# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Thai Street Food, Restaurants, and Recipes | Eating Thai Food

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Cook these delicious Thai recipes, and not only will you enjoy the authentic taste of Thai street food, but your friends and family will love you too!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Yam wun sen kung: a spicy Thai salad with glass noodles and prawns

Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with aromatics and spicy heat. The Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that unlike many other cuisines, Thai cooking is "about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord it's got to have a smooth surface but it doesn't matter what's happening underneath. Simplicity isn't the dictum here, at all."

Traditional Thai cuisine loosely falls into four categories: tom (boiled dishes), yam (spicy salads), tam (pounded foods), and kaeng (curries). Deep-frying, stir-frying and steaming are methods introduced from Chinese cuisine.

In 2017, seven Thai dishes appeared on a list of the "World's 50 Best Foods", an online poll of 35,000 people worldwide by . Thailand had more dishes on the list than any other country: tom yam kung (4th), pad thai (5th), som tam (6th), massaman curry (10th), green curry (19th), Thai fried rice (24th) and nam tok mu (36th).

The art of vegetable carving is thought to have originated in the Sukhothai Kingdom nearly 700 years ago.[4]

Thai cuisine and the culinary traditions and cuisines of Thailand's neighbors, especially Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, India, Malaysia and Indonesia, have influenced one another over the course of many centuries.

According to the Thai monk Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku's writing, 'India's Benevolence to Thailand', Thai cuisine was influenced by Indian cuisine. He wrote that Thai people learned how to use spices in their food in various ways from Indians. Thais also obtained the methods of making herbal medicines from the Indians. Some plants like sarabhi of the family Guttiferae, panika or harsinghar, phikun or Mimusops elengi and bunnak or the rose chestnut etc. were brought from India. According to a book 'Mae Krua Hua Pa' (first published in 1908) by Lady Plian Bhaskarawongse (ท่านผู้หญิงเปลี่ยน ภาสกรวงษ์), she found that Thai cuisine had a strong gastronomical cultural line from Sukhothai (1238-1448) through Ayuttthaya (1351-1767) and Thonburi period (1767-1782) vis-à-vis Siamese governmental officers' daily routines (such as royal cooking) and their related cousins. Thai food during the Thonburi period tended to be more similar to that from the Ayutthaya period, except the addition of Chinese food resulted from her prosperous international trade.

Western influences, starting in 1511 when the first diplomatic mission from the Portuguese arrived at the court of Ayutthaya, have created dishes such as foi thong, the Thai adaptation of the Portuguese fios de ovos, and , where coconut milk replaces cow's milk in making a custard. These dishes were said to have been brought to Thailand in the 17th century by Maria Guyomar de Pinha, a woman of mixed Japanese- Portuguese- Bengali ancestry who was born in Ayutthaya, and became the wife of Constantine Phaulkon, a Greek adviser to King Narai. The most notable influence from the West must be the introduction of the chili pepper from the Americas in the 16th or 17th century. It, and rice, are now two of the most important ingredients in Thai cuisine. During the Columbian Exchange, Portuguese and Spanish ships brought new foodstuffs from the Americas including tomatoes, corn, papaya, pea eggplants, pineapple, pumpkins, culantro, cashews, and peanuts.

Regional variations tend to correlate to neighboring states (often sharing the same cultural background and ethnicity on both sides of the border) as well as climate and geography. Northern Thai cuisine shares dishes with Shan State in Burma, northern Laos, and also with Yunnan Province in China, whereas the cuisine of Isan (northeastern Thailand) is similar to that of Southern Laos, and by Vietnamese cuisine to its east. Southern Thailand, with many dishes that contain liberal amounts of coconut milk and fresh turmeric, has that in common with Indian, Malaysian, and Indonesian cuisine.

Thai cuisine is more accurately described as five regional cuisines, corresponding to the five main regions of Thailand:

Bangkok: cuisine of the Bangkok metropolitan area, with Teochew and Portuguese influences. In addition, as a capital city, Bangkok cuisine is sometimes influenced by more dedicated royal cuisine. Tastes and looks of food in Bangkok have changed somewhat over time as they have been influenced by other cuisines such as Asian, European or Western countries.

Central Thai: cuisine of the flat and wet central rice-growing plains, site of the former Thai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, and the Dvaravati culture of the Mon people from before the arrival of Siamese in the area. Coconut milk is one of major ingredients used in Central Thai cuisine.

Isan or Northeastern Thai: cuisine of the more arid Khorat Plateau, influenced by the culture of Laos and also by Khmer cuisine.

Northern Thai: cuisine of the cooler valleys and forested mountains of the Thai highlands, once ruled by the former Lanna Kingdom and home of Lannaese, the majority of northern Thailand. This cuisine shares many ingredients with Isan.

Southern Thai: cuisine of the Kra Isthmus which is bordered on two sides by tropical seas, with its many islands and including the ethnic Malay, former Sultanate of Pattani in the deep south. The complex curries, food preparation techniques and usage of chillies and spices in Southern Thai cuisine form a great influence on the whole cuisine in general.

In addition to these regional cuisines, there is also Thai royal cuisine which can trace its history back to the cosmopolitan palace cuisine of the Ayutthaya kingdom (1351-1767 CE). Its refinement, cooking techniques, presentation, and use of ingredients were of great influence to the cuisine of the central Thai plains. Thai royal cuisine has been influenced by the Khmer royal cuisine through the Khmer palace cooks brought to the Ayutthaya Kingdom during its conquests of the Khmer Empire. Thai royal cuisine has become very well known from the Rattanakosin Era onwards.

Typically, Thai royal cuisine has basic characteristics that are close to the basic food prepared by general people. However, Thai royal cuisine focuses on the freshness of seasonal products. Other than that, it is crucial that the way in which Thai royal food is cooked, should be complex and delicate.

La Loubère, an envoy from France during the reign of King Narai, recorded that the food at the court was generally similar to villager food. What makes Thai Royal cuisine different food is its beautiful presentation. For example, they served fish and chicken with the bones removed, and the vegetables were served in bite-sized portions. In addition, if beef is used, it should be tenderloin only.

There are many types of Thai royal cuisine such as ranchuan curry, nam phrik long ruea, matsaman curry, rice in jasmine-flavored iced water or , spicy salad, fruit, and carved vegetable.

Thai chef McDang, himself descended from the royal family, asserts that the difference between royal Thai cuisine and regular Thai cuisine is fiction. He maintains that the only difference between the food of the palace and that of the common people is the former's elaborate presentation and better ingredients.

A typical family meal on the floor mat in Isan region

Thai food was traditionally eaten with the hand while seated on mats or carpets on the floor or coffee table in upper middle class families, customs still found in more traditional households. Today, however, most Thais eat with a fork and spoon. Tables and chairs were introduced as part of a broader Westernization drive during the reign of King Mongkut, Rama IV. The fork and spoon were introduced by King Chulalongkorn after his return from a tour of Europe in 1897 CE.

Important to Thai dining is the practice of khluk, mixing the flavors and textures of different dishes with the rice from one's plate. The food is pushed by the fork, held in the left hand, into the spoon held in the right hand, which is then brought to the mouth. A traditional ceramic spoon is sometimes used for soup, and knives are not generally used at the table. It is common practice for both the Thais and the hill tribe peoples who live in Lanna and Isan to use sticky rice as an edible implement by shaping it into small, and sometimes flattened, balls by hand (and only the right hand by custom) which are then dipped into side dishes and eaten.

Chopsticks were foreign utensils to most ethnic groups in Thailand with the exception of the Thai Chinese, and a few other cultures such as the Akha people, who are recent arrivals from Yunnan Province, China. Traditionally, the majority of ethnic Thai people ate with their hands like the people of India. Chopsticks are mainly used in Thailand for eating Chinese-style noodle soups, or at Chinese, Japanese, or Korean restaurants. Stir-fried noodle dishes such as drunken noodles, , and pad thai, and curry-noodle dishes such as khanom chin nam ngiao, are also eaten with a fork and spoon in the Thai fashion.

Thai meals typically consist of rice ( khao in Thai) with many complementary dishes shared by all. The dishes are all served at the same time, including the soups, and it is also customary to provide more dishes than there are guests at a table. A Thai family meal would normally consist of rice with several dishes which should form a harmonious contrast of flavors and textures as well as preparation methods. Traditionally, a meal would have at least five elements: a dip or relish for raw or cooked vegetables ( khrueang chim) is the most crucial component of any Thai meal. Khrueang chim, considered a building block of Thai food by Chef McDang, may come in the form of a spicy chili sauce or relish called (made of raw or cooked chilies and other ingredients, which are then mashed together), or a type of dip enriched with coconut milk called lon. The other elements would include a clear soup (perhaps a spicy tom yam or a mellow tom chuet), a curry or stew (essentially any dish identified with the kaeng prefix), a deep-fried dish, and a stir-fried dish of meat, fish, seafood, or vegetables.

