Ghee Hiang

Thursday, May 17 2012

Wednesday, 20 October 2010 07:31

GHEE HIANG'S tradition of freshly-baked pastries goes all the way back to 1856, when founder and pioneer Teng Tau Ku brought over a master baker from Fujian, China. This was the beginnings of Penang’s unique tau sar pneah biscuits, otherwise known also as dragon ball or Tambun biscuits. Now they are celebrated throughout Malaysia, and none have made it as long or as good as Ghee Hiang.

Despite the many competitors they spawned and the intrusion of modern cookies into the market, the traditional pastries by Ghee Hiang are still popular. In order to keep abreast of changing times, the company took a few steps to modernise their business a few years ago by expanding their product line, offering delivery service, reinforcing the company’s existing baby logo and rebranding themselves to make their brand synonymous with Penang in the international market.

They have expanded their business overseas and started to export sesame oil to Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and Indonesia. They have even come up with a whole line of "Ghee Hiang legendary babies" merchandise, complete with dolls, figurines and T-shirts. Though there have been talks of a Ghee Hiang Historical Museum, it has yet to materialise.

For the uninitiated, this oven-baked delicate tau sar pneah is made with sweetened mung bean paste with a rich underlying aroma of fried shallots wrapped in a flaky light-golden pastry. The well-designed packaging makes them wonderful souvenirs for visitors. One of 12 must-buy products of Penang, as declared by the state tourism authorities, the biscuits can be transported over long distances without compromising on taste or quality.

However, Ghee Hiang is known not just for their biscuits. Through years of refinement and quality seeds selection they are also known for making one of the best sesame seed oils. For generations, it has been the choice of mothers in confinement for it is believed that the “chi” of the oil helps mothers rejuvenate their energy. Apparently, the method and techniques used for their sesame seed oil were learned from the same province of Fujian.

References

Related links