99 Years of Singapore Food History under the 5 Kings of the Lion City (1299 - 1398)

I try to sketch out the possible food of Singapore during the 99 year reign of the The Five Kings of Singapura (1299 - 1347). This is just the beginning of an exploratory culinary journey to our long past. 👑 Sang Nila Utama (1299 - 1347)Seri Wikrama Wira (1347 - 1362)Seri Rana Wikrama (1362 - 1375)Seri Maharaja (1375 - 1389)Parameswara (1389 - 1398) The year was 1299, the Srivijaya Empire (650 - 1377) that ruled much of the Indonesian archipelago had passed its prime. The more audacious princes were setting up their own kingdoms at the waning empire's fringes. Sang Nila Utama, a prince from Palembang in south Sumatra, attracted initially by its white sands, landed on an island known then as Temasek. Chancing upon a fast and ferocious looking animal which disappeared quickly into the forest, Sang Nila Utama was told that it was a "singa", a lion. Feeling that his sighting of "singa" (a symbol of power in Srivijayan culture) as a good omen, Sang Nila Utama decided to establish his kingdom on the island and named it Singapura, the Lion City. He would rule Singapura for 48 years till his death in 1347. Sang Nila Utama was also named Seri Teri Buana or "Lord of Three Worlds" ruler of the three realms of gods, people, and demons. The legitimacy of Sang Nila Utama and his descendants was based on this divine concept of Seri Teri Buana. Under Sang Nila Utama, Singapura prospered quickly as a port city. Ships from China, India, and Arabia brought their goods to trade. The Chinese brought silk, tea, porcelain, ceramics; the Indians brought gold, silver, elephants, spices; Arabs brought glass and crystals. Singapura offered indigenous goods like hornbill casques (hornbill ivory was valued more than jade), turtle shell, lakawood (fragrant wood for incense making), tin, sea cucumber etc. There were two groups of inhabitants in Sang Nila Utama's realm. The land based inhabitants farmed in an area called Pancur (Malay for spring) which was likely the foothills of today's Fort Canning Hill. They also made sea salt and brewed rice wine.

The second group who were probably Orang Laut lived by the sea in an area called Long Ya Men (around today's Batu Berlayar, Labrador Park). They were fishermen by day and pirates by night. They pledged their loyalty to the kings of Singapura to provide good service like pilotage and protection to trading ships bound for the port. There were Chinese settlers in Singapura in the 1300s living near the Orang Laut at Long Ya Men. They were perhaps seamen and traders waiting for the next change of monsoon to take them home to China or the next destination. Stopovers in those days can take up to months. There were probably some longer term Chinese settlers providing support services to sailors and traders.

Sang Nila Utama (1299 - 1347)👑 Seri Wikrama Wira (1347 - 1362)Seri Rana Wikrama (1362 - 1375)Seri Maharaja (1375 - 1389)Parameswara (1389 - 1398) Sang Nila Utama's eldest son Seri Wikrama Wira ascended the throne in 1347 after his father's death. His 15 year reign was marked by 2 major attempted invasions, by the Siamese in 1349 and the Javanese Majapahit empire in 1350, both which he repelled. Little else was known about Seri Wikrama Wira's reign after the two successful defences. Singapura was probably left in peace, allowing trade to flourish and the kingdom continued to prosper.  Sang Nila Utama (1299 - 1347)Seri Wikrama Wira (1347 - 1362)👑 Seri Rana Wikrama (1362 - 1375)Seri Maharaja (1375 - 1389)Parameswara (1389 - 1398) When Seri Wikraman Wira died in 1362, his son Seri Rana Wikrama took over the crown. Seri Rana Wikrama formed an alliance with Samudera Pasai Sultanate based in today's Aceh (north Sumatra) to unite against the Javanese Majapahit empire. Legend of Badang & the Singapore Stone

During his 13 year reign, Seri Rana Wikrama had a legendary hulubalang or general named Badang.Badang was from nearby Pulau Karimun island. According to legend recorded in the Malay Annals, Badang was trapping fish in the river but was frustrated that his fish were often stolen, leaving only their scales and bones. One day, Badang caught the long haired, long bearded demon stealing his fish. Badang tied the demon by its long hair to a rock. The demon pleading for his life offered to grant Badang any wish he wanted. Badang wished for great strength. The demon agreed but said that Badang had to eat whatever he vomited first. Badang accepted and ate the demon's vomit.Badang became a strongman and he used his power to help villagers. When Seri Rana Wikrama heard about Badang's feats of strength, he sent for him to join his court as a raden (a royal title) and later hulubalang (general).During his service, Badang defeated many foreign challenges against Seri Rana Wikrama. In one of the challenges, Badang threw a large boulder into the mouth of Singapore River. This rock guarded the river mouth till it was blown up by the British in 1843 to widen the river entrance.

