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Mother of Singapore Chili Crab from Pong Teng to Sua Ti to Palm Beach to...
Ban Leong Wah Hoe SeafoodIn Singapore, chili crab is almost synonymous with seafood. I mean, if you go to a seafood restaurant in Singapore today, you will be hard pressed to spot any table that...
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History of Curry Puff & Epok Epok in Singapore & Malaysia
Swees Epok Epok in BatamFood can tell us a lot about our history. When we munch on our favourite epok epok and curry puff, we are tasting a legacy of Portuguese, Dutch and English rule in Malaysia and...
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Laksa Siglap. Original Laksa in Singapore
When people speak about laksa in Singapore, the first things that come to their minds are Katong laksa and Sungai Road laksa. Not many would think of Siglap laksa. But, Siglap laksa is much older than...
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The Surprising History of Satay in Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia
Warong Sate Kendal in Batam, IndonesiaSatay (known as sate in Indonesia) is a popular BBQ dish found everywhere in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.R & H Cafe Satay Maharani in Muar, MalaysiaSatay...
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History of Peranakan Nyonya Food. Legacy of The 500
The main outposts of Nyonya food and Peranakan culture are in Malacca, Penang and Singapore. The DNA of most Peranakan cuisine (or Nyonya food) are believed to be from Peranakans who descended from the...
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What Hawker Food Tell Us about the History of Singapore
Image credit: WikipediaEvery dish tells a story. Here's what 10 hawker dishes tell us about the history of Singapore. Let's eat and celebrate the Singapore story 😋The Straits of Malacca has long been...
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History of Indian Rojak in Singapore
Image credit: National Archives of SingaporeI like this 1980s photograph of Indian rojak in Singapore - unembellished, no "food styling" so we know what the dish really is. There's spiced cuttlefish,...
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History of Char Kway Teow in Singapore
For the history of fried kway teow 炒粿條 in Singapore, we have to start from Chaoshan char kway teow 潮汕炒贵刁 far away in Guangzhou, China of today.Image credit: WikipediaChaoshan is a region in the...
View ArticleHistory of Fried Yam Basket by Chef Hooi Kok Wai
You will find this popular fried yam ring or yam basket dish in almost all Chinese restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia. It is a relatively recent creation and we can hear its story directly from its...
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History of Singapore Tu Tu Kueh 嘟嘟糕
Kueh Tu Tu 嘟嘟糕 is a unique little pillowy soft steamed rice cake filled with gently crunchy crushed toasted peanut or moist grated coconut flesh sweetened with palm sugar. The sweet street snack was...
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Kopitiam Culture is Not Only Kopi & Kaya Toast. History of Singapore Coffee...
Thean Chun kopitiam in Ipoh, MalaysiaKopitiam culture is deeply ingrained in the lifestyle of people in Singapore and Malaysia (as well as parts of Indonesia and Thailand).When I am overseas for any...
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Singapore Food in 1000 AD. 300 Years before Sang Nila Utama. 800 Years before...
Image credit: WikipediaThis is my personal exploration trip, searching for our food heritage starting from 1000 AD. I deliberately chose a very early starting point to get to the bottom-most layer...
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Historical Roots of Singapore Food from Sang Nila Utama to Raffles - Year...
Photo credit: WikipediaIn the last episode, "Singapore Food in 1000 AD", we ended with Sang Nila Utama's arrival in Temasek in 1299. In this episode, we carry on from where we left off in 1299 and...
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What Does the "Teh" in Bak Kut Teh Mean?
History of Bak Kut TehMost of us assume that the teh 茶 in bak kut teh refers to the custom of drinking tea during a bak kut teh 肉骨茶 meal. Some of us may be surprised that this popular assumption is...
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Origins of Singapore Food from the Golden Age of the British Empire to...
Image credit: WikipediaThe period from 1819 to 1942 saw Singapore rise from a fishing village and pirates' nest to the bastion of the British empire and then fall to be a Japanese occupied territory....
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What Peking Duck Tells Us about the History of China 北京烤鸭
Image credit: WikipediaIt is often said that the three must do things in Beijing are climb the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City, and eat Peking duck 🦆 Most people would be satisfied once they've...
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History of Nanyang Tea Culture in Singapore
Pek Sin Choon Tea MerchantsYou know, it is one of those things about Singapore life. I eat bak kut teh, eat dim sum, drink tea - Tie Guanyin, or whatever lah... that my buddies picked. Didn't think too...
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Singapore Food Culture from The Empire Strikes Back to Independence 1945 - 1965
Singapore from the return of the British in 1945 to independence in 1965 was the most "interesting times" to cite an ancient Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times". But, it was also a time...
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History of Food @ Boat Quay Singapore. Born from the Belly of the Carp
Image credit: WikipediaBoat Quay today is chock-a-bloc with fine restaurants offering cuisines from around the world. It has always been a dining hotspot in Singapore. Here's a bit about its history to...
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History of Singapore Hawker Centre Culture. From Public Health Nuisance to...
Holland Drive Food CentreIt would be beyond the wildest dreams of the British Straits Settlements colonial officers who created the final solution to the public nuisance of street hawkers, that it...
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