Singaporean cuisine
Singaporean cuisine is derived from several ethnic groups in Singapore and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan city-state.
Influences include the cuisines of the Malays/Indonesians, the Chinese and the Indians as well as, Peranakan and Western traditions (particularly English and Portuguese-influenced Eurasian, known as Kristang).
[1] It is geographically located in between the Pacific and Indian oceans and it has the shape of a peninsula and an island at the same time, where various cultures and trades used to and continue to occur.
[10][11] Although the street vendors provided early Singapore immigrants with cheap and fast meals, these stalls were unhygienic, due to the lack of supporting infrastructure such as waste disposal and a steady supply of fresh water, and limited sanitation practices.
[12] Today, when dining out, Singaporeans often eat at hawker centres, coffee shops or food courts rather than restaurants, due to convenience, a wider range of options and affordability.
Coffee shops are non-air-conditioned versions of food courts and are commonly found island-wide, usually at the bottom of blocks of HDB flats.
Since Singapore is a multicultural nation there is a diverse range of people who might have different and restricted diets, such as Muslims and Hindus.
It is an extension of Malay cuisine but influenced by the Chinese and Indians – not to mention the Arabs, British and other immigrants who have contributed to making Singapore one of the world's most important trading ports.
In 2011, four Singaporean dishes were included in the list of 'World's 50 Most Delicious Foods (Readers' Pick)' – a worldwide online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International.
[24] Anthony Bourdain brought international attention to local food available in hawker centres on his show, No Reservations.
Bourdain also publicly spoke about hoping to feature four Singaporean dishes in his upcoming food hall in New York City.
"Char kway teow" is stir-fried rice noodles with prawns, Chinese sausage, bean sprout, lard and cockles.
They were then adapted to suit the local availability of ingredients, while absorbing influences from Malay, Indian and other cooking traditions.
Most of the names of Chinese-originated Singaporean dishes were derived from languages/dialects of southern China, Hokkien (Min Nan) being the most common.
Singaporeans also enjoy a wide variety of seafood including fish, squid (known as sotong in Malay), stingray, crab, lobster, clams, and oysters.
By far the most well known is the durian, known as the "King of Fruits", which produces a characteristic odour from the creamy yellow custard-like flesh within its spiky green or brown shell.
Other popular tropical fruits include mangosteen, jackfruit, longan, lychee, rambutan, soursop, pineapple and mango.
A typical food court or hawker centre dessert stall will usually have a large variety of desserts available, including but not limited to: Wafer ice cream sandwiches are a popular dish sold by street vendors operating carts on busy street corners.
These carts carry a variety of flavours, including but not limited to vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, sweet corn, coconut, and durian.
While some vendors sell their ice cream in cups or cones, as is common in the West, the more popular variant is on slices of bread or between wafers.