In most Thai restaurants, diners will have access to a selection of Thai sauces () and condiments, either brought to the table by wait staff or present at the table in small containers. These may include phrik nam pla/nam pla phrik (fish sauce, lime juice, chopped chilies and garlic), dried chili flakes, sweet chili sauce, sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, Sriracha sauce, and even sugar. With certain dishes, such as khao kha mu (pork trotter stewed in soy sauce and served with rice), whole Thai peppers and raw garlic are served in addition to the sour chili sauce. Cucumber is sometimes eaten to cool the mouth with particularly spicy dishes. They often feature as a garnish, especially with one-dish meals. The plain rice, sticky rice or the khanom chin (Thai rice noodles) served alongside a spicy Thai curry or stir-fry, tends to counteract the spiciness.

When time is limited or when eating alone, single dishes, such as fried rice or noodle soups, are quick and filling. An alternative is to have one or more smaller helpings of curry, stir fries and other dishes served together on one plate with a portion of rice. This style of serving food is called khao rat kaeng ( lit.  ' rice covered with curry '), or for short khao kaeng ( lit.  ' rice curry '). Eateries and shops that specialize in pre-made food are the usual place to go to for having a meal this way. These venues have a large display showing the different dishes one can choose. When placing an order at these places, Thais will state if they want the food served as separate dishes or together on one plate with rice ( rat khao). Very often, regular restaurants will also feature a selection of freshly made "rice curry" dishes on their menu for single customers.

Thai cuisine, as a whole, features many different ingredients ( suan phasom; Thai: ส่วนผสม), and ways of preparing food. Thai chef McDang characterises Thai food as having "intricacy, attention to detail, texture, color, and taste.

Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices. Common flavors in Thai food come from garlic, galangal, coriander/cilantro, lemongrass, shallots, pepper, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and chilies. Palm sugar, made from the sap of certain palms, is used to sweeten dishes while lime and tamarind contribute sour notes. Meats used in Thai cuisine are usually pork and chicken, and also duck, beef, and water buffalo. Goat, lamb, and mutton are rarely eaten except by Muslim Thais in Southern Thailand. Game, such as wild boar, deer and wild birds, are now less common due to loss of habitat, the introduction of modern methods of intensive animal farming in the 1960s, and the rise of agribusinesses, such as Thai Charoen Pokphand Foods, in the 1980s. Traditionally, fish, crustaceans, and shellfish play an important role in the diet of Thai people. In 2006 the per capita consumption of fish was 33.6 kg. Anna Leonowens (of The King and I fame) observed in her book The English Governess at the Siamese Court (1870):

"The stream is rich in fish of excellent quality and flavour, such as is found in most of the great rivers of Asia; and is especially noted for its platoo, a kind of sardine, so abundant and cheap that it forms a common seasoning to the labourer's bowl of rice."

Freshwater varieties come from the many rivers, lakes, ponds, and paddy fields inland, and seafood from the tropical seas of the southern half of the country. Some species, such as the giant river prawn, need brackish water as juveniles but live out their lives in freshwater once mature. Aquaculture of species such as Nile tilapia, catfish, tiger prawns, and blood cockles, now generates a large portion of the seafood sold in, and exported from Thailand.

Rice, noodles and starches

Like most other Asian cuisines, rice is the staple grain of Thai cuisine. According to Thai food expert McDang, rice is the first and most important part of any meal, and the words for rice and food are the same: khao. As in many other rice eating cultures, to say "eat rice" (in Thai "kin khao", pronounced ) means to eat food. Rice is such an integral part of the diet that a common Thai greeting is"kin khao rue yang?" ( lit.   ' "have you eaten rice yet? ').

Thai farmers historically have cultivated tens of thousands of rice varieties. The traditional recipe for a rice dish could include as many as 30 varieties of rice. That number has been drastically reduced due to genetic modifications.

Non-glutinous rice (Oryza sativa) is called khao chao ( lit.  ' royal rice '). One type, which is indigenous to Thailand, is the highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine rice ( khao hom mali). This naturally aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand's central plains. Once the rice is steamed or cooked, it is called khao suai ( lit.  ' beautiful rice '). Non-glutinous rice is used for making fried rice dishes, and for congee, of which there are three main varieties: khao tom (a thin rice soup, most often with minced pork or fish), khao tom kui (a thick, unflavored rice porridge that is served with side dishes), or chok (a thick rice porridge that is flavored with broth and minced meat).

Other varieties of rice eaten in Thailand include: sticky rice ( khao niao), a unique variety of rice which contains an unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a sticky texture. Thai Red Cargo rice, an unpolished long grain rice with an outer deep reddish-brown color and a white center, has a nutty taste and is slightly chewy compared to the soft and gummy texture of jasmine rice. Only the husks of the red rice grains are removed which allows it to retain all its nutrients and vitamins, but unlike brown rice, its red color comes from antioxidants in the bran. Black sticky rice is a type of sticky rice with a deep purple-red color that may appear black. Another unpolished grain, black sticky rice has a rich nutty flavor that is most often used in desserts.

Noodles in Thailand are usually made from the flour of rice, wheat, or mung bean. Perhaps one of the oldest type of noodle in Thailand is khanom chin, which is a fresh type of rice vermicelli made from fermented rice, and eaten with toppings like green curry ( kaeng khiao wan) with chicken or in green papaya salad ( som tam). Other noodle varieties were subsequently introduced by Chinese migrants to Thailand, as is testified by their Sino-Thai name kuaitiao ( ก๋วยเตี๋ยว; Chinese: 粿條; pinyin: ). The three most common rice varieties of kuaitiao are sen yai ( เส้นใหญ่) wide flat noodles, sen lek ( เส้นเล็ก) narrow flat noodles, and sen mi เส้นหมี่; or rice vermicelli), which are round and thin. A fourth popular variety, bami ( บะหมี่; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ) is made from egg and wheat flour and is usually sold fresh. Bami are similar to the Teochew . A fifth type, wun sen ( วุ้นเส้น; lit.  ' jelly strands '), called cellophane noodles or glass noodles in English, are thin round noodles made from mung bean flour which are sold dried. Lastly, and least common in noodle shops, are " silver needle noodles" kiam-i ( เกี้ยมอี๋), a somewhat thick round rice noodle similar in size and shape to bean sprouts. Thai noodle dishes, whether stir fried like pad thai or in the form of a noodle soup, usually come as an individual serving and are not meant to be shared and eaten communally.

Rice flour ( paeng khao chao) and tapioca flour ( paeng man sampalang) are often used in desserts or as thickening agents.

An ingredient found in many Thai dishes and used in every region of the country is nam pla, a clear fish sauce that is very aromatic. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Thai cuisine and imparts a unique character to Thai food. Fish sauce is prepared with fermented fish that is made into a fragrant condiment and provides a salty flavor. There are many varieties of fish sauce and many variations in the way it is prepared. Some fish may be fermented with shrimp or spices. Another type of sauce made from fermented fish is . It is more pungent than nam pla, and, in contrast to nam pla, which is a clear liquid, pla ra is opaque and often contains pieces of fish. To add this sauce to a som tam (spicy papaya salad) is a matter of choice. Kapi, Thai shrimp paste, is a combination of fermented ground shrimp and salt. It is used in the famous chili paste called nam phrik kapi, in rice dishes such as khao khluk kapi and it is indispensable for making Thai curry pastes. is a pungent sauce used in the southern Thai cuisine, that is made from the fermented innards of the short mackerel ( pla thu). It is one of the main condiments of kaeng tai pla curry and is also used to make nam phrik tai pla. Far removed from the nearest sea, from northern Thailand comes nam pu, a thick, black paste made by boiling mashed rice-paddy crabs for hours. It is used as an ingredient for certain northern Thai salads, curries, and chili pastes. It too has a strong and pungent flavor.

are Thai chili pastes, similar to the Indonesian and Malaysian sambals. Each region has its own special versions. The words "nam phrik" are used by Thais to describe many pastes containing chilies used for dipping, although the more watery versions tend to be called . Thai curry pastes are normally called phrik kaeng or khrueang kaeng (lit. curry ingredients), but some people also use the word nam phrik to designate a curry paste. Red curry paste, for instance, could be called phrik kaeng phet or khrueang kaeng phet in Thai, but also nam phrik kaeng phet. Both nam phrik and phrik kaeng are prepared by crushing together chilies with various ingredients such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. Some nam phrik are served as a dip with vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. One such paste is nam phrik num, a paste of pounded fresh green chilies, shallots, garlic and coriander leaves. The sweet roasted chili paste called nam phrik phao is often used as an ingredient in tom yam or when frying meat or seafood, and it is also popular as a spicy "jam" on bread, or served as a dip with prawn crackers. The dry nam phrik kung, made with pounded dried shrimp ( kung haeng), is often eaten plain with rice and a few slices of cucumber. French diplomat Simon de la Loubère observed that chili pastes were vital for the way Thai people eat. He provides us with a recipe for nam phrik with and onions in Du Royaume de Siam, an account of his mission to Thailand published in 1691.

The soy sauces which are used in Thai cuisine are of Chinese origin, and the Thai names for them are (wholly or partially) loanwords from the Teochew dialect: si-io dam (black soy sauce), si-io khao (light soy sauce), si-io wan (sweet soy sauce), and (fermented whole soy beans). Namman hoi ( oyster sauce) is also of Chinese origin. It is used extensively in vegetable and meat stir fries.

