Singapore

the appetizer:

The cuisine of Singapore is a prime example of ethnic diversity: the food is heavily influenced by Malaysian, Chinese, Tamil-Indian, Indonesian, and even British cuisine. Cooking is central to Singapore's national identity—eating is a national pastime and food a national obsession.

Singapore

Introduction to Singapore Cuisine

by Singapore resident Emma Lewis

The tiny city state of Singapore lies at the crossroads of Asia. For centuries merchants have been passing through these waters, trading goods from India and China and Southeast Asian islands, and bringing with them a melting pot of cultures. Singapore is consequently a cosmopolitan place where people from all over the world sit down to enjoy each other's cooking. Each culture has brought with it unique cooking styles, and recipes from 'home' have been faithfully replicated and passed on from generation to generation. As generations grow up and interact with other cultures, they've experimented with new forms of cooking, creating some unique Singaporean recipes. No other Asian place has such a wide selection of food. For breakfast you can try nasi lemak, a Malay rice dish with fish; for lunch, chicken biryani, an Indian Muslim item; then there's high tea colonial-style in the mid-afternoon; and finally, you can round off the evening with a sumptuous Chinese banquet.