The stories behind some favourite Singapore foods that travellers love to bring home with them.
Recently on a flight from Singapore to Bangkok, I watched a passenger carrying perhaps fifteen bags of salted egg fish skin struggle down the plane’s narrow aisle to his seat. Reaching up, he placed his fragile bounty in the storage compartment overhead and settled into his seat. Then a stewardess came by carrying a cabin bag, hauled it high and shoved it in alongside his crisps. With it came the eye-watering snap and crackle of expensive gourmet crisps turning into crumbs. We watched in horror and shook our heads in commiseration. In that moment, the man’s souvenirs—which encapsulated the identity, associations, feel and flavour of Singapore and which probably cost him a pretty penny—crumbled into bits. Fellow passengers quietly suggested a formal complaint to the airlines.
But why the fuss? In the eyes of food-loving travellers, certain foods are associated with particular cities or regions around the world. As important as it is to see famous landmarks, it is just as necessary to taste and if possible, bring home the flavours of the land—a gustatory snapshot of one’s travels. It extends one’s holiday experience, allowing them to recreate the flavours they enjoyed on travels, or share the experience with friends in small way. But while it would be tricky to bring home bowls of assam laksa from Penang, one could easily haul back a few boxes of tau sar piah, which is equally synonymous of that other great food destination up north. Similarly, foodies would buy home limoncello and almond dragées from Sorrento, chocolates from Belgium, olive oil from Greece, baklava and pistachios from Istanbul, wagashi from Japan, for instance.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2019-utgaven av WINE&DINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July - August 2019-utgaven av WINE&DINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
New Blood
The next-generation is breathing new life into the forgotten art of spice-mixing, peppering the traditional trade with renewed ideas and fresh perspectives.
Sharing Is Caring
Compared to its flagship at Serene Centre, Fat Belly Social at Boon Tat Street is a classier and bolder affair, in more than one sense.
Nutmeg's Role In Singapore's History
From tales of it being used to ward off the plague in mid-1300s Europe to one of the ingredients in dessert, we have all known, tasted, or at least heard of nutmeg. But not many know of the spice’s role in Singapore’s history.
New And Improved
The ever-profound chef-owner Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida finds more room, three to be exact, to express a Ha Ri philosophy at Hashida Singapore’s new location at Amoy Street.
Pairing Spice-Driven Cuisines With Wine
Pairing spice-driven cuisines with wine has long been a challenge but with a little imagination, it doesn’t have to be.
Let Land Grow Wild
Niew Tai-Ran has worn many hats: aeronautical engineering major, investment banker, avid surfer, and, for the last 14 years, winemaker. Discover how this Malaysia-born, Singapore-native is championing the “do-nothing farming” philosophy at his vineyard in Oregon.
The South Asian Misnomer
Incredibly diverse and varied than most know, Indian food is far more intriguing than butter chicken or thosai. Here is a crash course on the extensive cuisine from region to region, recognisable for the seemingly infinite ways of using spices.
Keepers Of The Spice Trade
From its glory days along trade routes to pantry staples all over the world, spices have become so commonplace that we’ve taken them for granted. For these three trailblazers, however, spice is their livelihood and motivation: Langit Collective working with indigenous rural farming communities in Malaysia; IDH’s Sustainable Spice Initiative; and chef Nak’s one-woman mission to share forgotten Khmer cuisine.
Sugar, Spice And Everything Nice
Like food, spices bring vibrancy and variety to alcoholic beverages. Surfacing in unexpected ways on the palate, find everything from cumin to tamarind, cloves to cardamom enriching these drinks.
Building Blocks From The Archipelago
For the smorgasbord of dishes found in Indonesian cuisine, it is a little known secret that the modest bumbu, in all its variants, is the bedrock of such flavourful fare.
