ORIGIN & SOURCES of Singapore Hawker Culture • Born with a Silver Spoon of Unusual Wealth in Culinary Inheritance

Singapore is one of the youngest countries in the world yet it is blessed with the cuisines of several of the world's oldest civilisations.

Singapore became independent in 1965. Just 146 years prior, Singapore was a backwater, part of the Johore Sultanate which realm included Johor, Singapore, the Riau islands and east Sumatra. Most of Singapore's inhabitants at that time were fishermen, farmers or sea nomads (Orang Laut).

Singapore Hawker Culture · Singapore as Asia's Kitchen

I am standing here at the spot at Singapore River where Sir Stamford Raffles landed in 1819. This spot was a village with the Temenggong's house just steps away. Across the river was a swamp with a small fish market. The first market in modern Singapore history.

Immigrant Roots of Singapore Hawker Culture · Thai, Indonesian & Chinese Chicken Rice

Lau Pa Sat, Singapore's first market is a thriving food court today

Singapore hawker culture is a delicious blend of all the food cultures of people who come to live and work in the Singapore melting pot since 1819. There's cuisine from the ancient civilisations of India and China, and neighbouring countries Malaysia and Indonesia. Slightly further afield, we have dishes from Indochina, and beyond, from Europe.

Singapore Hawker Centres as the Third Place · The Heart of our Heartlands

Most people know that Singapore hawker centres are treasure troves of delicious food. Beyond being the nation's communal kitchen, Singapore's hawker centres play the important role of the "Third Place" where the Singaporean identity is forged from a diverse and dynamic mix of cultures.

Singapore Hawker Culture is Singapore's Migration Story • A Tour of Singapore Hawker Centres

Origin of Singapore Hawker Culture

Singapore hawker culture is unique in the same way as Singapore history is unique. In particular, the story of Singapore's multicultural hawker culture is Singapore's unique migration story. Singapore is a born migrant society and a country of many ethnicities. We can trace Singapore's complex migration history by eating our way through Singapore's hawker centres. (Image courtesy of flickr.) 

Four Characteristics of Hawker Culture in Singapore • Multicultural, Urban, Community & Artisanal Hawkers

In its 2019 submission to the United Nations for inclusion of Singapore hawker culture in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Singapore highlighted four key characteristics of Hawker Culture in Singapore.

Singapore hawker culture is multicultural in nature, set in an urban setting, hawker centres provide social glue as common eating spaces for Singapore's diverse communities, hawkers and their craft are the lynch pins of Singapore hawker culture. 

Evolution of Singapore Hawkers • From Plying the Streets to Hawkerpreneurs

The hawker profession in Singapore went through three distinct stages, from plying the streets to running a hawker centre stall to being an entrepreneur, dubbed hawkerpreneur.

What is Unique about Singapore Hawker Centre Culture?

In 2018, when Singapore submitted its hawker culture for inclusion in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, murmurs were heard questioning "What is so Unique about Singapore Hawker Culture"? Afterall, all of Singapore's Southeast Asian neighbours have vibrant street hawker cultures. Every countryman or woman can rightfully argue that their own country's hawkers are the best, so why is Singapore jumping the gun on UNESCO recognition? Malaysia even proposed a joint submission.

I shall try to answer that question from my own perspective as a Singaporean who also loves the street food of neighbouring countries.

History of Chinese Cuisine in Singapore. How Three Waves of Chinese Migration Shaped Singapore Hawker Culture

Chinese make up 75% of Singapore's population, hence Chinese dishes form the majority of Singapore hawker cuisine. But, you will not find anything like Singapore Chinese cuisine in China. I mean you can't go to any place in China and find the same hyper diversity of Chinese food that we take for granted in Singapore.

History of Indonesian Cuisine in Singapore Hawker Culture

Singapore hawker culture is the proverbial melting pot of cuisines from north, south, east, west, all directions around our sunny island. From our immediate south and west, Indonesians have long contributed their culinary heritage to our rich hawker culture.

To appreciate the history of Indonesian cuisine in Singapore, we start with the history of Indonesia and Indonesian immigration.

History of Hainanese in Singapore Cuisine & Hawker Culture. Their Biggest Influence is Non Hainanese 🤔

The Hainanese make up only 6% of Singapore's Chinese population, yet their influence on Singapore hawker culture is far bigger than their numbers suggest. Indeed, Hainanese influence on Singapore food is actually bigger than most people realise as there is more than what meets the eye 🤔

History of Teochew Cuisine & Hawker Culture in Singapore

Teochew make up just 20% of Chinese population in Singapore but Teochew cuisine have a prominence in Singapore's food culture well beyond their numbers. Teochew dishes like char kway teow, bak chor mee, bak kut teh, kway chap, oyster omelette (orh luak), braised duck (lor ark), fishball noodles, etc are flag bearers of Singapore hawker culture.

History of Singapore Hawker Culture • From Public Health Nuisance to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Award

Holland Drive Food Centre

It would be beyond the wildest dreams of the British Straits Settlements colonial officers who created the final solution to the public nuisance of street hawkers, that it would a century later be awarded the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Inscription in 2020.