All Things Peranakan: Singapore’s Food Heritage

On my second night, I was invited by the Peranakan Museum to partake of a sampler feast of the dishes to be served the following night, the longest Peranakan buffet at Clarke Quay. A feast at a museum? I didn’t realize how fitting it turned out to be until they finally arranged the tables and put on some live music.

(image borrowed from www.pernakanmuseum.sg)

For the unfamiliar, the term Peranakan refers to the Chinese settlers of the Straits who have intermarried with the local Malay residents. The mix of the Chinese and the Malay has resulted into an explosion of a totally unique cultural heritage of a people renowned and respected in the local Singapore communities. Most Peranakans are well-to-do and prominent, thus their pride in their heritage. The males are called “baba” while the females are “nonya”. Baba and Nonya are not honorific titles, but labels that indicate a person is Peranakan. Peranakan cuisine is just so exquisite and unique. I have tasted nothing like it and it was definitely nothing I had expected. Peranakan food is just the same as the heritage it came from: distinctive and full of surprises.

That night, they dimmed the lights, paraded beautiful women garbed in traditional Peranakan dresses along with traditional jewelry, which was just so awesome. Peranakan jewelry is ornate, gaudy and expensive. Most of their pieces were studded with diamonds, that when worn today would be just jaw-dropping. One particular style is noticed was the brooch.

(image borrowed from www.reuters.com)

The filigree work of this antique Peranakan brooch betrays the history of its origins, that is, heavily influenced by European fashion of the 17th and 18th century when the first-generation Peranakans were making their mark in Singapore society. I found this piece stunning and reminded me of our local Tamborine jewelry heirlooms common to old-rich Filipino families.

However, I was there for the buffet, not the bling. This is a photo of Sambanl Timun with Foie Gras. Shamelessly, I admit that this was my first taste of foie gras and it was so good. It felt smooth to the palate and there was hardly any bitterness to it. One look at the buffet offerings and I knew I was buffet heaven. I salivated over the wonderful treats in store as the organizers paraded everything Peranakan in an evening of glam and awe.

This is the Peranakan version of our Puto or rice cake. I was surprised that the Peranakan rice cake was NOT sweet but slightly salty. Foodfella.com’s Christopher Tan was quick to read my mind and tell me that it was nothing like the Filipino puto that I knew though it looked the same. He explains that this rice cake is dipped in the sauce of the dish that it came with, pretty much like the Italians eat their bread with their soup. That night, it came with sauteed lobster and this rice cake was supposed to have been eaten with the lobster as a side dish. Forgive this old Pinoy barbarian, but, admittedly, I do enjoy learning new things about foreign cuisine even if it meant being embarrassed. Only goes to show how delightful it is to learn new things!

Itek is duck meat in Malay, as itik is duck meat in Filipino. There was this duck soup that they were all so crazy about, Itek Tim. It’s duck soup with brandy. No wonder Straits Times’ Wong Ah Yoke joked that they might all get drunk after the soup. I tasted it and it was heavenly. I hardly tasted the brandy itself but the soup had a robust savory taste. For a first-timer, I found it very good, and so was the duck.

Yes my favorite of them all, Nonya Laksa. Laksa is slightly spicy curry soup in coconut milk with rice noodles, shrimp and other spices. In all my laksa expeditions around Manila, I recognize that the real thing can only be had in its purest form in the land where it was first made. While in Manila, we have Toastbox and Secret Recipe to fulfill your craving for laksa. Take your pick.

Peranakan cuisine is big on desserts, as any culture would be. I found two ingredients common to both Peranakan and Philippine cuisine: coconut milk and glutinous rice. Then again, I guess it’s common to everyone living in the region because coconuts are so ubiquitous Southeast Asia. So is rice.