Satay is also common in Thailand, grilled or skewered meat served with a spicy peanut dipping sauce made from roasted or fried peanuts.

Vegetables, herbs and spices

Thai dishes use a wide variety of herbs, spices and leaves rarely found in the West. The characteristic flavor of kaffir lime leaves ( bai makrut) appears in many Thai soups (e.g., the hot and sour ) or curry from the southern and central areas of Thailand. The Thai lime ( manao) is smaller, darker and sweeter than the kaffir lime, which has a rough looking skin with a stronger lime flavor. Kaffir lime leaves or rind is frequently combined with galangal ( kha) and lemongrass ( takhrai), either kept whole in simmered dishes or blended together with liberal amounts of chilies and other aromatics to make curry paste. Fresh Thai basil, distinctively redolent of cloves, and with stems which are often tinged with a purple color, are used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as green curry. Other commonly used herbs in Thai cuisine include phak chi, ( coriander or cilantro leaves), rak phak chi (cilantro/coriander roots), spearmint ( saranae), holy basil ( kaphrao), ginger ( khing), turmeric ( khamin), fingerroot ( krachai), culantro ( phak chi farang), pandanus leaves ( bai toei), and Thai lemon basil ( maenglak). Spices and spice mixtures used in Thai cuisine include phong phalo ( five-spice powder), phong kari ( curry powder), and fresh and dried peppercorns ( phrik thai). Northern Thai uses a very elaborate spice mix, called phrik lap, which includes ingredients such as cumin, cloves, long pepper, star anise, prickly ash seeds and cinnamon.

Besides kaffir lime leaves, several other tree leaves are used in Thai cuisine such as , the young feathery leaves of the Acacia pennata tree. These leaves can be cooked in omelettes, soups and curries or eaten raw in northern Thai salads. Banana leaves are often used as packaging for ready-made food or as steamer cups such as in , a spicy steamed pâté or soufflé made with fish and coconut milk. Banana flowers are also used in Thai salads or as a vegetable ingredient for certain curries. The leaves and flowers of the neem tree ( sadao) are also eaten blanched. Phak lueat (leaves from the Ficus virens) are cooked in curries, and bai makok (from the Spondias mombin) can be eaten raw with a chili paste.

Five main chilies are generally used as ingredients in Thai food. One chili is very small (about 1.25 centimetres (0.49 in)) and is known as the hottest chili: phrik khi nu suan ("garden mouse-dropping chili"). The slightly larger chili phrik khi nu ("mouse-dropping chili") is the next hottest. The green or red phrik chi fa ("sky pointing chili") is slightly less spicy than the smaller chilies. The very large phrik yuak, which is pale green in color, is the least spicy and used more as a vegetable. Lastly, the dried chilies: phrik haeng are spicier than the two largest chilies and dried to a dark red color.

Other typical ingredients are the several types of eggplant ( makhuea) used in Thai cuisine, such as the pea-sized makhuea phuang and the egg-sized makhuea suai, often also eaten raw. Although broccoli is often used in Asian restaurants in the west in phat phak ruam (stir fried mixed vegetables) and rat na (rice noodles served in gravy), it was never used in any traditional Thai food in Thailand and was rarely seen in Thailand. Usually in Thailand, khana is used, for which broccoli is a substitute. Other vegetables which are often eaten in Thailand are thua fak yao ( yardlong beans), thua ngok ( bean sprouts), no mai ( bamboo shoots), tomatoes, cucumbers, phak tam lueng (Coccinia grandis), phak kha na ( Chinese kale), phak kwangtung ( choy sum), sweet potatoes (both the tuber and leaves), a few types of squash, phak krathin (Leucaena leucocephala), sato (Parkia speciosa), tua phū ( winged beans) and khaophot ( corn).

Among the green, leafy vegetables and herbs that are usually eaten raw in a meal or as a side dish in Thailand, the most important are: phak bung ( morning glory), horapha ( Thai basil), bai bua bok ( Asian pennywort), phak kachet ( water mimosa), phak kat khao ( Chinese cabbage), phak phai ( praew leaves), phak kayang ( rice paddy herb), phak chi farang ( culantro), phak tiu (Cratoxylum formosum), phak "phaai" ( yellow burr head) and kalamplī ( cabbage). Some of these leaves are highly perishable and must be used within a couple of days.

Several types of mushroom ( het) also feature in Thai cuisine such as straw mushrooms ( het fang), shiitake ( het hom), and white jelly fungus ( het hu nu khao).

Flowers are also commonly used ingredients in many Thai dishes, either as a vegetable, such as dok khae (Sesbania grandiflora) and huapli (the flower bud of the banana), or as a food coloring, such as with the blue-colored dok anchan (the flowers of the Clitoria ternatea, which can also be eaten raw or fried).

Fresh fruit forms a large part of the Thai diet, and are customarily served after a meal as dessert. The Scottish author John Crawfurd, sent on an embassy to Bangkok in 1822, writes in his account of the journey:

Fruit is not only eaten on its own, but often served with spicy dips made from sugar, salt, and chilies. Fruits feature in spicy salads such as som tam (green papaya salad) and yam som-o (pomelo salad), in soups with tamarind juice such as tom khlong and , and in Thai curries such as kaeng khanun (jackfruit curry), kaeng phet pet yang (grilled duck curry with pineapple or grapes), and kaeng pla sapparot (fish and pineapple curry). Fruits are also used in certain Thai chili pastes, such as in nam phrik long rue made with madan (a close relative of the mangosteen), and nam phrik luk namliap, salted black Chinese olive chilli paste.

Although many of the exotic fruits of Thailand may have been sometimes unavailable in Western countries, Asian markets now import such fruits as rambutan and lychees. In Thailand one can find papaya, jackfruit, mango, mangosteen, langsat, longan, pomelo, pineapple, rose apples, durian, Burmese grapes and other native fruits. Chanthaburi in Thailand each year holds the World Durian Festival in early May. This single province is responsible for half of the durian production of Thailand and a quarter of the world production. The Langsat Festival is held each year in Uttaradit on weekends in September. The langsat (Lansium parasiticum), for which Uttaradit is famous, is a fruit that is similar in taste to the longan.

From the coconut comes coconut milk, used both in curries and desserts, and coconut oil. The juice of a green coconut can be served as a drink and the young flesh is eaten in either sweet or savory dishes. The grated flesh of a mature coconut is used raw or toasted in sweets, salads and snacks such as . Thais not only consume products derived from the nut (actually a drupe), but they also make use of the growth bud of the palm tree as a vegetable. From the stalk of the flowers comes a sap that can be used to make coconut vinegar, alcoholic beverages, and sugar. Coconut milk and other coconut-derived ingredients feature heavily in the cuisines of central and southern Thailand. In contrast to these regions, coconut palms do not grow as well in northern and northeastern Thailand, where in wintertime the temperatures are lower and where there is a dry season that can last five to six months. In northern Thai cuisine, only a few dishes, most notably the noodle soup , use coconut milk. In the southern parts of northeastern Thailand, where the region borders Cambodia, one can again find dishes containing coconut. It is also here that the people eat non-glutinous rice, just as in central and southern Thailand, and not glutinous rice as they do in northern Thailand and in the rest of northeastern Thailand.

Apples, pears, peaches, grapes, and strawberries, which do not traditionally grow in Thailand and in the past had to be imported, have become increasingly popular in the last few decades since they were introduced to Thai farmers by the Thai Royal Projects, starting in 1969, and the Doi Tung Project since 1988. These temperate fruit grow especially well in the cooler, northern Thai highlands, where they were initially introduced as a replacement for the cultivation of opium, together with other crops such as cabbages, tea, and arabica coffee.

Agricultural chemicals

According to the Thai government's The Eleventh National Economic and Social Development Plan (2012-2016), Thailand is number one in the world in the application of chemicals in agriculture. The report stated that, "The use of chemicals in the agricultural and industrial sectors is growing while control mechanisms are ineffective making Thailand rank first in the world in the use of registered chemicals in agriculture."

On 22 October 2019, the 26-member National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC) changed paraquat, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos from Type 3 toxic substances to Type 4, effectively prohibiting their production, import, export, or possession. Their use will be prohibited as of 1 December 2019. On 27 November 2019, the NHSC amended that timetable, moving the date for the ban of paraquat and chlorpyrifos to 1 June 2020. They lifted the ban on glyphosate with restrictions on usage: glyphosate will be used only on six major crops: corn, cassava, sugarcane, rubber, oil palms, and fruit. It is not permitted in watershed areas and other sensitive environment zones, and farmers must submit proof of use including the type of crops and the size of their farms when purchasing glyphosate. Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, who chairs the NHSC, said the committee reached its decision after reviewing information provided by the Department of Agriculture and the Ministry of Public Health. NCHS member Jirapon Limpananon, chair of the Pharmacy Council of Thailand, announced her resignation from the NCHS Wednesday night following the meeting.

