FOOD, MEMORY AND TRADITION: DOCUMENTING BHOGI PARCHU CULINARY PRACTICES AMONG THE CHETTI COMMUNITY IN MELAKA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/JTHEM.1145036Keywords:
Chetti Cuisine, Bhogi Parchu, Food Practices, SymbolismAbstract
Bhogi Parchu is an important ancestral ritual celebrated by the Chetti community. Bhogi Parchu is also known as Parchu Nasi Lemak. It is a prayer for the deceased. This ancestral ritual is unique among Chetti communities with its cultural significance and the symbolic role of food during rituals. Thus, this study aims to understand the cultural significance of the Bhogi Parchu ritual, the symbolic role of food and investigate the transmission of cultural knowledge among the Chetti community. Qualitative data was collected through face-to-face interviews with seven key informants between May and June 2025. The data were analysed manually using thematic analysis. Five major themes were generated. They include food as cultural symbolism, transmission of food knowledge, traditional food practices, ritual taboos and assembly and reinforcement of familial bonds. The findings show that food extends beyond its function as a spiritual offering, serving as a medium for preserving cultural identity, strengthening relationships and transmitting cultural values across generations. The findings highlight the important role of food in sustaining the cultural heritage of the Chetti community. The continuous efforts to preserve and promote this traditional food practices are essential to ensure their continuity amid the challenges of modernisation and cultural transformation.
Downloads
References
Aulet, S., Fernandes, C., & Timothy, D. (2021). Food and religion. The Routledge Handbook of Religious and Spiritual Tourism.
Beel, D. E., Wallace, C. D., Webster, G., Nguyen, H., Tait, E., Macleod, M., & Mellish, C. (2017). Cultural resilience: The production of rural community heritage, digital archives and the role of volunteers. Journal of Rural Studies, 54, 459–468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2015.05.002
Calendar, T. D. (2025). Tamil Daily Calendar 2025–2005. https://www.tamildailycalendar.com/tamil_daily_calendar.php?day=13&month=01&year=2025&Submit=Submit
Commons, W. (2021). Mukims of Melaka.svg Map. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mukims_of_Melaka.svg
Fan, L., Singh, K., & Singh, D. (2024). Exploring Foreign Tourists Intentions toward Novel Food in China : The Impact of Food Neophobia as a Key Moderator. International Journal of Academic Research In Business and Social Science, 14(10), 2222–2238. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i10/23329
Gnana, S. R. (2024). Why Should People Leave Their Villages and Migrate to Cities? European Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 4(4), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejsocial.2024.4.4.325
Goodell, L. S., Stage, V. C., & Cooke, N. K. (2016). Practical qualitative research strategies: Training interviewers and coders. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 48(8), 578–585.
Google. (n.d.). Kampung Chetti, 75200 Malacca. Google Map. Retrieved July 16, 2026, from https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kampung+Chetti,+75200+Malacca
Haimi Mohd Adnan, A., & Arunasalam Sathasivam Pillay, I. (2020). The Malay Language ‘Pantun’ of Melaka Chetti Indians in Malaysia: Malay Worldview, Lived Experiences and Hybrid Identity. International Journal of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, 8(2), 15. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijclts.v.8n.2p.15
Ismail, M. J., Safuan, M., & Latip, A. (2023). Chetti Melaka Of The Straits: A Conceptual Paper Of MillennialIntention To Consume Peranakan Indian Cuisine. Voice of Academia, 19(1), 94–103.
LEE, E., & RAVINDRAN, L. (2024). Cultural maintenance and Chetti identity in the Melaka Chetti (Chetti) community, Kampung Chetti, Gajah Berang, Melaka. International Journal of Language, Literacy and Translation, 7(1), 46–64. https://doi.org/10.36777/ijollt2024.7.1.098
Leow, A. W., & Sundaram Palani Padiachee. (2020). A study of entrepreneurial behavior of a near-extinct Chetti community. March 2020.
Lim, W. M. (2025). What Is Qualitative Research? An Overview and Guidelines. Australasian Marketing Journal, 33(2), 199–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/14413582241264619
Lizardo, O. (2021). Habit and the explanation of action. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 51(3), 391–411. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/jtsb.12273
Lochmiller, C. (2021). Conducting Thematic Analysis with Qualitative Data. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.5008.
Loh, K., & Velupillay, J. (2017). The Chitties of Melaka (R. G. Mohd Azmi Mohd Yusof, Maganjeet Kaur (ed.); First Edit). Department of Museums Malaysia.
Mahendiran, D., Devi Kuppuswamy, A., & Viswanathan, S. (2021). Traditional Knowledge on Indigenous Foods in the Communities of Tamilnadu- An Exploratory Cross- Sectional Study. International Journal of Food Science and Biotechnology, 6(4), 121. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijfsb.20210604.15
Md. Sharif, M. S., Mohd. Zahari, M. S., Ishak, N., Muhammad, R., Md. Noor, A., & Mohd. Salleh, H. (2012). Traditional Food Knowledge (TFK) of Malay festive foods. Current Issues in Hospitality and Tourism Research and Innovations, January, 365–369. https://doi.org/10.1201/b12752-72
Melaka, N. C. (2020). Melaka authentic food – Chetti food. Facebook Post. https://www.facebook.com/newbridgecollegemalacca/photos/melaka-authentic-food-chetti-food-as-early-as-the-1300s-indian-tradesmen-from-so/2312778915680832/
Mohammad, N., Hanafiah, M. H., & Zahari, M. S. M. (2022). The influence of heritage food consumption and experiential value on Terengganu’s destination image and tourists’ behavioural intention. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 17(6), 685–701. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2022.2110886
Mohd Fikri, N. H., Abdul Rahman, A. E., & Noh, I. (2021). Exploring culinary heritage practices among the younger Chetti generations in Melaka. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42779-021-00101-8
Nagappan, K. (2020). Malaysia: Melaka Chettis, Past and Future. Hinduism Today. https://www.hinduismtoday.com/magazine/apr-may-jun-2020/malaysia-melaka-chettis-past-and-future/
Paramasivam Muthusamy, & Che Ibrahim Salleh. (2016). Asimilasi Budaya Tempatan Kaum Peranakan Chitty Melaka. Pertanika Jurnal Bahasa, Budaya Dan Warisan Melayu., 3(1), 128.
Recupero, A., Triberti, S., Modesti, C., & Talamo, A. (2018). Mixed reality for cross-cultural integration: Using positive technology to share experiences and promote communication. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(JUL). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01223
Terry, G., Hayfield, N., Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2017). Thematic analysis. The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2(17–37), 25.
Tinson, J., & Nuttall, P. (2023). Rituals and routines: reflecting change, redefining meaning, recasting scope. Journal of Marketing Management, 39(13–14), 1163–1165. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2023.2268388
Zahari, M. S. M., Tumin, A., Hanafiah, M. H., & Majid, H. N. A. (2019). How the acculturation of Baba Nyonya community affects Malacca food identity? Asian Ethnicity, 20(4), 486–502. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631369.2019.1605825
Zanzaizman, M. N. A., Sheikh Mohamed Safri, S. N. S. S., & Abdul Latip, M. S. (2023). Baba Nyonya Peranakan ethnic food: exploring the effect of media influence and curiosity on consumption intention of the youth generation. Young Consumers, May. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-02-2023-1681
Zhang, H., & Mace, R. (2021). Cultural extinction in evolutionary perspective. Evolutionary Human Sciences, 3. https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2021.25
