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| Image credit: Singapore Memory Project |
The Roti John of today is a floppy soft French loaf sliced lengthwise into 2 halves. The filling is a griddle fried egg omelette with minced beef, chicken or mutton, chopped onion, and sometimes sambal chili.
The French loaf is laid on top of the omelette and they are folded together when the omelette is slightly browned. The omelette filled loaf is served with thick dribbles of mayonnaise, tomato, chili or even mustard sauce. There are many variations, e.g. adding cheese, raw onions etc.
The Roti John of today is a hearty and filling meal 😁 It's a riotous mix of savoury, sweet, spicy, and tangy flavours from the eggs, meat, vegetables and various sauces. Soft, fluffy, tender, dripping sauces, juices and grease that run down the fingers.
Yummaey!
The first Roti John was, however, a much humbler affair.
The Roti John of today is a hearty and filling meal 😁 It's a riotous mix of savoury, sweet, spicy, and tangy flavours from the eggs, meat, vegetables and various sauces. Soft, fluffy, tender, dripping sauces, juices and grease that run down the fingers.
Yummaey!
The first Roti John was, however, a much humbler affair.
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| Union Jack Club. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
According to Pakirisamy Rajagopal's account to the National Archives of Singapore, British servicemen used to visit the Union Jack Club located behind Capitol Cinema (in the 1950s) on Thursdays (which was their pay day). The Union Jack Club was their RV point.
After gathering at Union Jack Club, the soldiers would head for the street side food stalls at Koek Road.
There they would grab a quick bite before hopping to party hotspots (like Bugis Street).
One of their favourite quickie bites to avoid getting drunk drinking on an empty stomach was a French loaf sliced lengthwise with a fried egg folded inside.
One Abdul running one such French loaf and omelette stall at Koek Road would tout for business by shouting out in proto-Singlish to passing British soldiers "Roti! John!" which in Queen's English means "Would you like to have some bread, John?".
John being the generic name locals used to refer to any British, Australian or New Zealand soldier or sailor. (Not sure why it wasn't Tom, Dick or Harry 😝 )
According to this account, this was how the name "Roti John" came about and it became the name of the dish.
Of course, through the years, Roti John went through many iterations to today's rather elaborate dish which neither Abdul nor John would readily recognise.
Roti John stalls sprouted up wherever British, Australian or New Zealand servicemen were based such as in Sembawang, Changi, Alexandra and Tanglin.
Terry Shiau remembers a sarabat stall (push cart stall) at Changi Village in the 1950s selling teh terik (pulled milk tea) and Roti John to Royal Air Force personnel.
In a third account, a British soldier asked a stall holder in Sembawang for a hamburger (in the 1960s). The stall holder improvised a hamburger by serving him a sliced French loaf with a chopped onion and minced mutton omelette inside. The hawker invited the soldier to eat her creation saying rather politely "Silakan makan roti, John" which means "Please eat this bread, John".
Taman Serasi was a popular lunch spot for folks working in the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Ministry at Tanglin camp. Located across the Botanical Gardens, it was also loved by visitors to the gardens. Everyone was there for Roti John!
Taman Serasi food centre near Tanglin camp was the Roti John hotspot till it closed in 2001.
In the fourth account, it is said that Roti John was created at Taman Serasi in the 1970s by Shukor Makanan Istimewa stall to cater to the Johns based in Tanglin Camp.
Yet another account credited the dish to Cik Zawiah Anuar at Geylang Serai Food Centre in the 1970s.
On the origins of Roti John, I am personally more inclined to the Koek Road and Changi Village accounts as the rather elaborate Sembawang, Tanglin and Geylang Serai versions seemed to me more like Roti John version 2.0 and 3.0.
The British forces withdrew from Singapore in 1971. They left Roti John behind and didn't take it with them to England. So today, while you can find Roti John in most hawker centres in Singapore, street side food stalls in Malaysia and Indonesia, you cannot find it in the United Kingdom, except perhaps hopefully in the memories of some ex-servicemen.
When the British forces withdrew in 1971, the Five Power Defence Arrangement was signed as a co-operative defence framework with Singapore and Malaysia. Every year British, Australian and New Zealand forces join Singapore and Malaysia forces in joint military exercises under the auspices of the arrangement.
I wonder how many of today's Johns know about Roti John and its legacy.