Misrepresentation

In September 2016, a shipment of pork labelled "halal"-a permissible food for Muslims-was delivered to a hotel in Krabi Province. The Central Islamic Committee of Thailand (CICOT) denounced the use of a halal-certified logo on pork, saying it will take legal action against people responsible. The committee found the halal label to be fake. Under Thai laws, CICOT is responsible for certifying halal products.

A survey of the quality of fish sauce sold across Thailand reported that just over one-third of the samples were not up to standards set by the Public Health Ministry. The three-year survey, from 2012 to 2015, involved 1,121 samples of fish sauce sold under 422 brands from 245 manufacturers. Of the total analysed, 410 samples, or 36.5 percent, did not meet the standard. The major reasons for the substandard fish sauce were low nitrogen readings and the ratio of glutamic acid to nitrogen either higher or lower than the required standards.

Whereas many Thai dishes are now familiar in the West, the vast majority are not. In many of the dishes below, different kinds of protein, or combinations of protein, are interchangeable as the main ingredient. Beef ( nuea), chicken ( kai), pork ( mu), duck ( pet), tofu ( taohu), fish ( pla), prawns or shrimp ( kung), crab ( pu), shellfish ( hoi), or egg ( khai) can, for example, all be used as main ingredients for kaeng phet (red curry). Thus kaeng phet kai is red curry with chicken and kaeng phet mu is red curry made with pork.

Khao chao ( Thai: ข้าวเช้า; lit.  ' morning rice/food '), breakfast dishes, for Thais are limited. Very often, a Thai breakfast can consist of the same dishes with rice which are also eaten for lunch or dinner. Single dishes such as fried rice, noodle soups, and steamed rice with something simple such as an omelette, fried/grilled pork or chicken, or a stir fry with vegetables, are commonly sold for breakfast from street stalls as a quick take-out.

Khao khai chiao - an omelet (khai chiao) with white rice, often eaten with a chili sauce and slices of cucumber.

Khao tom - a Thai style rice soup, usually with pork, chicken, fish, or shrimp.

- The Thai version of the Chinese deep-fried bread called youtiao. It can be topped up with spreads such as sangkhaya or with chocolate and sweetened condensed milk.

Nam taohu - Soy milk which is often served with sweet jellies.

The term ahan chan diao ( Thai: อาหารจานเดียว; lit.  ' single dish food ') represents truly single-plate dishes as well as dishes that are served "rat khao" ( lit.   ' poured on rice '): one or more dishes served together with rice on one plate. Some eateries offer a large selection of (pre-cooked) dishes; others specialize in only a one dish, or a few dishes, with rice.

Khanom chin kaeng kiao wan kai - fresh Thai rice noodles (khanom chin) served in a bowl with green chicken curry as a sauce. Raw vegetables, herbs, and fish sauce are served on the side and can be added to taste.

Khanom chin nam ngiao - A specialty of northern Thailand, it is Thai fermented rice noodles served with pork blood tofu and raw vegetables, in a sauce made with pork broth and tomato, crushed fried dry chilies, chicken blood, dry fermented soy bean, and dried red kapok flowers.

Khanom chin namya - round boiled rice noodles topped with a fish-based sauce and eaten with fresh leaves and vegetables.

Khao kha mu - steamed rice served with red cooked pork leg, steamed mustard greens, pickled cabbage, sweet-sour chili sauce, raw garlic, fresh bird's eye chilies, and boiled egg.

Khao khluk kapi - rice stir fried with shrimp paste, served with sweetened pork and vegetables.

Khao man kai - rice steamed in chicken stock with garlic, with boiled chicken, chicken stock, and a spicy dipping sauce. It is usually served with a bowl of radish soup, or nam kaeng hua chai thao.

Khao mu daeng - slices of Thai-style Chinese is served with rice, sliced cucumber, and a thickened gravy. This often comes with a bowl of broth and a few stalks of raw scallions. Thick, black soy sauce with sliced chilies is used as condiment.

Khao na pet - rice served with slices of red-roast duck, sliced cucumber, and a thickened gravy. It is served with the same spicy soy sauce condiment as aforementioned khao mu daeng and also often comes with a bowl of soup, and additional stalks of raw scallions.

- One of the most common rice dishes in Thailand. Usually with chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, crab, coconut or pineapple, or vegetarian (che; Thai: เจ).

Khao phat American - although devised in Thailand, it is called "American-style" fried rice because the rice is fried with tomato ketchup, may contain raisins, and is served with a fried egg, hot dogs, and bacon, which were all viewed as being typically American ingredients.

Khao phat kai - fried rice with chicken.

Khao phat mu - fried rice with pork.

Khao phat pu - fried rice with crab meat.

Khao phat kung - fried rice with shrimp.

Khao phat naem - fried rice with fermented sausage (naem, a typically sausage from the northeast, it is similar to the Vietnamese ).

Kuaitiao nam and bami nam - noodle soup can be eaten at any time of day; served with many combinations of proteins, vegetables, and spicy condiments. The word kuaitiao, although originally designating only sen yai (wide rice noodles), is now used colloquially for rice noodles in general: sen mi (rice vermicelli), sen lek (narrow rice noodles) and the aforementioned sen yai. The yellow egg noodles are called bami. Four condiments are usually provided on the table: sugar, fish sauce, chili flakes, and sliced chilies in vinegar.

Kuaitiao lukchin pla - noodle soup with fish balls.

Bami mu daeng - egg noodles with Thai-style .

Kuaitiao rat na - wide rice noodles covered in a gravy, with beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, or seafood.

Mi Krop - deep fried rice vermicelli with a sweet and sour sauce.

Phat khi mao - noodles stir fried with chilies and holy basil.

- rice noodles (often kuai tiao) stir fried with si-io dam (thick sweet soy sauce) and nam pla (fish sauce) and pork or chicken.

pad thai - rice noodles pan fried with fish sauce, sugar, lime juice or tamarind pulp, chopped peanuts, and egg combined with chicken, seafood, or tofu. It is listed at number five on the World's 50 most delicious foods readers' poll compiled by CNNGo in 2011.

Kai phat khing - chicken stir fried with sliced ginger.

Kaeng khiao wan - called "green curry" in English, it is a coconut curry made with fresh green chillies and flavoured with Thai basil, and chicken or fish meatballs. This dish can be one of the spiciest of Thai curries.

Kaeng phanaeng - a mild creamy coconut curry with beef (phanaeng nuea), chicken, or pork. It includes some roasted dried spices similar to kaeng matsaman.

Kaeng som - a hot and sour soup/curry usually eaten together with rice

Kai phat met mamuang himmaphan - The Thai Chinese version of the Sichuan style chicken with cashews known as cashew chicken, fried with whole dried chilies.

Phat phak ruam - stir fried combination of vegetables depending on availability and preference.

Phat phrik - often eaten as nuea phat phrik: beef stir fried with chilli.

Phat kaphrao - beef, pork, prawns, or chicken stir fried with Thai holy basil, chillies, garlic, and soy sauce; for instance mu phat kaphrao /kaphrao mu with minced pork.

Thot man - deep fried fishcake made from knifefish (thot man pla krai) or shrimp (thot man kung).

or kaeng chuet - a clear soup with vegetables and, for instance, wunsen (cellophane noodles), taohu (silken tofu), mu sap (minced pork), or het (mushrooms). It is of Thai Chinese origin.

Tom kha kai - hot spicy soup with coconut milk, galangal, and chicken.

- hot & sour soup with meat. With shrimp it is called tom yam goong or tom yam kung, with seafood (typically shrimp, squid, fish) tom yam thale, with chicken tom yam kai.

Chuchi pla kaphong - snapper in chuchi curry sauce (thick red curry sauce)

Pla nueng manao - steamed fish with a spicy lime juice dressing.

Pla sam rot - literally, 'three flavours fish': deep fried fish with a sweet, tangy and spicy tamarind sauce.

Pu cha - a mixture of cooked crab meat, pork, garlic and pepper, deep fried inside the crab shells and served with a simple spicy sauce, such as Sriracha sauce, sweet-hot garlic sauce, nam phrik phao (roasted chilli paste), nam chim buai (plum sauce), or in a red curry paste, with chopped green onions. It is sometimes also served as deep fried patties instead of being fried in the crab shell.

Som tam - grated green papaya salad, pounded with a mortar and pestle, similar to the Laotian and Isan Tam mak hoong. There are three main variations There are three main variations: Som tam with peanuts, dried shrimp and palm sugar, Som tam pu with pickled rice-paddy crab, and Som tam pla ra with salted gourami fish, white eggplants, fish sauce and long beans. Som tam is usually eaten with sticky rice but a popular variation is to serve it with Khanom chin (rice noodles) instead.

Yam - general name for many different kinds of sour Thai salads, such as those made with glass noodles (yam wunsen), with seafood (yam thale), or grilled beef (yam nuea). The dressing of a "yam" will normally consist of shallots, fish sauce, tomato, lime juice, sugar, chilies and Thai celery (khuenchai), or coriander.

Yam pla duk fu - crispy fried catfish with a spicy, sweet-and-sour, green mango salad.

Tam maak hoong, more spicy and salty version of som tam, usually contains pla ra (a sauce of fermented fish).

