perle des Orients" bezeichnet, und auch heute noch ist die Insel eine der interessantesten und abwechslungsreichsten Plätze in Asien. Penang Island ist bekannt für ihre Hawker Stalls oder Garküchen und die spannende Street-Art-Szene. Was Sie im Urlaub auf Penang auf keinen Fall verpassen sollten lesen Sie hier!


Penang – Malaysia´s Food Destination Number One.

In Penang, Malaysia, Upper Penang Road is one of Penang's liveliest districts and a must go for food lovers.

Penang Malaysia Food Rojak
Thanks to Malaysia’s ethnic mix of Malays, Chinese and Indians, the "local" cuisine can be almost anything you fancy. Nyonya food, for example is a Penang specialty. It was developed by early Chinese immigrants who intermarried with Malay women. So they took the best of both cooking styles, combines them with Thai spices and a new tasty specialty was born.

In George Town, UNESCO World Heritage and the island’s historic capital, some of the tastiest food is found in hawker’s stalls or low cost eateries. Of course you will find some Penang dishes more tasty than others. Penang Char Kuay Teow (rice noodle dish stir-fried in egg), Assam Laksa, Tar Sau Peah, Rojak Pasembur, Nasi Kandar and Hokkien Mee are some of Penang´s favorite foods. Most of these gourmet delights you get for less than RM8. 

Take a closer look and discover famous Penang food in this video:


Kuala Lumpur has its Bintang Walk, for Penang it is “Upper Penang Road” right in the heart of George Town. Click here for a look at Penang Hotels.

Upper Penang Road currently is the city's most fashionable area for shopping, dining and entertainment. You will find the street lined with restored heritage shop houses, street cafés, and a wide range of cuisines is offered by hotels and restaurants nearby.

If you are looking for a wild night out in Penang this is the place for you - upmarket restaurants, karaoke joints, bars, discotheques, pubs sprouted all over the precinct. If you are on the hunt for ribs and steaks, try Smoky Jack Ribs & Steakhouse, sets with soup and desert start from RM16.
One of the most fun places and a food paradise at night is the Red Garden at George Town’s Upper Penang Road. You will find an accumulation of small kitchens cook up everything from dim sum and steamboat treats to chicken satay.

You can simply tell the cook your table number and the order will be delivered to you. This is very convenient if you are in company, as you’re not obliged to eat all from the same outlet. For the drinks you will find a central beer and juice joint.

For just $1 chicken rice wouldn’t bust your budget. But you will also get some foreign cuisine for a bargain, like Japanese miso soup or eel with rice. Just watch out for the East Meets West kitchen.

The eastern section of Upper Penang Road is still relatively quiet and enchanting. If you want to escape the crowd head to the Leith Street heritage quarter with wine bar, a north Indian restaurant, pub and bistro.

You probably wouldn’t pick a travel destination simply for its food, but Penang Malaysia is a serious contender for some of SA’s most salivating eats.

But there is much more attractions and activities: check 161 things to do in Penang Island!

Penang - Famed Tourist Destination In Malaysia

By: Nowal Kahn Copyright (c) 2009 Nowal Khan

The island of Penang in Malaysia is dubbed as the "Pearl of the Orient" and considered as one of Asia's most famous travel destination to date. This is not quite hard to imagine since Penang has grown into a beautiful city with modern architecture and yet still manages to preserve its historical value overtime, offering the best of worlds in one small area.

Captain Francis Light christened the island Penang or Pulau Pinang which means the "island of the Betelnut". This name is most likely derived from the fact that betel nut palms are commonly found within the island. Penang's population greatly reflects its diversity. You can find different races in this island coexisting quite peacefully with each other such as the Chinese, Malays, Indians and others.

RELIGION

Religion in this side of world is freely expressed and respected. The official religion in Penang is Islam but you can find temples and other religious grounds from different faiths such as Buddhist and Hindu temples.

ANNUAL FESTIVALS

Penang is a fairly busy island, always bustling with annual festivities of different cultures. If you are visiting the island of Penang, it is not uncommon to chance upon at least one festival taking place during your stay. Some of the highlights are Chinese New Year held every late January or early February which signifies the beginning of Chinese Lunar year and Christmas Day celebrated by Christians every month of December.

