Enamel, brass, stainless steel. Porcelain, bamboo, aluminium. Wooden handles, spiralled handles, wired handles.
Kettles attached to the top, fire pits and charcoal pots at the base, cleverly hidden plates and bowls.
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Tiffin: An Untold Story book
An image of a 1920s Czechoslovakian enamel tiffin, with a side cylinder tube for cutlery. Popularly known as mangkok tingkat in Bahasa Malaysia, or pua chan in Chinese, or thukku chatti in Tamil, tiffin carriers have been an important part of our Malaysian food culture. Photo: Umachandran Ramiah
'Tiffin: An Untold Tiffin Story' offers a survey of tiffin carriers and their history spanning 200 years. Photo: Handout
Prakash and Punita's love affair for vintage tiffin carriers started in 2007. Through the years, they have collected more than 260 tiffin carriers, many of which are featured in their book. Photo: Emily Wong
A 1930s brass tiffin carrier from India. The inside of each tier of this rare carrier has been coated with tin to prevent oxidisation from hot food. The small top container is believed to be meant for carrying pickles. Photo: Umachandran Ramiah
A 1920s enamel tiffin carrier with eight tiers (two are hidden at the top) bearing Peranakan greetings. Note: manufacturing region is unknown. Photo: Umachandran Ramiah
A 1920s tiffin manufactured by Katz Brothers made from enamel with a wooden handle and an iron locking mechanism. Both sides of this tiffin are adorned with hand-drawn floral designs. Due to its colour and design, it is one of the rarest pieces available in the market. Photo: Umachandran Ramiah
Visitors admire the vintage tiffins at 'The Revolution of Tiffin Carriers' exhibition at the Penang State Museum in 2014. Photo: Filepic
The oldest tiffin carrier (left) from Prakash and Punita's collection dates back to 1870. It is seen here at 'The Revolution Of Tiffin Carriers' exhibition, which was shown at the Penang State Museum in May 2014. Photo: Filepic
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