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I've just learned of a local people here in Malacca (Melaka), Malaysia called the Chitties (Chetty in Malay). They're also referred to as "Indian Peranakans". They are descendants of Tamil men and local women who intermarried hundreds of years ago.

There is a Chitty neighbourhood and I passed it this afternoon but as it was raining and I saw no shops or restaurants I didn't linger.

Apparently they also have their own cuisine which combines Indian and Malay elements. I would like to be able to try some of these dishes if possible.

I've found two websites ([1], [2]) claiming there is no Chitty restaurant, but they seem to copy and paste from each other and in any case I can't be sure they're up to date or that the authors knew all there was to know.

Is there a restaurant anywhere in Malacca that has at least one dish based on Chetty cuisine? Or is there any other chance to sample their food such as a street fair or festival, even if it happens at a time of year I can't make on my current trip?

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    As someone who belongs to this very community living in India, I should thank you for this :) One dish mentioned there "Puttu" is famous in Southern India and you may find them in South Indian restaurants (Especially those serving Kerala Food)
    – skv
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 14:47
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    If you're willing to change that first letter to an "S", there's always McDonalds :)
    – Affable Geek
    Commented Nov 29, 2014 at 16:34
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    @AffableGeek: Not willing d-:
    – hippietrail
    Commented Nov 30, 2014 at 3:33

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Ok, my initial disclaimer is this answer is based purely off second-hand or worse knowledge, i.e. Googling. Malacca is definitely on my list of places to get to, but I haven't been there yet so no first-hand knowledge.

There appears to be at least one restaurant that calls out some Chitty influences:

Amy Heritage Nyonya Cuisine

Melaka’s nyonya cuisine derives its flavours from the Malay, Chinese and Chitty communities. Try udang goreng assam (stir-fried prawns in tamarind paste), chicken pongteh (stew) and the telur dadar cincaluk (spicy omelette with fermented shrimp paste).

Ikan assam could be one example of a confirmed Chitty dish at the above restaurant.

Other than that, there's various other Nyonya restaurants that may have some Chitty influences but more commonly are based around Peranakan Chinese cuisine rather than Peranakan Indian.

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  • Yes Nyonya is pretty easy to find these days since it became fashionable at some point, but some of the dishes you list are definitely not ones I've heard of before so could be proper Chitty dishes! (-:
    – hippietrail
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 5:33
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    Did some cross-referencing of dishes and it looks like there's at least one case that should be a Chitty dish that I've edited in. Another guideline is to look for crab: One distinct thing about Chitty food is also, it is not meat-bias. Indians love crab, while Malays like fish and sotong/squid.Indeed, when one look ,it is really a blend of both worlds.
    – dlanod
    Commented Feb 16, 2015 at 5:59

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