Food Legacy & History of Singapore's Lost Years 1389 - 1819

Singapore's trajectory from its founding by Sang Nila Utama in 1299 to the metropolis that it is today was not a straight line. There were 430 lost years between 1389 and 1819 before Raffles first stepped foot on the proverbial fishing village. What happened during the 430 lost years, and since this is a food blog, did they leave any food legacy for us today?

Malacca Sultanate 1400 - 1511 Replica of Malacca Palace. Image credit: WikipediaThe kingdom of Singapura was a thriving port city for 99 years between 1299 and 1398. That year, Javanese Majapahit empire came and sacked Singapura, leaving it in ruins. The last king of Singapura, Parameswara fled to Malacca in 1400. In Malacca, Parameswara founded a new kingdom, the Malacca sultanate and became Sultan Iskandar Shah of Malacca. Singapura was still part of Sultan Iskandar Shah's domain but he was based in Malacca and Singapura was left to languish as a neglected backwater. Dr John Crawfurd, Singapore's second British Resident recorded in 1856, "for a period of about five centuries, there is no record of Singapore having been occupied, and it was only the occasional resort of pirates". He was mostly correct.   Meanwhile, Malacca thrived with good relations with China - the Malacca sultanate controlled the Malay peninsula and trade routes that used the Malacca Straits. Ming dynasty's admiral Cheng Ho (Zhenghe) made contact with Sultan Iskandar Shah in 1404 during his first voyage. Admiral Cheng Ho made a total of 7 voyages, calling on the Malacca sultanate 5 times. Sultan Iskandar Shah sent tribute missions to China in 1405, 1407, and 1409. When the sultan personally visited China in 1411, he was feted in the Ming dynasty capital, Nanjing for two months. When Sultan Iskandar Shah died in 1414, his son Sultan Megat Iskandar Shah personally went to China to inform the Ming emperor. When Sultan Megat Iskandar Shah died in 1424, his son Sultan Sri Maharaja also personally made a trip to China to inform them of his father's death. During the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah (1456 - 1477), the Ming emperor even sent a princess Hang Li Poh and her retinue of 500 servants to become his fifth wife. That's how close China's Ming dynasty was with the Malacca sultanate. (Note: The Hang Li Poh legend is disputed by historians mainly due to lack of records on the Chinese side.) China's interest in sea power began to wane after the death in 1424 of emperor Yongle who sponsored admiral Cheng Ho's voyages. Admiral Cheng Ho died in 1433 during his last sea voyage. Ming dynasty subsequently retreated to their own land borders and focussed on combatting the nomadic nations in its north. The construction of the Great Wall of China which began around 200 BC was completed by the Ming dynasty.

History of Paranakan foodThe close relations between the Malacca sultanate and China's Ming dynasty led to substantial settlement of Chinese traders in Malacca. Some Chinese settlers married local Malay women. Their descendants are known as Peranakan - the ladies addressed as Nyonya and men as Baba. The Peranakan created a unique Peranakan cuisine which is a fusion of Chinese and Malay dishes and techniques. Local produce / spices were integrated into Chinese dishes and Chinese techniques applied to Malay dishes / cakes. Examples of Peranakan dishes are ayam or babi buah keluak, ayam or babi pongteh, itek tim, asam laksa, Nyonya laksa, otak otak, various Nyonya kueh etc., just to name a few. Malaccan Peranakan spread out of Malacca after the Anglo-Dutch treaty of 1824 and establishment in 1826 of the British Straits Settlements which put Malacca, Penang and Singapore under a single administration. With Peranakan migration, their cuisine established a firm foothold in Singapore food heritage. Portuguese Malacca 1511 - 1641 The departure of Ming seapower left a power vacuum in the Malacca Straits at a time when Europeans were embarking on sea voyages and empire building. Malacca's heydays ended in 1511 when it fell to the Portuguese. The Portuguese arrived in Malacca in 1509 to establish trade ties but were rebuffed by the Malacca sultanate. The Malaccans even attempted to seize the 4 Portuguese ships. The Portuguese managed to escape but not without leaving some dead and a few captured and held captive. This provided the Portuguese with the perfect excuse to return 2 years later with 1,200 soldiers and 18 ships. The Malaccan warriors were subdued after 40 days of fighting. When Malacca fell to the Portuguese in 1511, Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah of the Malacca sultanate fled south and established the Johor sultanate based in Sungai Johor river in 1528. Singapore came under the domain of the Johor sultanate.

