A melting pot: Singapore’s Chinese culinary culture

Singapore Chinese culinary culture was largely shaped by three main factors in the early days: immigration, regional cultures, and Western influences. Over time, through the creativity and innovation of Chinese Singaporeans, these cuisines have evolved into dishes with a unique local flavour. The country’s current culinary landscape is a mix of colours, aromas, and flavours, demonstrating a nature of fusion and hybridity.

The first source of Singapore Chinese culinary culture was Chinese immigrants. In the centuries before World War II, a steady flow of Chinese merchants and workers, mainly from Guangdong and Fujian, as well as immigrants from Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, made their way to Singapore. From the 1990s, there was another wave of immigrants from various parts of China, who brought their own distinctive foodways to Singapore. The second source was the interaction between the region’s different ethnic groups, which has allowed Malay and Indian cooking traditions (among others) to blend with Chinese cuisine, creating hybrid dishes. The third was the influence of colonialism and, more recently, globalisation, allowing Singapore Chinese cuisine to incorporate Western cooking methods.

Original Chinese ethnic foodways have since evolved to encompass local flavours and characteristics, spreading from family kitchens to various corners of Singapore. Singapore Chinese cuisine caters to the palates of the Chinese and other ethnic groups, and can be found everywhere — from snacks sold on the streets in the early days and mama shops (provision shops), hawker centres and food courts in shopping malls, to school and workplace canteens. Besides being daily nourishment, food also plays a central role in special rituals and major celebrations, and Singapore Chinese cuisine is an integral part of the country’s multicultural landscape.

Confluence of culinary traditions

In the early days, Chinese culinary traditions mainly consisted of the Hokkien (Minnan), Teochew (Chaoshan), Cantonese (Yue), Hakka, and Hainanese (Qiong) styles, reflecting the five major dialect groups of the Chinese population in Singapore. Later on, new waves of immigrants brought Sichuan, Northeastern, Hunan, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Jiangsu, and Putian culinary styles to Singapore’s food landscape. Today, the old and new coexist harmoniously: sometimes, a single restaurant will feature a mix of items of different culinary styles on its menu.

Besides culinary traditions from mainland China, Singapore Chinese cuisine incorporates elements from other Chinese societies. In recent years, dishes from Hong Kong-style cafe (e.g. yuan yang, bolo buns, pork chops), Taiwanese fare (e.g. Shilin Night Market snacks, porridge, bubble tea), and Malaysian food from Ipoh, Pontian, and Sarawak have all made their way to Singapore, where the confluence of various Chinese food cultures has become a part of our lives.

Take wonton (dumpling) noodles for example. The most common variants seen here are the Singapore version, Pontian noodles, and Hong Kong-style noodles. If we look at rice dumplings, there is the local Nonya style, savoury meat dumplings from Guangdong and Fujian, alkaline rice dumplings (locally called kee zhang), Cantonese steamed dumplings, shuangpin dumplings that are both savoury and sweet, Jiangnan red bean paste dumplings, and many others. The same is true of mooncakes. Besides the long-established Cantonese and Teochew mooncakes, we see that Shanghai-style mooncakes are gradually being accepted. The richness and diversity of these Chinese culinary traditions offer a variety of choices for Singaporeans.

Hainanese cuisine in Singaporean Chinese culinary tradition brings with it a Western influence. During the colonial era, the Hainanese were often employed as domestic helpers, and learned to make Western cuisines and brew coffee. Later, these became the kopi and kaya butter toast with soft-boiled eggs that many Singaporeans love to have for breakfast at coffee shops and food stalls. Of course, the preparation of such foods is no longer limited to people of Hainanese origin.

The clearest example of a hybrid culinary tradition might be Peranakan food. The Peranakans are descendants of early Chinese immigrants who married local indigenous women. Peranakan men are called Babas while the women are known as Nonyas. The culture is a mix of Chinese traditional practices and indigenous customs, with elements of Western influence. Peranakan cuisine (also known as Nonya cuisine) is a fusion of Chinese and indigenous styles. It makes heavy use of herbs and spices found in the Southeast Asian region (e.g. shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, tamarind, palm sugar, dill, chilli, laksa leaves, mint, pandan leaves, Thai limes, assam, belacan, shrimp paste, and sambal).

Multicultural innovation and fusion

It is worth noting how the preparation and consumption of some foods from China in Singapore have evolved over time to incorporate more Singaporean elements. Take for example, the Hakka yong tau foo (a dish consisting mainly of tofu stuffed with meat or fish paste). It has developed its own distinctive style in Singapore, served with sweet sauce and chili sauce, with various soup bases such as laksa, or tom yum flavour to choose from. Through localisation, it is no longer a dish only enjoyed by the Hakkas, but is also popular among the general population. Similarly, Singapore’s chee cheong fun (steamed rice rolls) has diverged from the Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Malaysian variants, with different thickness and sauces.

Hainanese chicken rice, which is often seen in hawker centres and restaurants, is arguably the most distinctive example of a localised dish. Although it originated from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chicken, the Singapore version has its own cooking methods and taste profile. In particular, the fragrance of the rice (cooked with chicken broth, ginger, and pandan leaves), the silkiness of the chicken meat, and the chilli and ginger sauce give it a distinctly Nanyang flavour.

Another local dish that showcases creative evolution is bak kut teh (pork ribs soup). Chinese Singaporeans combined a number of traditional Chinese herbs (codonopsis, angelica root, Solomon’s seal, Szechuan lovage root, and wolfberry) and spices (star anise, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, licorice, peppercorns, sugar cane, monk fruit, and pepper) in order to make bak kut teh, a dish that is not found in China. In Singapore, bak kut teh comes in two types: the peppery Teochew type and the dark, herbal Hokkien type. It is not only popular with locals, but is also a must-try for many tourists. Bak kut teh mixes and seasoning packs are even exported to China and other places of the world.

Chilli crab — often hailed as Singapore’s national dish — further highlights the creativity of Singaporean Chinese cuisine. There are different stories about who created the dish, but what is certain is that it originated in Singapore in the 1950s and 1960s. It is now a common sight at restaurants and hawker centres. The black pepper and white pepper variants are also local cooking methods, and are popular at restaurants and celebratory banquets.

In a multicultural environment, Chinese Singaporeans have also incorporated dishes from other ethnic groups into their daily diet. Examples include rojak, nasi lemak, satay, roti prata, mee rebus, and mee siam. As for desserts and drinks, there are cendol and bandung, among many others. Chinese Singaporeans often patronise the eateries and restaurants of other ethnic groups, and some even run businesses that sell these foods.