Ahan Isan ( Thai: อาหารอีสาน; lit.  ' ') generally features dishes similar to those found in Laos, as Isan people historically have close ties with Lao culture and speak a language that is generally mutually intelligible with the Lao language. The staple food of Isan is glutinous rice and most of the Isan food is spicy and cooked with local ingredients found on the farms all through northeastern Thailand. Isan people primarily get their income from farming. Rice, sugar cane, pineapple, potato, and rubber are all farmed in this region.

Kaeng khae hoi (snail curry) - Kaeng khae hoi or kaeng khao khua hoi requires the same ingredients as kaeng khae except for using snails instead of chicken. Roasted ground rice thickens the liquid.

Lap kai - Lap kai requires minced chicken meat and fresh chicken blood mixed with chili paste for lap made from roasted dried chilies and spices. It is usually eaten with a variety of vegetables and herbs that are pungent known as "phak kap lap". Lap dip refers to the uncooked kind. "Lap suk" is the cooked version which is stir fried with a little oil and water.

Yam tao (paddy crabs in algae with eggplant) - Yam tao or tam tao is made from fresh water algae grown in paddy fields in Isan and 2-3 kinds of sliced eggplant with boiled crabs and ginger leaves as well as fresh bird chilies.

Tam khai mot daeng (ant eggs and roasted vegetables) - Tam khai mot daeng is made the same as other kinds of "tam" dishes with roasted long peppers and two kinds of chopped mint to enhance the flavor. Shrimp paste is not used in this recipe.

Namphrik maeng da (water beetle and chili dip) - This is a rather dry or very thick kind of chili dish. Any kind of chilies (preferably fresh) can be used. Other kinds of edible beetles or wasps or bees can be used instead of the maeng da. Because of the pungent odor of the maeng da, garlic should be left out.

Yam phak kum dong (pickled phak kum leaf) - The greens of phak kum have to be pickled for at least three days the same way as pickling mustard greens (phak kat). This recipe calls for roasted dried chilies.

No o (pickled bamboo shoots) - No o refers to bamboo shoots that have a strong smell by the process of quick pickling (2-3 days). Some recipes pickle the shoots with the peels and take off the peel just before boiling. Boiling should be rather long for a good result.

Namphrik maeng chon (mola crickets and chili dip) - This kind of chili dish is rather dry and very thick. Use fresh chilies of any kind. Other kinds of edible insects or larvae can be used instead of mola crickets which will be called by the name of the insects used as the main ingredients such as wasp, grasshopper, or bee larvae (namphrik to, namphrik taen and namphrik phueng).

Khai mot daeng - ant eggs - clean and high in protein nutrients. Red ants eat mango leaves so their bodies taste like a squirt of lime, but their fresh eggs are fatty and sweet.

Kai yang - marinated, grilled chicken.

Nam chim chaeo - is a sticky, sweet and spicy dipping sauce made with dried chilies, fish sauce, palm sugar, and black roasted rice flour. It is often served as a dip with mu yang (grilled pork).

Phat mi Khorat - a stir fried rice noodle dish commonly served with papaya salad in Thailand. Dried rice noodles of many colors are a specific ingredient for this dish.

Tam maak hoong or Som tam pla ra - spicy papaya salad, similar to central thai som tam, but more spicy and less sweet, and containts (a sauce of fermented fish).

Tom saep - Northeastern-style hot and sour soup.

Yam naem khao thot or naem khluk - a salad made of crumbled rice-and-curry croquettes and sour pork sausage.

Ahan Phak Nuea ( Thai: อาหารภาคเหนือ; lit.  ' northern region food ') shares certain dishes with neighboring Shan State, in Burma, and with Laos. As in northeastern Thailand, glutinous rice, not jasmine rice, is eaten as the staple food.

Aep - Slow-grilled wrapped in banana leaves, this dish is most often made with chopped meat, small fish or edible insects, mixed with beaten eggs and spices.

Kaeng hang le - a Burmese-influenced stewed pork curry which uses peanuts, dried chilies, tamarind juice and curry paste in the recipe, but no coconut milk.

- is a spicy curry of herbs, vegetables, the leaves of an acacia tree () and meat (chicken, water buffalo, pork or frog). It does not contain coconut milk.

Kaeng khanun - a curry of pork stewed with green jackfruit. Like all northern Thai curries, it does not contain coconut milk.

- Pa in this context has nothing to do with ahan pa ('jungle food'). It does not consist of ingredients found in the forest. It refers to a simple dish with spicy and salty flavours.

- drier and smokier in taste, northern Thai larb does not contain lime or fish sauce. Instead it's flavoured and seasoned with a mix of ground dried chillies, dried spices like cumin, cloves, long pepper, star anise, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, and occasionally blood of the animal used.

Nam phrik kha - thick relish made with roasted chilies, garlic, galangal, and salt. This specialty is often served as a dip for steamed mushrooms or steamed sliced beef shank.

Nam phrik nam oi - brown sugar chili sauce - brown cane sugar sauce is good as a dip for such sour tasting fruit as green mangoes, mango plums, or tamarinds.

Nam phrik nam pu - crab and chili Sauce - Namphrik nam pu is rather thick to almost dry. Many kinds of fresh chilies can be used also. Including smoked chilies.

Nam phrik num - a chili paste of pounded large green chilies, shallots, garlic, coriander leaves, lime juice and fish sauce; eaten with steamed and raw vegetables, and sticky rice.

Nam phrik pla - fish chili sauce - Namphrik pla or fish chili sauce can be a little thick or thin depending on the amount of liquid from the boiling fish one puts in it. Grilled fish can be used instead of boiled fish. Any kinds of fresh chilies can be used from mild to the hottest kinds to suit one's taste. It goes well with water clover, tips of lead tree greens, or crispy eggplant.

Nam phrik ong - resembling a thick Bolognese sauce, it is made with dried chilies, minced pork, fermented soy beans, and tomato; eaten with steamed and raw vegetables, and sticky rice.

Sai ua - a grilled sausage of ground pork mixed with spices and herbs; it is often served with chopped fresh ginger and chilies at a meal. It is sold at markets in Chiang Mai as a snack.

Tam som-o - a salad made from the slightly pounded flesh of a pomelo fruit, which is mixed with garlic, sliced lemongrass, and a thick pungent black paste (nam pu) made from boiling down the juices and meat of rice-paddy crab.

Ahan Phak Tai ( Thai: อาหารภาคใต้; lit.  ' southern region food ') shares certain dishes with the cuisine of northern Malaysia. Southern Thais, just like the people of central Thailand to the north, and the people of Malaysia to the south, eat non-glutinous rice as their staple food.

Kaeng matsaman - known in English as Massaman curry, is an Indian-Malay style curry of stewed beef containing roasted dried spices, such as coriander seeds, that are rarely found in other Thai curries. In 2011 CNNGo ranked massaman as number one in an article titled World's 50 most delicious foods.

Khao mok - Thai-Malay style biryani, a specialty of southern Thailand's Malay community.

Khao yam - a rice salad from southern Thailand.

Khua kling - a dry spicy curry made with minced or diced meat with sometimes yard long beans added to it; often served with fresh green phrik khi nu (Thai chilies) and finely shredded bai makrut (kaffir lime leaves).

Sate - grilled meat, usually pork or chicken, served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce (of Malaysian-Indonesian origin, but now a popular street food in Thailand).

Bai liang phat khai - or Gnetum gnemon is native to Southeast Asia. It is widely used in Thai. Bai liang tastes sweet and a bit greasy, not rank and bitter like other species. It is commonly eaten as a vegetable with chili sauce and used to make a variety of dishes such as stir-fry with red curry. A popular dish is stir-fried with eggs called Bai liang phat khai.

( Thai: ของหวาน; ) lit. 'sweet things'). Although most Thai meals finish with fresh fruit, sometimes sweet snacks, often eaten between meals, will also be served as a dessert.

Chor muang

Khanom krok - coconut-rice pancakes, one of the ancient Thai desserts.

Khanom krok bai toei - ancient Thai dessert, shaped to look like flowers.

Khao tom mat - a traditional Thai dessert prepared from sticky rice, coconut milk, and banana.

Khanom chan - multi-layers of pandanus-flavoured sticky rice flour mixed with coconut milk. It is one of the nine auspicious Thai desserts.

Khanom dok chok - crispy lotus blossom cookie made from starch, eggs, and coconut milk.

Khanom farang kudi chin - a sponge cake of Portuguese origin made in the Kudi Chin community in Bangkok's Thon Buri District. The cake was baked Portuguese-style in a wood-fired oven, but the pumpkin topping came from local Chinese who considered the fruit auspicious. It uses only three ingredients: flour, duck eggs, and sugar. The cake has been named by Bangkok City Hall as one of the six "local wisdoms" of Bangkok considered worthy of preservation.

Khanom chak - sticky rice flour mixed with shredded coconut, covered with nipa palm leaves.

Khanom ja mongkut - One of nine auspicious Thai sweets made of egg yolks, coconut milk, sugar, and flour which is slow cooked until it becomes a paste, which is then carved into crown shapes.