Other occasions held in Penang, Malaysia annually are: The Birthday of the Goddess of Mercy, Wesak Day or the birthday of Lord Buddha, Hari Raya Puasa which marks the end of Ramadan, Saint Anne's Feast, Hari Raya Haji, Festival of Nine Emperor Gods, Malaysia's National Day, and Deepavali in commemoration of the slaying of evil king by Lord Krishna.

CUISINE

Penang travel can never be completed without sampling its fine delicacy and cuisine greatly influenced by Malays, Chinese and Indians. There is definitely no room for picky eaters here since there is always something for everybody and food is really great, tourists usually come back for more. The most famous dish is the Penang Laksa, a tamarind-based fish soup filled with noodles. Penang Laksa is a very delicious and filling treat. Tourist can either choose to buy their food from "hawkers" of roadside stalls or get them at regular sit-in restaurants which nicely dotted the area. Gurney Drive is the famous food street where you will find hawker's stalls lined up and selling best of Penang Food.

Some of Penang's local favorites are:

- Satay or Malaysian style kebab.
- Apom, an Indian paper-thin pancake.
- Apong, Nyonya's folded pancake.
- Beef ball noodles
- Char Koay Teow, stir-fried rice noodles.
- Chicken rice, a complete meal of Hainanese rice cooked in chicken stock served with roasted or steamed chicken.
- Fried oysters for seafood lovers!
- Mee Goreng, an Indian fried noodle.
- Mee Suah Tau or vermicelli soup with flaked crab meat.

This is just some of the suggested food fare in Penang since this town is known for its excellent cuisine and their food list is virtually endless.

SHOPPING

Shopping is never a problem in Penang. Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak is the biggest, most famous shopping complex in the area. It is the tallest building in Penang and placed sixth in Malaysia. KOMTAR Tower is by far, the most ambitious urban renewal project of the city of Penang. Famous retail shops and shopping outlets are found in this one, massive building, a real one-stop-shop for shopping tourists.

BEACHES

Penang beaches stretch from Tanjung Bungah to Telok Bahang for miles and miles. The most popular beach front is the Batu Ferringhi which is quite busy during peak seasons. Other beaches that you can find in Penang are: Tanjung Bungah, Muka Head, Pantai Keracut, Pantai Acheh, Monkey Beach and Gertak Sanggul, all of which are beautiful sandy beaches where you can relax and have fun under the sun.


GEORGETOWN HERITAGE SITE

Georgetown is the capital of Penang Island and was declared by UNESCO in 2008 as a world heritage site. Georgetown has extensive list of sights to see, some of its famous tourist attractions are Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Leith Street, built in 1890. Fort Cornwallis in Light Street was built in 1793 and visit Penang Islamic Museum by Armenian Street. The Pinang Peranakan Mansion can be found around Church Street and also check out Queen Victoria Clock Tower which commemorates Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

Penang is also the home of the largest bridge in Malaysia and one of the largest in the world, the Penang Bridge. Don't forget to experience Penang Hill as well, a favorite spot among tourists which can be accessed through railway or by foot.

Your visit to Penang will be richly awarded by different cultures and traditions that one can only experience in Penang, Malaysia. If you need to get away from it all, Penang is the site for you since it offers places to explore on-foot and beautiful beaches to swim on. Cultural heritage permeates the air of Penang, right from the sight, sound and smell.

Your visit will not allow you to go home empty-handed considering best shopping outlets for electronics, clothing and other products made from South-East Asia. Cultural diversity is also reflected with food choices available in this side of town. Penang truly feeds the mind and soul. With both modern and historical worth, it is safe to say that there's always something for everybody here in Penang.

About the Author Nowal has been a freelance travel writer and photographer for almost 10 years now. Penang Travel Guide is his recent travel guide to the island of Penang. The travel guide provides travel information and guide to Georgetown Heritage Sites.

(ArticlesBase SC #791549) Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Penang - Famed Tourist Destination In Malaysia

Photo food stall thanks to "isriya" license Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 2.0)