The history of the cuisine of Singapore is long and involved, but very interesting. When the British Imperialists were trying to convert Singapore in 1819, people from many countries came to Singapore, including Indonesians, Europeans, Americans and Chines. The Chinese brought a lot of things with them, including their food.

Hainanese chicken rice, which is a one of the very popular Singaporean recipes, came from China. Others brought pan fried noodles, yellow noodles made from wheat, and foods made from prawns, pork, and squid, to name a few things. Nonya food came from Chinese men marrying Malaysian women, which brought about a combine cuisine of their foods. Ayam buah keluak, which is chicken, black nuts and sweet pork, came from both the Indonesians and Peranakan people. One more example is katong laksa, which is a soup with noodles, beans, laksa leaves, and other ingredients. There is definitely Indian influence in this dish.

When the Indians came as servants to Singapore, they ended up bringing seafood, seedpods, and some vegetables with them to influence the Singaporean recipes. Curry puffs, which are pastries with potatoes, meats, and spices, came from the Indians. When the Indians came, they also brought with them their hot and spicy foods that they love. Examples of this can be seen in their devil’s curry and chili crab dishes.

Something new that has become part of Singaporean recipes as of late is fish head curry. Because of all the influences from so many different countries, Singaporean recipes are full of variety from Singapore and from other countries as well. A lot of what Singaporeans eat comes from other countries, such as some types of vegetables, but many things do grow in Singapore, like leaf type vegetables and many types of fruit. The Singaporeans get a lot of their food from the sea, like lobsters, oysters, crabs, and squid that they incorporate into a variety of dishes. Some of the fruits that they have are pineapple, jackfruit, and mangosteen, which they use in sweet and sour foods, desserts, and even salads.

In Singapore, they have something called hawker centers, which are basically food courts in which people enjoy many different types of food from different food vendors. These foods are a mix of all the cultural influences on Singapore from all over the world. One food that hawkers sell is chicken rice, which is one of the Singaporean recipes that are considered to be a national dish. It can have chicken with soy sauce or roasted chicken, with rice and cucumber. Another popular Singaporean food is char kway teow, which is made from noodles and lard. It’s then covered in soy sauce and cockles, and bean sprouts, in addition to other ingredients are then added to make a delicious dish. Wonton is another amazing dish from Singapore that originates from China. It has dumplings and noodles made into a soup. It is said to be a very delicious Singaporean treat.

Q. Hua