Khanom kai hong - Sphere candy has mincemeat eaten only palace people in reign of King Rama I.[clarification needed ]

Khanom kho

Khanom la

Khanom piakpun - square shaped, made from coconut milk and pandan juice, cut into pieces and served.

Khanom tan - palm-flavoured mini cake topped with shredded coconut.

Khanom tom - a rice flour dumpling filled with palm sugar and shredded coconut and topped with shredded coconut.

Khanom thuai talai - steamed sweet coconut jelly and cream.

Khanom wong

Khao lam - cake made from steamed rice mixed with beans or peas, grated coconut, and coconut milk.

Khao niao mamuang - sticky rice cooked in sweetened thick coconut milk, served with slices of ripe mango.

Khao niew tua dum -sticky rice cooked in sweetened thick coconut milk with black turtle beans.

Kluai buat chi - bananas in coconut milk.

Mamuang kuan - sweets made from preserved mango, often sold as flat wafers, or as a roll.

Roti saimai - Thai-style cotton candy wrapped in roti.

Ruam mit - mixed ingredients, such as chestnuts covered in flour, jackfruit, lotus root, tapioca, and lot chong, in coconut milk.

Sangkhaya - coconut custard variant.

Sarim - multi-colored mung bean flour noodles in sweetened coconut milk served with crushed ice.

Thong yip- "pinched gold egg yolks". One of the nine auspicious Thai desserts.

Thong yot - sweet round egg ball. One of the nine auspicious Thai desserts.

According to the Bangkok Post, aitim tat ( Thai: ; "cut ice cream"), was very popular 30 years ago (1986). It came in rectangular bars of various flavors, sliced into pieces by the vendor, who then inserted two wooden sticks into the pieces to use as holders. Aitim tat was made from milk, coconut milk, flour, sugar, and artificial flavour. The price was one or two baht, depending on the size.

The Pop Company in the 1970s set up the first ice-cream manufacturing plant in Thailand. The company used a duck logo, resulting it the nickname aitim tra pet ( Thai: ; "duck brand ice cream"). It was sold in front of Chaloemchai Theater. Its most popular offering was called "banana split", with three flavors of ice cream, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

Cha yen - Thai iced tea.

Nam maphrao - the juice of a young coconut, often served inside the coconut.

Nam matum - a refreshing and healthy drink made from the fruit of the Bael tree.

Nom yen - a drink made from sala syrup and hot milk.

- a traditional distilled spirits, since Ayutthaya period, which perhaps give origin to Okinawa liquor called Awamori.

Nam bai bua bok - A refreshing and healthy drink is made from the green leaf of the Centella asiatica.

Other alcoholic beverages from Thailand include Hong Thong, Phraya, Regency, Mekhong and Sang Som. Several brands of beer are brewed in Thailand; the two most prominent brands are Singha and Chang.

Edible insects, whole or in chili paste and as ingredients in fortified products, are common in Thailand. Some claim that Thailand is the world leader in edible insects. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that there are about 20,000 cricket farms alone in 53 of Thailand's 76 provinces.

A wide range of insects are eaten in Thailand, especially in Isan and in the north. Many markets in Thailand sell deep-fried grasshoppers, crickets ( ching-rit), bee larvae, silkworm ( non mai), ant eggs ( khai mot) and termites. The culinary creativity even extends to naming: one tasty larva, which is also known under the name "bamboo worm" ( non mai phai, Omphisa fuscidentalis), is colloquially called "express train" ( rot duan) due to its appearance.

Most insects reportedly taste fairly bland when deep-fried. In contrast to the bland taste of most of these insects, the maeng da or maelong da na (Lethocerus indicus) has been described as having a very penetrating taste, similar to that of a very ripe gorgonzola cheese. This giant water bug is famously used in a chili dip called nam phrik maeng da. Ant eggs and silkworms are eaten boiled in a soup in Isan, or used in egg dishes in northern Thailand.

Street food, food courts, and market food

The street food culture of Southeast Asia was introduced by workers imported from China during the late 19th century. As a result, many Thai street foods are derived from or heavily influenced by Chinese cuisine. Street food was commonly sold by the ethnic Chinese population of Thailand and did not become popular among native Thai people until the early 1960s, when the rapid urban population growth stimulated the street food culture, and by the 1970s, it had "displaced home-cooking."

The quality and choice of street food in Thailand is world-renowned. Bangkok is often mentioned as one of the best street food cities in the world, and even called the street food capital of the world. The website VirtualTourist says: "Few places in the world, if any, are as synonymous with street food as Thailand. For the variety of locations and abundance of options, we selected Bangkok, Thailand, as our number one spot for street food. Bangkok is notable for both its variety of offerings and the city's abundance of street hawkers."

There is scarcely a Thai dish that is not sold by a street vendor or at a market somewhere in Thailand. Some specialize in only one or two dishes; others offer a complete menu that rival that of restaurants. Some sell only pre-cooked foods, while others make food to order. Foods that are made to order tend to be dishes that can be quickly prepared: quick stir fries with rice, such as phat kaphrao (spicy basil-fried minced pork, chicken, or seafood) or phat khana (stir fried gailan) and quick curries such as pladuk phat phet (catfish fried with red curry paste).

Street food during the Yasothon Rocket Festival

Noodles are a popular street food item as they are mainly eaten as a single dish. Chinese-style noodle soups, fried noodles, and fermented Thai rice noodles (khanom chin), served with a choice of different Thai curries, are popular. Nearly everywhere in Thailand, you will see som tam ( green papaya salad) and sticky rice sold at stalls and roadside shops. This is popularly eaten together with grilled chicken, but if the shop does not sell any themselves, someone else nearby will. In most cities and towns there will be stalls selling sweet roti, a thin, flat fried dough envelope, with fillings such as banana, egg, and chocolate. The roti is similar to the Malay and Singaporean , and the stalls are often operated by Thai Muslims. Sweets snacks, collectively called khanom, such as tako (coconut cream jelly), khanom man (coconut cassava cake), and khanom wun (flavored jellies), can be seen displayed on large trays in glass covered push-carts. Other sweets, such as khanom bueang and khanom krok (somewhat similar to Dutch poffertjes), are made to order.

In the evenings, mobile street stalls, often only a scooter with a side car, drive by and temporarily set up shop outside bars in Thailand, selling kap klaem ("drinking food"). Popular kap klaem dishes sold by mobile vendors are grilled items such as sun-dried squid, meats on skewers, or grilled sour sausages, and deep-fried snacks such as fried insects or fried sausages. Peeled and sliced fruits are also sold from street carts, laid out on a bed of crushed ice to preserve their freshness. Salapao, steamed buns filled with meat or sweet beans and the Thai version of the Chinese steamed , are also commonly sold by mobile vendors.

Food markets in Thailand, large open air halls with permanent stalls, tend to operate as a collection of street stalls, each vendor with their own set of tables and providing (limited) service, although some resemble the regular food courts at shopping malls and large supermarkets, with service counters and the communal use of tables. Food courts and food markets offer many of the same foods as street stalls, both pre-cooked as well as made to order. Night food markets, in the form of a collection of street stalls and mobile vendors, spring up in parking lots, along busy streets, and at temple fairs and local festivals in the evenings, when the temperatures are more agreeable and people have finished work.

The dishes sold at wet markets in Thailand tend to be offered pre-cooked. Many people go there, and also to street vendors, to buy food for at work, or to take back home. It is a common sight to see Thais carrying whole communal meals consisting of several dishes, cooked rice, sweets, and fruit, all neatly packaged in plastic bags and foam food containers, to be shared with colleagues at work or at home with friends and family. Due to the fact that many dishes are similar to those that people would cook at home, it is a good place to find regional, and seasonal, foods.

Although the Vegetarian Festival is celebrated each year by a portion of Thailand's population, and many restaurants in Thailand will offer vegetarian food during this festival period, pure vegetarian food is usually difficult to find in normal restaurants and eateries in Thailand. All traditionally made Thai curries, for instance, contain shrimp paste, and fish sauce is used as salt in many Thai dishes. At shops and restaurants that specifically cater to vegetarians, substitutes for these ingredients are used. Meat dishes are also commonly part of the alms offered to Buddhist monks in Thailand, as vegetarianism is not considered obligatory in Theravada Buddhism, but having an animal killed specifically to feed Buddhist monks is prohibited.

In most towns and cities, traditional Buddhist vegetarian fare, without any meat or seafood products of any kind and also excluding certain strong tasting vegetables and spices, is sold at specialized vegetarian restaurants which can be recognized by a yellow sign with in Thai script the word che ( Thai: ) or ahan che ( Thai: ) written on it in red. These restaurants serve what can be regarded as vegan food. Many Indian restaurants of the sizable Thai-Indian community will also have vegetarian dishes on offer, due to the fact that vegetarianism is held as an ideal by many followers of the Hindu faith. Indian vegetarian cuisine can incorporate dairy products and honey. Due to the increased demand for vegetarian food from foreign tourists, many hotels, guesthouses and restaurants that cater to them will now also have vegetarian versions of Thai dishes on their menu. Pescatarians would have very few problems with Thai cuisine due to the abundance of Thai dishes which only contain fish and seafood as their source of animal protein.

