Singapore
/ Food / Nonya
Nonya or
Peranakan food, is the closest Singapore has to an indigenous
cuisine, combining Chinese, Malay and other influences. Invented
by the Peranakans,a people whose heritage stems from inter-marriages
between early Chinese settlers and local Malay women as far back
as the 15th century, Peranakan cuisine combines the culinary skills
and tastes of these two cultures. It features Chinese ingredients
—vegetables, sauces and pork - prepared with local spices such
as belacan, chilli and coconut cream. Examples are laksa (a delicious
noodle dish served in a spicy coconut gravy), and batik keluak
(stuffed Indonesian nuts cooked with chicken). Nonya cooking requires
much preparation and time - certainly not easy to reproduce in
commercial quantities - although some of Singapore’s Peranakan
restaurants come close to producing real Nonya home cooking.
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