Celebrating and preserving Singapore's food heritage

Question

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth whether there are plans by the Ministry to (i) preserve our unique local food recipes and (ii) organise more food trails in the Singapore heartlands.

Response

Senior Minister of State Sim Ann: Food is close to the hearts of many Singaporeans. We take deep pride in our local food heritage – recipes handed down from generation to generation, traditional ways of preparing food, neighbourhood food stalls that have been around for decades – and we want to preserve this for future generations.

1. The National Heritage Board (NHB) recognises that food is an important part of Singapore's cultural heritage. NHB has organised many talks, exhibitions and events to raise awareness of the importance of preserving our food heritage. In 2015, NHB presented a travelling exhibition titled “Deliciously Singaporean” to showcase Singapore's unique food heritage. This exhibition was presented at major food and heritage events, and also in public libraries island-wide. Over 480,000 people visited the “Deliciously Singaporean” exhibition, which is a testament to the strong interest people have in discovering our food heritage.
   

2. Part of the exhibition entailed documenting stories and recipes from featured hawkers and their signature dishes such as Roti John, Chilli Crab and Carrot Cake. These were made into 25 short documentaries that have been uploaded on YouTube and presented as pop-up demonstrations at festivals. In this way, the stories and traditions of our local food recipes can be kept alive for future generations.
   

3. Because our food heritage resonates so strongly with many Singaporeans, we have also seen great interest from the community to play a part in preserving our food heritage. Our grant schemes have supported many of such projects which were led and initiated by Singaporeans. 
   

4. The SG50 Celebration Fund supported jiaksimi and the My Singapore Food campaign, which feature local food recipes contributed by renowned food chefs and food enthusiasts. These recipes and stories also include the history and origins of dishes such as Hainanese Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak and Mutton Curry, and all can be accessed on their respective food websites.
   

5. NHB's Heritage Grants Scheme is also supporting Koko's Island Adventures, a storybook that introduces children and their parents to two local ingredients – the pandan leaf and coconut – and includes recipes like Kaya and Otak Otak which feature these ingredients. This book is one way of making our food heritage come alive for the young children and their families by involving them in trying simple recipes.
   

6. Through this example, we see that preserving our food heritage is not just about famous hawker recipes. It can also be a means to inter-generational and inter-cultural bonding, through tapping on the wealth of knowledge and memories of food that is contained in our local communities.
   

7. For instance, NHB partnered grassroots organisations as well as the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle to put together a Geylang Serai Foot and Food Heritage Trail, which highlights not just historical places but also food delights from famous stalls along Geylang Road and the Haig Road Food Centre. Similar trails have been developed in Ang Mo Kio, Balestier and Jurong, in partnership with community groups. Anyone interested in discovering the community and culinary heritage of these neighbourhoods can do so at their leisure by downloading a heritage trail booklet, or mobile app, from NHB's website.
   

8. We will continue to provide more opportunities and platforms for our local food recipes to be preserved, and to ensure that this legacy is passed on to future generations in sustainable and meaningful ways. The upcoming Singapore HeritageFest 2016 will also feature more initiatives by the younger generation to preserve traditional culinary methods and promote our food heritage.
   

9. Singapore's food culture is a part of our DNA.  Whether you are a company, community group or food enthusiast who shares a love for Singaporean food, everyone has a part to play in sharing and preserving our local food culture. We welcome and support your ideas on how we can celebrate and preserve food heritage better, as a unique part of our Singaporean identity.