|
About me &
singaporefoodhistory.com
My interest in food
started like everyone else in enjoying my food. Born and bred in Singapore,
I grew up on the flavourful bounty of delicious food that Singapore kitchens
have to offer. I remember flipping through my mother�s food magazines as a
child, salivating at the sight of delicious food photos, and imagining how
they will taste. As I grew older and became exposed to other cuisines, I
enjoy the experience of savouring new food as much as re-creating them in my
own kitchen.
Increasingly over
the years, food history has become my interest and my passion. Through food,
I came to learn the history and culture of a community and a region. With
food, I traverse the world with gusto, tasting the joys and tribulations of
each different people. In food, I travel back in time, fascinated not only
with how our food had changed but increasingly how inter-connected we are
with the myriad of produce we share across the world. |
 |
Produce such as chillies,
peanuts and maize which I had taken for granted when growing up piqued my
interest when I came to learn of how �new� they are to Asia, being introduced to
the region from the Americas only in the last 500 years! With that, I never
looked at sambal or peanut satay sauce in the same way again.
The study of food
history in Singapore is very much in its nascent stage. Though truly food
history as a discipline in the world only started growing in the last thirty
years or so. Today there are numerous excellent food history
magazines (eg. Gastronomica, Petit Propos Culinaire, and the mass market Saveur)
as well as food history organisations. I have the good fortune to be welcomed
with open arms by the Culinary Historians of Boston during my two year stay in
this lovely historic city. Interacting with the culinary community in Boston
pried wide open my interest in this area. I know we have much to learn of our
food in Singapore.
Singapore is a very
young country compared to many communities and civilizations of the world. As
the community we are today, we have a shared history of less than two hundred
years since the British colonized the island in 1819. Yet in these two hundred
years there are plenty to learn of how we ate, and how Singapore cuisine had
evolved from disparate strains of immigrant cuisines to its glorious offerings
today.
I started
singaporefoodhistory.com to share the little that I know of Singapore food
history with anyone who is interested in Singapore food. I am but a student of
the subject. Through research, interviews and digging in the libraries, I found
it thrilling to discover old cookbooks (the oldest I read was a 1946 Singapore
cookbook!), or learn snippets of information that throws light on our foodways
or a dish.
Eventually, it is my
hope that this will become a forum for other Singapore food historians and
enthusiasts to discuss and share our interest in the food we eat.
Therefore I warmly
welcome contributions of articles, comments, recipes, book recommendations and
event listing on the subject of Singapore Food History. I also invite you to
sign up for a regular e-newsletter on the latest offerings on
singaporefoodhistory.com. To do so, just simply email me at ailing.devadas AT
gmail.com.
Enjoy your food!
Ai Ling Sim-Devadas
www.singaporefoodhistory.com /
Copyright 2005 by Ai Ling Sim-Devadas