Thai cuisine only became well-known worldwide from the 1960s on, when Thailand became a destination for international tourism and US troops arrived in large numbers during the Vietnam War. The number of Thai restaurants went up from four in the 1970s London to between two and three hundred in less than 25 years. The earliest attested Thai restaurant in the United States, "Chada Thai", opened its doors in 1959 in Denver, Colorado. It was run by the former newspaper publisher Lai-iad (Lily) Chittivej. The oldest Thai restaurant in London, "The Bangkok Restaurant", was opened in 1967 by Mr and Mrs Bunnag, a former Thai diplomat and his wife, in South Kensington.

The global popularity of Thai cuisine is seen as an important factor in promoting tourism, and also increased exports of Thailand's agricultural sector. It is a result of deliberate "gastrodiplomacy". In June 2009, the Tourism Authority of Thailand organised a conference to discuss these matters at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok. TAT Governor Seree Wangpaichitr said, "This conference was long overdue. The promotion of Thai cuisine is one of our major niche-market targets. Our figures show that visitors spent 38.8 billion baht on eating and drinking last year, up 16% over 1997."

The Thaksin administration (2001-2006) launched the "Kitchen of the World" campaign early in its tenure to promote Thai cuisine internationally, with a yearly budget of 500 million baht. It provided loans and training for restaurateurs seeking to establish Thai restaurants overseas; established the "Thai Select" certification program which encouraged the use of ingredients imported from Thailand; and promoted integration between Thai investors, Thai Airways, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand with Thai restaurants overseas.

The program was explained in Thailand: Kitchen of the World, an e-book published to promote the program. The point of the e-book: "In the view of the Export Promotion Department, Thai restaurants have a good business potential that can be developed to maintain a high level of international recognition. To achieve that goal, the department is carrying out a public relations campaign to build up a good image of the country through Thai restaurants worldwide."

The Department of Export Promotion of the Thai Ministry of Commerce offers potential restaurateurs plans for three different "master restaurant" types-from fast food to elegant-which investors can choose as a prefabricated restaurant plan. Concomitantly, the Export-Import Bank of Thailand offered loans to Thai nationals aiming to open restaurants abroad, and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand set up an infrastructure for loans of up to US$3 million for overseas food industry initiatives, including Thai restaurants.

One survey conducted in 2003 by the Kellogg School of Management and Sasin Institute showed that Thai cuisine ranked fourth when people were asked to name an ethnic cuisine, after Italian, French, and Chinese cuisine. When asked "what is your favourite cuisine?", Thailand's cuisine came in at sixth place, behind the three aforementioned cuisines, and Indian and Japanese cuisine.

In the list of the "World's 50 most delicious foods", compiled by CNN in 2011, stands at place 46, at 19, tom yam kung at 8, and massaman curry stands on first place as most delicious food in the world. In a reader's poll held a few months later by CNN, Nam tok mu came in at 36, Thai fried rice at 24, green curry at 19, massaman curry at 10, and Thai som tam, pad thai, and tom yam kung at six, five, and four.

In 2012, the British Restaurant Magazine included Nahm Bangkok of chef David Thompson in its yearly list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants.

In 2011, the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef in the Northwestern United States, was presented to Andy Ricker of restaurant " Pok Pok" in Portland, Oregon, and for Best Chef in the Southwestern United States to Saipin Chutima of restaurant "Lotus of Siam" in Winchester, Nevada.

Three restaurants that specialize in Thai cuisine, but are owned by non-Thai chefs, have received Michelin stars:

The Thai government believes that a substandard Thai restaurant meal served abroad "...sabotages the country's reputation." To ensure the quality of Thai food abroad, the government has over the years initiated a series of programs designed to create universal standards for Thai food.

Soon thereafter, the Ministry of Labor created Krua Thai Su Krua Lok ('Thai kitchen goes global'). Its centerpiece was a 10-day Thai cooking course for those who wanted to prepare Thai food overseas. The effort was short-lived.

After some officials had a bad Thai meal abroad, in 2013 the Yingluck administration had the idea of standardising Thai food everywhere. The National Food Institute (NFI) came up with a program called Rod Thai Tae ('authentic Thai taste'). A parallel effort was called the "Thai Delicious" project.

Develop Thai recipes with "authentic taste" and establish them as standard recipes

Develop biosensor equipment to analyze and evaluate taste and flavors

Develop institutional food (ready-to-cook products) based on the standardized recipes to meet the demand for Thai food in foreign countries

Provide a food certification service as well as training for local and foreign chefs working in Thai restaurants worldwide

The agency has posted 11 "authentic" recipes for tom yam kung ( nam sai), tom yam kung ( nam khon), pad thai, Massaman curry, kaeng khiao wan (green curry), kaeng lueang (southern Thai sour curry), golek chicken sauce, , (northern Thai sausage), nam phrik num (green pepper chili paste), and nam phrik ong (northern Thai chili paste). These recipes were featured at a gala dinner promoting "Authentic Thai Food for the World", held at the Plaza Athénée Hotel Bangkok on 24 August 2016 at which Thailand's Minister of Industry was the honored guest. By 2020, Thai Delicious plans to post over 300 Thai food recipes.

To determine authenticity, Thai researchers developed the "e-delicious machine", described as "...an intelligent robot that measures smell and taste in food ingredients through sensor technology in order to measure taste like a food critic." The machine evaluates food by measuring its conductivity at different voltages. Readings from 10 sensors are combined to produce a chemical signature. Because the machine cannot judge taste, the food is compared with a standard derived from a database of popular preferences for each dish. For tom yam, the spicy soup flavored with Kaffir lime leaves and coriander, researchers posted notices at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, requesting 120 tasters. The tasters-students, university staff, and area workers-were paid a few baht for their opinions. They were served 10 differently prepared soups and rated each one. The winning soup was declared the standard, and its chemical characteristics were programmed into the machine. When testing food, the machine returns a numerical score from one to 100. A score lower than 80 is deemed "not up to standard". The machine cost about US$100,000 to develop. Restaurants that follow officially sanctioned recipes can affix a "Thai Delicious" logo to their menus. Each machine sold for 200,000 baht. This project was shelved.

Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat announced in 2018 that between 2020 and 2024, his ministry will investigate ways to preserve authentic Thai cuisine from the increasing influence of foreign dishes. "Unique in its preparation with recipes handed down for generations, Thai culinary art needs better protection against foreign influences which are now changing the look and taste of certain local dishes," he warned. The plan will conform to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ( UNESCO). The 2003 convention intends to protect the "uses, representations, expressions, knowledge and techniques that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals, recognised as an integral part of their cultural heritage".

On average, Thai people consume 4,300 mg of sodium per day, twice the WHO's recommended maximum. Thai street food is one of the top three contributors to high salt intake. The Public Health Ministry has embarked on a program to reduce the population's salt consumption by 30 percent.

David Thompson, Classic Thai Cuisine, 145 pages, Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1993, ISBN 0-89815-563-0

Padoongpatt, Mark (September 2017). Flavors of Empire: Food and the Making of Thai America. American Crossroads (Book 45) (1st ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520293748.

Joe Cummings, Lonely Planet World Food Thailand, 288 pages, Lonely Planet Publications, 2000, ISBN 978-1-86450-026-4

Andy Ricker, Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand, 304 pages, Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2013, ISBN 978-1607742883

ML Sirichalerm Svasti (Chef McDang), The Principles of Thai Cookery, 304 pages, McDang dot Com Company, Limited, 2010, ISBN 978-6-16906-010-9

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with aromatics and spicy heat. The Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai food, observes that unlike many other cuisines, Thai cooking is "about the juggling of disparate elements to create a harmonious finish.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pad Thai Noodles with King Prawns Tasted in London. Street Food Dish. Patara Thai Restaurant

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The only thing more rewarding than eating in Singapore is eating like a local. That means knowing all the inside stories of how and why different cultures in Singapore eat the way they do. In a business or casual setting, most Singaporeans are easygoing about table etiquette so feel free to ask if you're unsure about anything.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Learning to cook is much like mathematics; if you don't understand the fundamental principles, you won't be able to use them in complex solutions. Okay, bad analogy, but hey, you get it right?

Cooking has come a long way since cavemen discovered they can make food more delicious with fire. And in today's small world it got even more complicated. Cuisines from all over come together in beautifully delectable ways.

But don't fret, complex as it may be, there are still easy ways to get around it.

This post will be discussing cooking methods - what they are and how they're done. This should take you one step closer to being a kitchen master.

Cooking methods are basically the procedures done to create a dish. In culinary arts, cooking methods are generally divided into two categories:

As their names imply, the main difference between the two is how the heat is exposed to the ingredients- dry or moist.

Dry heat cooking is any means of cooking by which the heat is transferred without the aid of water-based moisture. For this reason, sautéing and deep-frying are included since oil or fat are not water based.

Baking and Roasting are also included since the air is used as a medium of heat transfer. Pan searing is also classified as dry heat cooking because of the use of the metal as the heat conductor. Temperature of 150°C or higher is usually needed for this method of cooking.