History of epok epok and curry puffThe 130-year Portuguese rule of Malacca left us the epok epok which is derived from their empanada. Empanada means "wrapped in bread" which can be deep fried or baked.

Epok epok is a very flexible dish in that many different ingredients can be stuffed in the single layer turnover dough parcel. It can be curry potato, curry chicken and potato, sardine, stewed cabbage and glass noodles, etc. Epok epok is always deep fried.

Devil's CurryDuring the 130-year Portuguese rule of Malacca, the intermarriage of Portuguese and local Malays created the Kristang culture which includes language and cuisine. Kristang cuisine is a fusion of Malay and Portuguese traditions. The best known dishes are devil's curry (curry debal), grilled or stir fried eggplant, Portuguese style baked fish, feng (spice & offal stew) etc. Kristang which is part of Eurasian culture came to Singapore following British rule. Kristang cuisine is rarely sold commercially in Singapore, so the best Kristang dishes are found in Eurasian homes. Johor Sultanate 1528 - 1855 Because of Singapore's strategic location, the Johor sultanate based in Sungai Johor river ran a sea port at Tanjung Rhu and delegated its operation to a Shahbandar (port master).

Since the founding of Singapura in 1299, the kings of Singapura, and later Malacca and Johor sultanates have good relationships with the Orang Laut. The sea warriors served as their naval force and were based in Singapore and the Riau islands. In Singapore, Orang Laut were known as Orang Kallang (Kallang river) and Orang Selat (Ponggol river and Seletar river) depending on where they were based.

They guided trading ships from hazards and into designated trading ports like Singapura and later Malacca. After Malacca fell to the Portuguese, Muslim traders avoided Malacca and used Kuta Raja (today's Banda Aceh) in north Sumatra, instead. This led to the rise in power of the Aceh sultanate and importance its seaport. The Johor sultanate's emerging port of Singapore became its main competitor for Muslim trade.The Aceh sultanate was infuriated when the Johor sultanate entered a truce with long time enemy Portugal to control the Malacca Straits. In 1613, the Acehnese sent a massive force of 20,000 warriors to sack Singapura, the Johor sultanate outpost. The Acehnese wanted to teach the Johor sultanate a lesson they won't easily forget. They were largely successful as Singapore faded into obscurity until the arrival of Raffles in 1819. For the next 206 years, Singapura was reduced to a bystander to the great powers struggles (Portuguese and Dutch, with the English joining the melee later) that raged around it. One of the momentous events it witnessed was the capture of Portuguese merchantman Santa Catrina off Changi in 1603 by the combined forces of the Dutch East India Company and the Johor sultanate. This audacious provocation by the Dutch East India Company formed only in 1602 announced Dutch ambitions to displace Portuguese dominance of the region.

History of rendangRendang is a Minangkabau dish originally from west Sumatra. Minangkabau migrants throughout Sumatra, Java and the Malay peninsula brought the dish with them. Rendang is made by stewing meat (beef, lamb, deer, or chicken) in coconut milk and spices. The meat is stewed under slow fire, constantly stirring for at least 3 hours till all the water in the coconut milk is evaporated. Every fibre in the meat is infused and saturated with coconut and spice flavour and aroma, which are released smelling like perfume with every bite. During the Malacca and Johor sultanate era, deer was often used to cook rendang as the wild game was abundant in the forests. Today in Singapore, beef rendang is one of the most popular dishes offered at nasi Padang stalls or restaurants. Dutch Malacca 1647 - 1825

The Dutch drove the Portuguese out of Malacca in 1647 and stayed there for 183 years till 1825. The port of Malacca was a backwater to the Dutch whose main interest in this region was the port of Batavia (today's Jakarta) in Java. The Dutch presence in Malacca was more a naval outpost to prevent any other European or local power from controlling the Malacca Straits. The Dutch left the Johor sultanate in peace as long as the latter did not undermine Dutch control of the Malacca Straits.

