GEORGE TOWN: Frying char koay teow over charcoal has long been a hallmark of authenticity, just as wood-fired ovens give pizza its distinctive kick.
In both cases, charcoal and firewood are essential to the flavour diners crave.
But the number of suppliers of these essentials on the island has fallen sharply, from 36 to just three.
A check along Lebuh Bakau (Mangrove Street) – a small road off Jalan Jelutong long associated with the trade – shows the business has almost disappeared.
Tan Ah Kee, 73, who runs the family business with his two brothers, said: “Demand is lower than before gas stoves became common, but it is still sustainable. My customers include hotels, restaurants and hawkers.”
These regular customers have helped his business, even as competition has eased.
Tan explained that hotels and restaurants prefer firewood for pizza ovens, often ordering two lorry-loads at a time.
Hawkers, meanwhile, rely on charcoal to achieve a distinctive charred flavour – a deep, smoky, slightly bitter taste created by lightly burning the food’s surface.
“Some well-known char koay teow, mee goreng and char kuey kak sellers still use charcoal.
“There is even a kuey teow thng hawker who uses charcoal to keep his soup piping hot,” he said.
While bulk orders continue to come from food operators, he said campers and households usually buy smaller quantities, such as a few pieces or a 1kg bag of charcoal.
He sources his supply from Taiping, Perak, ordering about 14 to 15 tonnes of firewood and 10 tonnes of charcoal every two months – far less than in previous decades.
Tan said his father started the business nearly 100 years ago after migrating from China.
During its heyday, Lebuh Bakau was home to 36 charcoal and firewood traders.
However, as gas stoves gained popularity in the 1990s, traders shut down one by one.
Today, only three businesses remain, all run by operators in their 60s and 70s.
Tan, who joined his father’s trade at 15, said there was little rivalry among the remaining operators, noting that they grew up together, remaining friends and looking out for one another.
“I doubt the younger generation will take over. Even my own children prefer office jobs.
“This is labour-intensive work. We have to repackage the charcoal into smaller bags and split firewood into usable sizes. It’s not appealing to young people.
“For now, we just hope to keep it going for as long as we can,” he said.
