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Celebrating Our Unique Way Cultural Heritage, The Peranakan Way

Pinoy Food Blog will take a break and cover the Singapore Food Festival 2009 which is scheduled on July 17 till July 26. Thanks to Singapore Tourism Board for giving me this opportunity to cover the Singapore Food Festival. I will be able to share to you, my dear readers, Singapore’s many local ethnic food delights, various events taking place at Clarke Quay which will spotlight Peranakan cuisine such as Sambak Udang, Kueh Pie Tee and Ayam Buah Keluak for the first time from July 17 till July 20.

I got introduced to Peranakan cuisine last month at a Cultural Night in the Peranakan Museum but since I was at a Nokia event, I didn’t find the time to feature the Peranakan cuisine.

Expect a lot of exciting food trips along the various parts of Singapore. Like I said earlier, the Peranakan cuisine, a Chinese-Malay fusion food will be highlighted in this Festival. The Peranakan cuisine is dishes originating from the small Straits-Chinese, or Peranakan, ethnic group. Their ancestors date back to Chinese immigrant men who married the local Malay women. Their cuisine is therefore a mixture of Chinese (often Hokkien) and Malay. Sometimes it is called “nyonya food,” nyonya being referred to as Peranakan woman.

( Malay-style satay-Courtesy of Singapore Tourism Board)

What more can you expect from the Singapore Food Festival? Based on Singaporesights.com

The Singapore Food Festival, our nation’s highly anticipated festival, where food meets culture, is back for the 16th year, from July 17 – 26, 2009. This year, the spotlight is on PERANAKAN food, with a myriad of key and supporting events to bring out the flavors and charm of this unique community and their sumptuous food! Apart from the core Peranakan theme, Singapore Food Festival 2009 will also involve a Festival of Food throughout Singapore with special eat and drink events in Chinatown, Little India and the Kampong Glam Malay cultural heartland of Singapore – with the theme of SUPPER – one of the best loved meals of the day for Singaporeans.

The highlight of the Singapore Food Festival ceremony this year is the Peranakan Parade which will take place on the 17th of July at 6 pm. Approximately two hundred Peranakans, elaborately dressed in traditional gear, will be marching down from various locations (North, South, East, West). They will create a lot of hype and buzz with their parade acts before arriving at Clarke Quay to start the opening ceremony with a bang.

From the 17th to the 25th of July, the Food Street located at the Read Bridge is open daily 4pm – 11pm for enthusiastic foodies to savour food ranging from popular local delicacies to exquisite Peranakan snacks. Next, shop your heart out for all sorts of ware from apparel to accessories to scented oils at the Singapore River Market located on the River Promenade.

Culinary Workshops will be held at the RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE HQ KITCHENS as well as in the STB AUDITORIUM and the LIVE KITCHEN BY MAYER in Great World City by SINGPOARE PERANAKAN CULINARY TREASURES (Violet Oon, Philip Chia, Joe Yap etc). They will be teaching and sharing the heritage of Nyonya cooking with dishes such as Buah Keluak Ayam, Babi Pong Tay, Sambal Kimchiam, Sambal Blimbing, Itek Siyow and others. A fully equipped kitchen will be roving around Singapore’s prime locations like Orchard and City Hall, the Nonya Mobile is designed to capture the appetites of both tourists and locals.

The Longest Peranakan Buffet will be served along the Read Bridge for the closing ceremony and participants can enjoy the novelty of this experience underneath the night sky as it will be a dinner event, starting from 7 pm on the 26th of July.

read more? (Singapore Food Festival 2009)

(Photos Courtesy of Singapore Food Festival 2009)

Stay tuned to this blog for photos and my food trip experience and/or visit Qik.com/noemidado for livestreaming coverage. (Hopefully I can get wifi access )

If you are in Singapore, maybe we will bump into each other. But do check out the key events of the festival if you happen to be visiting Singapore between July 17 till July 26 or log onto: www.singaporefoodfestival.com

Singapore Food Festival 2009 Highlights and Key Events

Tags: Peranakan Cuisine, PERANAKAN food, Singapore Food Festival, Singapore Food Festival 2009