It’s no secret that the most famous thing
about Singapore is the food. But what many people don’t expect is the sheer
diversity of it all. This is a reflection of Singapore itself. With four
official languages and a whole host of dialects being spoken every day,
Singapore is the ultimate mix of cultures. In fact they have a name for it;
rojak. Meaning ‘mixture’ in Malay, rojak is also a very popular dish. Using the
name of a type of food to describe the culture? How very Singaporean. Rojak is
a fruit and vegetable salad and a must try food if you want to feel truly
local.
Traditional Singaporean food begins at
breakfast with a kopi and some kaya toast. Kaya is a local jam consisting of
coconut, eggs and sugar. It is spread between two slices of white bread along
with an almost alarmingly large chunk of butter. The toast is then dipped into
a stirred mixture of soft boiled eggs, dark soya sauce and ground white pepper.
There is simply no better way to start your day in Singapore.
When eating in Singapore it’s always
important to think ahead. With more food than time, you should conserve and not
fill up too much, especially at lunch. That’s why you should definitely go for
some satay. Skewered beef or chicken cooked over a wood or charcoal fire for
that extra smoky taste, dipped into satay sauce that’s not too spicy to exclude
sensitive palates. It makes for a perfect summers day dish. Also good for lunch
is Roti Prata. Roti prata, simply meaning ‘flat bread’ was originally just a
flour based pancake cooked on a grill and then dipped into curry. It’s evolved
over time to be a dish all of its own, with fillings such as onion, cheese and
mushroom being added. A bowl of curry sauce will still be provided for your
dipping pleasure. Those with bigger stomachs at lunchtime might want to have
some laksa. Famous all over the world, this is actually a traditional Peranakan
dish, so eating it in Singapore is eating it direct from the source.
Dinner in Singapore is when it’s time to really
show off the famous local dishes. If you’re not on a diet make sure you try
some char kway teow; flat rice noodle fried with lard. Another famous dish is
Hainanese chicken rice. Known simply as chicken rice, Singapore’s second most
famous dish is boiled chicken served with rice that’s been fried in chicken fat
and then boiled in chicken broth. This mouth-watering dish has to be tasted to
be believed. Although considered a national dish, chicken rice probably isn’t
the most famous dish overseas. That honour has to go to Chilli Crab. Although
chicken rice is the national dish, its origins are actually from China and has
such become a local dish in many surrounding countries. Chilli crab however, is
strictly Singaporean. Chilli crab was
invented in 1950 by drenching mud crabs in bottled tomato sauce and bottled
chilli sauce. It wasn’t until the 1960s that it started to evolve, with eggs,
vinegar, sambal, lemon juice and tomato paste being added. These new
ingredients made the sauce thicker in texture and richer in taste. It’s this
evolved style that Singaporeans and visitors to the country enjoy today. And
despite the name, chilli crab isn’t actually that spicy, making it easier for those
foreign taste buds that might not be able to handle too much spice. Once the
crab has been devoured, make sure you soak up all the excess sauce with the
fried bread rolls that are traditionally served with the chilli crab.
Where to find all this amazing food? The
entire island is covered in places to eat. In fact if you name a dish to a
local, chances are they’ll name a place on the island that serves the very best
version of it. Of course, every local you ask will have their own idea of where
the best place is. Although not a place associated with good food in the West,
food courts in Singapore are not a bunch of stalls serving stale food from a
bain-marie, all the food is cooked to order and they are a great place sample
local food in an air-conditioned environment. The more traditional food court
is the hawker centre. As hawker centres are outside you’ll have to do without
the air-con but there’s no better place than a traditional hawker centre to
sample the local fare. Satay, laksa, char kway teow can all be found in food
courts and hawker centres all over Singapore. Chilli crab is more of a
restaurant dish. It is on the menu of any restaurant selling local food or
Singapore-style Chinese food but there are also restaurants where chilli crab
is the speciality. You can always ask a local, but be prepared for the chance
that the suggested restaurant could be on the other side of the island. There
are also many districts with distinct flavours of their own. Head to Kampong
Glam for the many Egyptian and Turkish restaurants than run along and around
Arab St. Other districts to try are Chinatown and Little India. The food
available there speaks for itself.
All these dishes only scrape the surface of
what is available in Singapore. As you discover more of the island you will
uncover an amazing amount of tantalising food.
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