SGExplained Print

SGExplained Print

Share this post

SGExplained Print
SGExplained Print
Can an immigrant nation have heritage food?
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Can an immigrant nation have heritage food?

Singapore loves its food culture but when it comes to food heritage, how puritan do we want to be? At the same time, if we don't try to preserve our recipes, what do we risk losing?

Rovik Robert's avatar
Rovik Robert
Oct 28, 2021
∙ Paid

Share this post

SGExplained Print
SGExplained Print
Can an immigrant nation have heritage food?
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share
Asian Herbs Rice Salad / Nasi Ulam - Lisa's Lemony Kitchen
Source: Lisa’s Lemony Kitchen

Who gets to decide what is heritage food and what is not? For a country like ours, where most of our recipes are adapted from versions abroad, this is a contentious topic. In some areas, food heritage is understood to be a strict preservation of a food source’s genetic history, whether it’s a specific type of grain or even an animal breed.

In Singapore, we take a more expansive definition of food heritage, looking instead at recipes and mixes that our ancestors developed. Whether it is a curry blend or a way to treat meat, the ways of old are at risk of being forgotten given the proliferation of modern technologies and external influences. In this newsletter, we highlight three such dishes that are at risk of disappearing from our food scene.


Have you caught our podcast yet?

We were very excited to have Pamelia Chia from Singapore Noodles on our latest podcast episode to share with us her perspectives on food heritage, especially given that she has spoken to so many other experts in the field on the topic. We learned about dishes we never knew existed, as well as discussed the complexities of trying to pin down food heritage in Singapore. If you enjoyed our discussion, do subscribe to the Singapore Noodles Substack below as well.

Singapore Noodles
Your go-to destination to learn about Singaporean food!
By Pamelia

If that is not enough for you, check out the podcast episode I did with Pamelia on her show as well - we looked at what inclusion looks like in food culture, and how it affects the Singapore identity.


This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Rovik Robert
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More