Image credit: WikipediaA fragment of this boulder remained, kept in the National Museum of Singapore, and is today known as the Singapore Stone. Sang Nila Utama (1299 - 1347)Seri Wikrama Wira (1347 - 1362)Seri Rana Wikrama (1362 - 1375)👑 Seri Maharaja (1375 - 1389)Parameswara (1389 - 1398) Seri Maharaja succeeded his father Seri Rana Wikrama when he died in 1375. Legend of Hang Nadim and swordfish

Image credit: National Archives of SingaporeAccording to the Malay Annals, there was a swordfish plaque during the reign Seri Maharaja. Shoals of swordfish were spearing and killing villagers at their seaside village. The king and prime minister were at a loss as to what to do. A boy named Hang Nadim suggested making a fence of banana tree trunks between the sea and the village. When swordfish attacked the banana tree trunks thinking they were humans, their sharp beaks pierced and got stuck in the trunks. The village was saved and the grateful villagers renamed their village Tanjong Pagar or Cape of Fences in honour of Hang Nadim. The prime minister embarrassed that he was outsmarted by a boy, sent his men to kill him. Hang Nadim lived on a hill. After he was stabbed and died, his blood flowed down the hill, hence the hill was named Bukit Merah or Red Hill. Sang Nila Utama (1299 - 1347)Seri Wikrama Wira (1347 - 1362)Seri Rana Wikrama (1362 - 1375)Seri Maharaja (1375 - 1389)👑 Parameswara (1389 - 1398) Parameswara. Image credit: WikipediaWhen Seri Maharaja died in 1375, his son Parameswara assumed the throne of Singapura. Parameswara was to be the last king of the Lion City. In 1398, the Majapahit empire of Java finally caught up with the kingdom of Singapura. It sent an armada of over 300 large warships and 200,000 soldiers to lay siege on the walled city of Singapura. After one month of resistance, the Majapahit soldiers broke through the city gates. A terrible massacre ensued. Parameswara escaped to Muar and continued on further north to the mouth of Malacca River. There Parameswara re-established his rule and founded the kingdom of Malacca. He converted to Islam and became Sultan Iskandar Shah of the Malacca Sultanate. The Javanese left after sacking Singapura. Sultan Iskandar Shah based his kingdom in Malacca and let Singapura languish as a neglected backwater of his newfound Malacca sultanate. For the next 400 years, the once prosperous port city faded into obscurity, reduced to a bystander to the great power struggles that raged around it. It was the proverbial fishing village until the arrival of Raffles in 1819. More on the lost years between 1389 & 1819 in the next episode of Singapore food history (drafting in progress).

Map of Singapore 1823. Image credit: The Bute Archive at Mount StuartThe palace of the kings of Singapura was on Bukit Larangan or Forbidden Hill. There was a wall around the palace. According to Hikayat Mushi Abdullah, Temenggung Abdul Rahman told William Farquhar (first Singapore Resident 1819 - 1822) that, "According to the story, on top of the hill was where the ancient maharaja's palace was built. It's prohibited for people to ascend unless they were summoned by the maharaja." He also added, "At the back of the hill there's a spring. It's called Pancur Larangan (marked V ), where the queen and the maharaja's concubines bathed. No one is allowed to go there."The kings and queens of Singapura were buried here. The people lived and tilled the land from the foothills to the left bank of Singapore River marked V (today's Empress Place). Only ruins remained of the palace of the kingdom of Singapura on Bukit Larangan or Forbidden Hill when Raffles arrived in 1819. John Crawfurd, Singapore's second Resident (1823 - 1826), reported sighting brick platforms and sandstone blocks around Forbidden Hill which were foundations and/or platforms for wooden buildings.The British built Raffles' bungalow, Fort Canning and a cemetery for European settlers on Bukit Larangan.   All traces of the ancient kingdom of Singapura were erased except for Keramat Iskandar Shah, the sacred tomb of the last king of Singapura. However, this is probably symbolic as Sultan Iskandar Shah died in Malacca and was buried there. Singapura Food 1299 - 1398 As there are no documents, food history during the kingdom of Singapura period have to rely a lot on guesswork, estimates, inferences and circumstantial evidence. What might be in the kitchen?

Cloves - these are dried to make the fragrant spice brought in by traders from the Moluccas. Image credit: WikipediaSpices from India like cinnamon, Indonesian spices like cloves, indigenous pepper, ginger, sea salt, rice wine.

Barking deers were common in Singapura's forests. Image credit: WikipediaWild jungle fowl. Image credit: WikipediaMeat would be deer hunted from the forests, wild jungle fowl (chicken), eggs, fish, shellfish, clams, snails, crabs, prawns.

Coconuts were abundant in Singapura. Image credit: WikipediaVegetables, fruits, coconuts, bananas, papayas, sweet potatoes, mangoes, seaweed. The following are some dishes recreated by Professor Shaharudin and Chef Norzailina for their book Air Mata Raja or Tears of the Sultan. These are Malacca Sultanate banquet dishes recreated by Chef Norzailina based on historical records. As the Malacca royalty were descended from the kings of Singapura, Malaccan royal banquet may provide some hints on food in the Singapura palace. (Note: This is speculative, merely circumstantial evidence. Meanwhile, the search for more concrete evidence continues.)

Deer stewed in coconut and spices would likely be a delicacy served in the palace. It would probably be a rendang (spicy stew) as the Singapura royalty were originally from south Sumatra (adjacent to Minangkabau territory). There would be no chili pepper in the Singapura version as chili came our region only in the 1500s, brought here by the Portuguese who in turn took it from the Caribbean.

Heart of coconut palm cooked in coconut milk. It is the sweet crunchy core of budding coconut palm.(Again, no chili pepper for the Singapura version.)

Chicken soup made with wild jungle fowl and sweet potato.

Siput Barai or barai snails dug up from the beach, cooked with coconut milk and spices.

Seaweed collected from the sea made into a salad with torch ginger flower, lemongrass, calamansi juice.

Turmeric rice - rice boiled with turmeric powder and mixed with ghee before serving (wrapped in a cone with banana leaf).

Boiled banana eaten with grated coconut and sago palm syrup. Next episode, Singapore food from the end of the kingdom of Singapura in 1389 to the arrival of Raffles in 1819. Date: 15 Jul 2020