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| Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh |
Making soup with pork bones is not unique to Singapore, indeed it is ubiquitous throughout China since time immemorial. Everywhere there are Chinese communities, there is some form of pork bone soup. But, the Singapore style of bak kut teh - the most famous of all pork bone soup in the world - is a fairly recent creation.
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| Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
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| Singapore hawkers in the 1890s. Image credit: National Archives Singapore |
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| Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
This was the ideal place for pork related businesses as the abattoir was also located here. Pork bones with scraps of meat could be had for cheap. (Not to be mistaken for pork ribs which is synonymous with bak kut teh of today.) The pork bone soup was popular with coolies as it was desired as a kind of essential "energy tonic" for their back breaking work in Singapore's blistering tropical heat. Bone marrow was also believed to fortify the immune system. The dish was called Coolie Tea 苦力茶.
Meat bone soup was never really a coolie's dish. Only towkay or bosses could afford meat bone soup regularly, even if it was only scraps of meat on bone.
As Coolie Tea, the meat bone was just cooked with garlic cloves and dark soy sauce.
With growing affluence, two streams of bak kut teh emerged in Singapore.
The Hokkien folks added Chinese herbs like dang gui and liquorice, and spices such as cinnamon and star anise to the garlic and soy sauce.
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| Nankin Street in 1981. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
One of Ong Say's workers Mdm Teo opened Nankin Street Bak Kut Teh 南京街肉骨茶 using Ong Say's recipes with the family's blessings.
It's the Hokkien style. The soup is dark with lots of black soy sauce and lots of Chinese medicinal herbs. If you are looking for pioneer Singapore bak kut teh that tastes savoury herbal, it is here at Maxwell Food Centre stall #01-89.
On the other hand, in addition to the garlic cloves, Teochews added Sarawak white pepper and cut back on the black soy sauce. The famous premium white pepper of Sarawak was shipped around the world through Singapore, so there was plenty of it at the port.
Over the years in Singapore, this peppery tasting bak kut teh grew more mainstream, edging out the savoury herbal Hokkien version which became more niche.
It is interesting that in Singapore where the Hokkien community is the majority clan, it is "Teochew bak kut teh" that is most popular.
Yet, in Johor Bahru which is known as "Little Swatow" as the Teochews are in the majority, it is the "Hokkien bak kut teh" that is preferred.
Something to explore further.
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| Song Fa Bak Kut Teh |
Some time along the way as more gentrified meat bone tea got more established, the name Coolie Tea 苦力茶 faded away leaving only the name bak kut teh 肉骨茶.
In Singapore, Chinese tea and bak kut teh always go hand in hand. When bak kut teh was humble Coolie Tea, a cheap Chinese tea was provided free-of-charge to go with the meat bone soup.
As bak kut teh graduated to the towkay's choice by the 1920s, Pek Sin Choon Tea Merchants pioneered pairing more premium teas with meat bone soup (with better cuts like pork ribs). Eating bak kut teh and sipping tea became a favourite towkay pastime, in a way like businessmen meeting up over a round of golf today.
Of course, as Singapore became more prosperous, most people can enjoy bak kut teh with Chinese tea at any time.
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| Clark Quay in the 1970s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
黄亚细 Ng Ah Sio and his father 黄美松 Ng Mui Song who started selling bak kut teh in 1955 moved here along with other bak kut teh hawkers.
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| Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh in 2019 |
Ng Ah Sio was doing well enough, minding his own business here until a twist of fate in 2006 changed everything.
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| Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh in 2019 |
Before he knew what happened, Hong Kong newspaper headlines were screaming
Ng Ah Sio's business boomed due to the unintended fame or notoriety. Many people were curious to taste what was this bak kut teh that turned away Hong Kong's Chief Executive.
This incident catapulted Ng Ah Sio bak kut teh, and Singapore bak kut teh in general onto the world stage. (Reminds me of a public relations adage that there is no bad publicity, all publicity is good publicity. I don't quite agree though.... .)
Ng Ah Sio's fans included many dignitaries such as Taiwan's former President Ma Ying Jeou (hence the title Coolie Tea to a President's Treat).
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| Founder Bak Kut Teh in Taipei |
Now, many Singapore bak kut teh restaurants have outposts around the world. For example, all the Big Three - Founder, Ng Ah Sio and Song Fa - are in Taipei.
Lau Ah Tee worked for his uncle Ng Mui Song in the 1960s. Lau Ah Tee's shop in Boon Keng is still one of the best bak kut teh in Singapore.
Chua Chwee Huat was a pig farmer before he founded Founder Bak Kut Teh in the 1970s. He developed his own recipe independently and Founder is now one of Singapore's Big Three bak kut teh brands.
Song Fa is another top bak kut teh brand in Singapore. It was a push cart stall along Johore Road founded by Yeo Eng Song in 1969.
References:
The Untold History of 黄美松
Pek Sin Choon Tea Merchants
Date: 17 May 2020