Roti John in Surabaya, Indonesia - far away from Singapore and a long way from Abdul's simple French loaf and fried egg.
Indonesians have taken Roti John to a whole new level 😋
Even though Roti John is a relatively new dish, it can count as a comfort dish in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia now. It is a popular choice for breaking fast during Ramadan.
Where do you get your Roti John fix?
References:
National Archives of Singapore
Date: 27 May 2020
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| Union Jack Club. Image credit: National Archives Singapore |
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| Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
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| Bugis Street in the 1960s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
One Abdul running one such French loaf and omelette stall at Koek Road would tout for business by shouting out in proto-Singlish to passing British soldiers "Roti! John!" which in Queen's English means "Would you like to have some bread, John?".
John being the generic name locals used to refer to any British, Australian or New Zealand soldier or sailor. (Not sure why it wasn't Tom, Dick or Harry 😝 )
According to this account, this was how the name "Roti John" came about and it became the name of the dish.
Of course, through the years, Roti John went through many iterations to today's rather elaborate dish which neither Abdul nor John would readily recognise.
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| Servicemen families at Sembawang Dieppe Barracks in the 1970s. Image credit: National Archives Singapore |
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| Royal Air Force Canberra jet at Changi Air Base. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
Terry Shiau remembers a sarabat stall (push cart stall) at Changi Village in the 1950s selling teh terik (pulled milk tea) and Roti John to Royal Air Force personnel.
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| Image credit: Singapore Memory Project |
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| Tanglin Camp in the 1960s. Image Credit: National Archives of Singapore |
Taman Serasi was a popular lunch spot for folks working in the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Ministry at Tanglin camp. Located across the Botanical Gardens, it was also loved by visitors to the gardens. Everyone was there for Roti John!
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| Taman Serasi food centres in the 1990s. Image credit: National Archives of Singapore |
Taman Serasi food centre near Tanglin camp was the Roti John hotspot till it closed in 2001.
In the fourth account, it is said that Roti John was created at Taman Serasi in the 1970s by Shukor Makanan Istimewa stall to cater to the Johns based in Tanglin Camp.
Yet another account credited the dish to Cik Zawiah Anuar at Geylang Serai Food Centre in the 1970s.
On the origins of Roti John, I am personally more inclined to the Koek Road and Changi Village accounts as the rather elaborate Sembawang, Tanglin and Geylang Serai versions seemed to me more like Roti John version 2.0 and 3.0.
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| Disbandment parade of the British Far East Air Force in 1971 at Tengah Air Base. Image credit: National Archive of Singapore |
When the British forces withdrew in 1971, the Five Power Defence Arrangement was signed as a co-operative defence framework with Singapore and Malaysia. Every year British, Australian and New Zealand forces join Singapore and Malaysia forces in joint military exercises under the auspices of the arrangement.
I wonder how many of today's Johns know about Roti John and its legacy.
Roti John in Surabaya, Indonesia - far away from Singapore and a long way from Abdul's simple French loaf and fried egg.
Indonesians have taken Roti John to a whole new level 😋
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| Roti John stall at Ramadan bazaar in Johor Bahru |
References:
National Archives of Singapore
Date: 27 May 2020
Actually, for a time (1987 - 89) there actually was Roti John in London. It was being served in a restaurant called The Malaysian Kitchen located in Earl's Court. The restaurant was run by my wife's Malaysian cousin who came from an expat family that lived in Singapore. It was not a popular dish, perhaps because they were based within London, and not the outer areas where the soldiers who were based in Asian lived. Today, there are many Singapore, Malaysian kitchens in UK, mostly around London. Have not heard if any serve Roti John. But can get at my Aunty's home. lol
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insight! Hopefully Roti John will re-appear in the UK in the future.
DeleteRoti john originated from changi village in the '50s. There were many food stalls or pushcarts serving Royal Air Force personnels from the Changi airbase. One northern indian 'sarabat' stall selling coffee drinks started this. At that time every Englishman was known as 'JOHN'. He made open sandwiches with french loaves and fried eggs and because they were very popular with the 'johns', he called them roti john. I remembered there was a small signboard made of a plank from a wooden case written 'Cafe de Paris'. This was in the early '50s. The stall at the old carpark outside Botanical gardens claimed they invented it in the '70s but I ate this in the 50s andit was already known as roti john.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the valuable insight into the origins of Roti John. Appreciate much.
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