Next Stop: Singapore

Well we're finally leaving Indonesia after three very different meals. Our next stop is the tiny island city-state of Singapore - the smallest country in S.E. Asia. We will be travelling to Singapore via The Old Raffles Place (http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayObject.cfm/objectid.ABA44AB0-6B79-4753-8F101AAD340DD884/vvt.vhtml)

Singaporean literature often declares eating as a national pastime and food a national obsession. Food is a constant topic of conversation among Singaporeans who like to comment on the food they have eaten and the eateries around the country.

The cuisine of Singapore is often viewed by her population as a prime example of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore. The food is heavily influenced by Malaysian, Chinese, Indian (specifically Tamil and other southern styles), Indonesian, and even Western traditions since its founding by the British in the 1800s. In Singaporean hawker stores, for example, chefs of a Chinese ethnic background might experiment with Indian influences such as tamarind, turmeric and ghee, while an Indian chef could serve a greater amount of coconut products and pork dishes (which are used more by the Malaysian chefs), and so on and so forth.

There are some religious dietary strictures as Muslims do not eat pork and Hindus do not eat beef; there is also a significant group of vegetarians. Nonetheless, people from different communities often eat together while being mindful of each other's culture and choose food that is acceptable to all. There are also some halal Chinese restaurants that prepare Chinese food in a way that conform to Muslim dietary preference.

The cuisine bears some resemblance to the cuisine of Malaysia due to the close historical and cultural ties between the two countries. However there are also significant differences. While a number of dishes are common to both countries, the way the dishes are prepared is often different. This is due to numerous evolutionary forks in their development, which gave rise to unique tastes pertaining to each country's cuisine.

There are many Chinese, Malay and Indian inspired dishes in Singaporean cuisne, but below is a list of food that can be considered as truly hybrid or multi-ethnic Singaporean food:

Fish head curry - traced to Chinese and Indian roots. The head of an ikan merah (literally "Red fish") - which is red snapper, is stewed in curry with vegetables. Usually served with either rice or bread
Satay bee hoon - thin rice vermicelli served with spicy peanut satay sauce
Spicy kangkung - a dish of leafy green vegetables (water convolvulus) fried in sambal
Tauhu goreng - fried tofu with sweet sauce
Singapore-style Western food - Chinese interpretations of Western cuisine, although Malay-inspired versions also exist. Hainanese cooks in Singapore hybridised Western dishes for local palates during the country's British colonial era, creating such dishes as stewed pork chop in tomato sauce served with green peas.

For more information see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Singapore