Once again, Penang is recognised as the country’s food hub.
The city was not only ranked by Lonely Planet as the world’s 4th most charismatic city to visit in 2016, but was also endorsed by internationally renowned American food writer James Oseland as the world’s top food destination.
“If I have to choose the top 3 places in the world as a food destination, Penang would definitely be the first, followed by Mexico City and London,” said the former editor of Saveur Magazine, an award-winning gourmet food and travel magazine that specialises in world cuisines.
He is currently in Penang until 20th July to scout for the best food in the city to be featured in his upcoming book. It is said that his new book, which he expects to be published in the next 2 years, will focus on traditional home-cooked food as it is the best way to understand one’s culture.
His favourite local dishes are Penang-style nasi campur, nasi kandar, and other hawker food such as chee cheong fun. After Malaysia, he will be visiting Indonesia and Timor Leste.
Just in case you didn’t know, 53-year-old James Oseland is an influential figure in the food industry and he is no stranger to South East Asian cooking.
In 2006, his cookbook, titled “Cradle of Flavour: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore”, was named as one of the best books of the year by Time Asia, The New York Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
He is also the judge of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef Masters”.
So, who’s up for a food trip to Penang? 😉
Source: NST.
