Bak kut teh was first concocted as a tonic to help Singapore River coolies who often suffer pains, injuries, and lack of energy from overwork and effects of opium addiction.
Things get hazy here as there is no record of who or when the first bak kut teh was concocted, nor what was the first bak kut teh like.
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| Singapore River 1910. Courtesy National Archives of Singapore |
One thing we are certain is, bak kut teh was born at Singapore River sometime in the 1800s or early 1900s.
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| Coolie. Courtesy National Archives Singapore |
It could have been created by a coolie who knew Chinese herbal medicine.
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| Street medicine man. Courtesy of National Archives Singapore |
Maybe it was a street medicine man.
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| Chinese medical hall. Courtesy National Archives Singapore |
Perhaps a herbalist at a traditional Chinese medicine hall.
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| Towkay. Courtesy National Archives Singapore |
Or, a kind coolie boss / towkay who knew traditional Chinese medicine.
Whomever he may be, he had thousands of years of well documented Chinese herbal medicine tradition to tap upon.
太平惠民和剂局方 Prescriptions by Bureau of People’s Welfare Pharmacy was published in 1148 during the Song dynasty (960 - 1279). 太平惠民和剂局方 contains 788 prescriptions collected throughout the realm of the Song dynasty by the Bureau of People’s Welfare Pharmacy.
The compilation was ordered by Song emperor Gaozong for the benefit of his people as well as a defence against scams and quackery by unscrupulous street medicine men and bogus physicians. The compilation, the first such authoritative guide in China and the world, was printed and widely distributed.
Its influence was enduring and deep in every corner of the Song empire. Many prescriptions are still in use to this day and most Chinese have some basic consciousness of Chinese herbal medicine thanks to 太平惠民和剂局方.
So, whomever created the first bak kut teh for coolies, whether coolie, street medicine man, herbalist, coolie boss, or a Chinese physician, he likely had based it on his understanding of Chinese medicinal herbs from 太平惠民和剂局方 (whether he knew of this guide or not). Chinese herbal medicine is part of Chinese culture.
There is no record of what was the first bak kut teh recipe, so we don't know when it was first brewed and what it contained.
太平惠民和剂局方 might give us some clues.
Among the herbal soups in 太平惠民和剂局方, there are a few well known, widely used prescriptions such as 四君子汤 four gentlemen soup, 四物汤 four elements soup, and 十全大补汤 complete ten grand tonic soup. These are commonly brewed at home and they are even sold as street food, for example in Taiwan today.
四君子汤 Four gentlemen soup consists of:
人参 ginseng / 党参 codonopsis
白术 atractylodes
茯苓 poria cocos
甘草 liquorice.
Four gentlemen soup boosts energy and stamina.
Another well known prescription is 四物汤 Four elements soup, which contains:
当归 angelica
川芎 ligusticum striatum
白芍 paeoniae alba
熟地黄 rehmannia glutinosa.
Four elements soup regulates blood circulation, promotes blood regeneration, reduces inflammation.
四君子汤 Four gentlemen soup and 四物汤 Four elements soup combined together makes 八珍湯 Eight treasures soup. This prescription combines the benefits of 四君子汤 Four gentlemen soup and 四物汤 Four elements soup, thus benefiting both the respiratory and blood circulation systems.
十全大补汤 Complete ten grand tonic soup combines the herbs from 四君子汤 Four gentlemen soup and 四物汤 Four elements soup. Then add two more herbs 炙黄芪 astragalus for strengthening the immune system and 肉桂 cinnamomum cassia for reducing inflammation.
So 十全大补汤 Complete ten grand tonic soup promotes stamina and blood circulation as well as prevents sickness and inflammation.
Herbal bak kut teh is a medicinal herbal prescription that draws its inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine. If we update 太平惠民和剂局方 today, herbal bak kut teh could be one of the many prescriptions included in the compilation.
But, bak kut teh wouldn't be bak kut teh if it was only herbal medicine. There're spices that make bak kut teh the unmistakably Nanyang dish that it is. Spices - that's the story for the next chapter.
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