The Dutch left us the kueh kapit or love letter. It is a crispy sweet aromatic thin waffle biscuit mainly enjoyed during festivals like Hari Raya and Chinese New Year. Kueh kapit is made by grilling over charcoal a watery batter of coconut milk, blend of wheat and rice flour, sugar, eggs, and pandan leaf juices between round iron plates (waffle iron). Traditionally, kueh kapit is rolled into a tube (but nowadays it is folded like a small handkerchief). Missed Opportunities From their bases in Goa (India) and Malacca, the Portuguese surveyed the region in 1604 including Singapura but never took sufficient interest in it to occupy it and exploit its potential. In 1609, Jacques De Coutre a Flemish trader who knew southeast Asia well suggested to Spanish King Phillip II to establish a fortress on Singapore island to control the east-west trade route because of its strategic location and natural features like fresh water, deep harbour and bases for fortresses. But, his suggestion fell on deaf ears. In 1703, Johor sultanate's Sultan Abdul Jalil IV offered Singapura as a gift to trader Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton declined but reported the offer to his employer the British East India Company who also did not follow-up on the sultan's offer.There were no takers for Singapore even as a gift - 送给我都不要 as they say in Chinese. The vision of one man in 1819 would change everything. Nine days after arriving at Singapore River mouth, the Singapore agreement was signed on 6 Feb 1819 between Raffles for the British East India Company and Sultan Hussein and Temenggong Abdul Rahman for the Johor sultanate. At that time, Sultan Hussein was based on Lingga island in the Riau. Singapura was overseen by Temenggong Abdul Rahman with his palace at Singapore River mouth. Raffles offered the Sultan and Temenggong, a deal seemingly too good to refuse. Five thousand Spanish dollars annually for Sultan Hussein and 3,000 Spanish dollars per year for Temenggong Abdul Rahman. In signing an international agreement with a powerful foreign entity (British East India Company), Sultan Hussein gained British support and strengthened his claim to the throne (against his half-brother Sultan Abdul Rahman). The Johor sultanate also needed a counterbalance to the Dutch based in Malacca, so the Singapore agreement with the British would bind the latter in this balancer role.

Looking out from Singapore River, Raffles saw a vision of a metropolisThings moved very quickly after the 1819 agreement - the sleepy fishing village would transform to a great seaport. Pepper plantation Singapore 1860. Image credit: National Archives of SingaporeThe agreement which the sultan and temenggong signed with the British was similar to the Surat Sungai (River Agreement) they signed with several Chinese planters before Raffles stepped foot on Singapore. Under Surat Sungai terms, Chinese planters were granted permission to plant gambier and pepper at designated plots of land beside the river. The Chinese planters called the plots of land "chu kang" 厝港. (This was the origin of places like Lim Chu Kang, Choa Chu Kang, Yio Chu Kang etc.) The agreement with Raffles was similar except that the British were to use the plot of land "the distance of a cannon shot (i.e. 2 miles long)" to set up a trading post along Singapore River. The Chinese planters were taxed on the gambier and pepper they produced. It must be considerably less than what Raffles had offered to the sultan and temenggong.

History of bak kut teh in SingaporeChinese have been making soup by cooking pork in boiling water since time immemorial. It is plausible that someone in one of the "chu kang" pepper plantations tossed in some peppercorns in a pot of pork bones and garlic cloves, and thus invented Singapore bak kut teh. If so, this would put the invention of Singapore Teochew bak kut teh in the 1800s. (Of course, this is in the realm of speculation and circumstantial evidence as there are no written records.) As most gambier-pepper plantations were ran by Teochew, the peppery pork soup became known as Teochew bak kut teh. Today, this peppery style of Teochew bak kut teh is synonymous with Singapore bak kut teh. The more established Singapore Teochew bak kut teh brands now have overseas outposts in Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Taiwan. Johor Kaki is the best Malaysia food blog in 2013, and best Singapore food blog in 2013 and 2014. References: Singapore: A 700-Year History Zheng He's visits and the shaping of cosmopolitan cities in Southeast Asia - Melaka case: facts and fiction Date: 26 Jul 2020