Singapore Bicentennial Eat Your History – Savour Heritage Dishes

The Singapore Bicentennial Office (SBO) invites Singaporeans to explore the flavours of our nation’s longer history in Singapore Bicentennial Eat Your History. The campaign, which includes a one-day event, will showcase a series of heritage dishes from Peranakan, Cantonese, Minangkabau and West Indian cultures.

Singapore Bicentennial Eat Your History – Collaboration With Local Chefs

Over the years, individuals from these communities settled in Singapore and brought with them their cultures, recipes and flavours. The evolution of these dishes over the years reflects how Singapore’s diverse cultures have come together, and influenced each other, to shape the Singapore we know today.

The Singapore Bicentennial Office has collaborated with five local master chefs from these different communities to recreate authentic recipes, now available on the Singapore Bicentennial website and at the Eat Your History pop-up @ Food Village on 1 June 2019.

Singapore Bicentennial Eat Your History – Taste Heritage 

Eat Your History @ Food Village on 1 June 2019 will be held on the opening day of ‘From Singapore to Singaporean: The Bicentennial Experience’. At the event, you can attend food demonstrations and tasting sessions hosted by Chef Eric Neo, Vice President of the Singapore Chef Association and the five master chefs.

3.00 – 3.30pm: Chef Sin Leong and Chef Hooi Kok Wai, part of the four ‘Heavenly Kings of Cantonese cuisine’ – Cantonese dish of Crab Roll with Chicken Liver & Salted Egg which symbolises completeness and conjugal bliss.

3.45 – 4.15pm: Haikal Johari, Executive Chef of Alma by Juan Amador – Minangkabau dish of Gulai Kambing Nanas, a hearty dish of lamb with turmeric, lemongrass and pineapple, traditionally prepared by Minangkabau people who hail from Padang in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Today, the dish in certain nasi padang stalls is a milder, smooth curry – a uniquely Singaporean recipe as it has been adapted over the years to suit local palates.

4.30 – 5.00pm: Violet Oon, Co-founder & Co-owner of Violet Oon Singapore – Peranakan dish of Itek Sio which is a highlight of Tok Panjang, a traditional feast enjoyed by Singapore Peranakans with friends and family. The flavourful dish of tender braised duck simmered in a gravy of tamarind, dark soya sauce and coriander is a perfect marriage of Chinese and Malay cuisines.

5.15 – 5.45pm: Milind Sovani, Corporate Chef of Rang Mahal – Indian dish of Konkani Prawn Masala which represents the influence of North and South Indian cuisines on Konkan, a coastal region in Western India. It features a characteristic tanginess from kokum, a sour fruit native to the area.

This event is open to the public and admission is free. For more details, visit https://www.bicentennial.sg/highlights/eat-your-history.

Singapore Bicentennial Eat Your History – Cook At Home

Singaporeans can also download recipes for these iconic dishes and try their hand at recreating them at home, and share their thoughts online. With this campaign, they hope to inspire Singaporeans to form personal connections with Singapore’s history as they discover these communities and their culturally significant dishes.