To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s Independence, the Institute of Policy Studies and Straits Times Press are jointly launching the Singapore Chronicles series in 2015. This 50-volume series seeks to record, explain and offer insights into what makes Singapore, Singapore. Covering a wide range of subjects, from the philosophical to the mundane, the fundamental to the practical, these Singapore Chronicles titles include Constitution, Presidency, Housing, Transport, Demography, CPF, Sports and Food. Each volume in this series will serve as a primer on the subject. Written by leading experts, they will focus on key aspects of the subject, providing analysis as well as an historical account. Readers will gain an insight into what makes Singapore tick and also why it has chosen certain “paths un-trodden”.

FOOD
Singapore’s reputation as a food paradise reflects its position at the intersection of four culinary cultures: Chinese, Malay, Indian and European. This book discusses these influences and traces changes in cooking practices and eating habits that have produced a sophisticated and cosmopolitan city known for the variety of the dining experiences it offers. These range from fish-head curry and laksa lemak to chilli crab, raw fish salad and mee goreng. Dishes such as these attest to a unique culinary heritage which lives on in both high-end restaurants and the hawker centres that dot the gastronomic map of Singapore.