Moist heat cooking as an opposite of dry makes use of water-based liquids to transfer the heat. Anything with the use of wine to steam falls under this category. Cooking temperatures for this method are significantly lower than that of the dry, starting from 60°C to a maximum of 100°C because that is the maximum amount of heat that water can absorb and give off.

Different cooking methods have different purposes. Mistakes in this aspect can mean the failure of the whole food item. That's why, in cooking any kind of dish, knowledge about cooking methods are as essential as knowledge about the ingredients themselves.

A more in depth understanding about these methods can only be taught by diligence and experience.

To find out more about cooking methods and all the other necessities of cooking, send us an enquiry to Cooking Class Singapore .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cooking Methods | Makings of a Chef | Cooking Class Singapore

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learning to cook is much like mathematics; if you don't understand the fundamental principles, you won't be able to use them in complex solutions. Okay, bad analogy, but hey, you get it right? Cooking has come a long way since cavemen discovered they can make food more delicious with fire.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dark soy sauce is light soy that has been left to ferment further, which develops the flavour and intensity but reduces the saltiness. It's used in braised dishes like beef rendang and also in the dressing of rojak salad and adds a rich caramel brown colour to food.
Lemongrass
A tall, bulbous grass with a fragrant, creamy interior. It can be used finely ground in spice pastes or left whole when making curries or soups.
Chilli
Chillies (usually red) are an integral ingredient of most dishes, particularly Singaporean chilli crab.
Belacan
A paste of shrimp that is pressed into a block. It has an unpleasant pungent smell unroasted, but once roasted adds a beautiful depth of flavour to many dishes. Cut a small amount from block, wrap in foil and place in a hot oven or hold over flame using tongs. Then cool and crumble.
Palm sugar
Made from the sap of the palm tree that is boiled down and concentrated into moist sugar, it can range from dense bark brown to a light honey coloured shade. It's best grated for easy use.
Coconut cream and milk
Coconut cream and milk is made by grating the coconut flesh with water, then straining and pressing it. The cream is from the first extraction and is thicker. More water can then be added to the coconut flesh and pressed a second time to produce the lighter coconut milk.
Tomato sauce
Somewhat surprisingly, this is used for richness and sweetness in sauces when no further chilli is desired. It's an integral part of the sauce for Singapore chilli crab.
Kangkung
Also known as water spinach, this crunchy, hollow-stemmed green with long, pointed leaves is usually stir-fried as a crunchy side dish with belacan.
Yam / bean sargot / bung kwong
A pale brown tuber, yam bean has a white, crisp and slightly sweet flesh that is used most notably in popiah, a type of spring roll, or finely sliced in rojak. It is also known as jicama.
Green mango
Unripe and finely shredded, green mango adds a crunch and slightly tart flavour to salads including the crunchy fresh rojak, beloved of hawker stalls.
Taro
Brown skinned and covered in rough ridges, taro is a corn with white, pink or purple flesh. Thought to have been originally cultivated more than 7,000 years ago, it has a slightly sweet flavour and is similar in texture to potato. It's used in savoury and sweet dishes.
Ikan bilis
Dried anchovies that are eaten mainly as a snack, either on their own with sambal or cooked with peanuts. A great accompaniment for drinks.
Yau jar kwai / crispy crueller
A fried dough that is best eaten fresh and hot. Often eaten with a black coffee for breakfast or chopped and added to rojak or Chinese congee for extra crunch.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dark soy sauce Dark soy sauce is light soy that has been left to ferment further, which develops the flavour and intensity but reduces the saltiness. It's used in braised dishes like beef rendang and also in the dressing of rojak salad and adds a rich caramel brown colour to food.

# data[].attributes.body
What is the meaning of ASEAN?
ASEAN means.....
Name the 10 countries in ASEAN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN; AH-see-ahn, AH-zee-ahn) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration among its members and other countries in Asia.

ASEAN also regularly engages other countries in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. A major partner of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, ASEAN maintains a global network of alliances and dialogue partners and is considered by many as a global powerhouse, the central union for cooperation in Asia-Pacific, and a prominent and influential organization. It is involved in numerous international affairs, and hosts diplomatic missions throughout the world.

ASEAN was preceded by an organisation formed on 31 July 1961 called the Association of Southeast Asia ( ASA), a group consisting of Thailand, the Philippines, and the Federation of Malaya. ASEAN itself was created on 8 August 1967, when the foreign ministers of five countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, signed the ASEAN Declaration. As set out in the Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region, to promote regional peace, collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest, to provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities, to collaborate for better utilization of agriculture and industry to raise the living standards of the people, to promote Southeast Asian studies and to maintain close, beneficial co-operation with existing international organisations with similar aims and purposes.

The creation of ASEAN was motivated by a common fear of communism. The group achieved greater cohesion in the mid-1970s following a change in the balance of power after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. The region's dynamic economic growth during the 1970s strengthened the organization, enabling ASEAN to adopt a unified response to Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1979. ASEAN's first summit meeting, held in Bali, Indonesia in 1976, resulted in an agreement on several industrial projects and the signing of a Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, and a Declaration of Concord. The end of the Cold War allowed ASEAN countries to exercise greater political independence in the region, and in the 1990s ASEAN emerged as a leading voice on regional trade and security issues.

On 7 January 1984, Brunei became ASEAN's sixth member and on 28 July 1995, Vietnam joined as the seventh member. Laos and Myanmar (formerly Burma) joined two years later on 23 July 1997. Cambodia was to join at the same time as Laos and Myanmar, but an internal political struggle delayed its entry. It then joined on 30 April 1999 following the stabilization of its government.

In 2006, ASEAN was given observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. In response, the organisation awarded the status of "dialogue partner" to the UN.

On 15 December 2008, member states met in Jakarta to launch a charter, signed in November 2007, to move closer to "an EU-style community". The charter turned ASEAN into a legal entity and aimed to create a single free-trade area for the region encompassing 500 million people. President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated: "This is a momentous development when ASEAN is consolidating, integrating, and transforming itself into a community. It is achieved while ASEAN seeks a more vigorous role in Asian and global affairs at a time when the international system is experiencing a seismic shift". Referring to climate change and economic upheaval, he concluded: "Southeast Asia is no longer the bitterly divided, war-torn region it was in the 1960s and 1970s".

The financial crisis of 2007-2008 was seen as a threat to the charter's goals, and also set forth the idea of a proposed human rights body to be discussed at a future summit in February 2009. This proposition caused controversy, as the body would not have the power to impose sanctions or punish countries which violated citizens' rights and would, therefore, be limited in effectiveness. The body was established later in 2009 as the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). In November 2012, the commission adopted the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

The bloc also focused on peace and stability in the region. On 15 December 1995, the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was signed to turn Southeast Asia into a nuclear-weapon-free zone. The treaty took effect on 28 March 1997 after all but one of the member states had ratified it. It became fully effective on 21 June 2001 after the Philippines ratified it, effectively banning all nuclear weapons in the region. A similar treaty was signed in 2017, however, Singapore abstained from the vote.

The "ASEAN Way" refers to a methodology or approach to solving issues that respects the cultural norms of Southeast Asia. Masilamani and Peterson summarize it as "a working process or style that is informal and personal. Policymakers constantly utilize compromise, consensus, and consultation in the informal decision-making process... it above all prioritizes a consensus-based, non-conflictual way of addressing problems. Quiet diplomacy allows ASEAN leaders to communicate without bringing the discussions into the public view. Members avoid embarrassment that may lead to further conflict." It has been said that the merits of the ASEAN Way might "be usefully applied to global conflict management". However, critics have argued that such an approach can be only applied to Asian countries, to specific cultural norms and understandings notably, due to a difference in mindset and level of tension.

Critics object, claiming that the ASEAN Way's emphasis on consultation, consensus, and non-interference forces the organisation to adopt only those policies which satisfy the lowest common denominator. Decision-making by consensus requires members to see eye-to-eye before ASEAN can move forward on an issue. Members may not have a common conception of the meaning of the ASEAN Way. Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos emphasize non-interference while older member countries focus on co-operation and co-ordination. These differences hinder efforts to find common solutions to particular issues, but also make it difficult to determine when collective action is appropriate in a given situation.

In 1990, Malaysia proposed the creation of an East Asia Economic Caucus composed of the members of ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea. It intended to counterbalance the growing US influence in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Asia as a whole. However, the proposal failed because of strong opposition from the US and Japan. Work for further integration continued, and the ASEAN Plus Three, consisting of ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea, was created in 1997.

ASEAN Plus Three is a forum that functions as a coordinator of co-operation between the ASEAN and the three East Asian nations of China, South Korea, and Japan. Government leaders, ministers, and senior officials from the 10 members of the ASEAN and the three East Asian states consult on an increasing range of issues. The ASEAN Plus Three is the latest development of Southeast Asia-East Asia regional co-operation. In the past, proposals, such as South Korea's call for an Asian Common Market in 1970 and Japan's 1988 suggestion for an Asian Network, have been made to bring closer regional co-operation.

The first leaders' meetings were held in 1996 and 1997 to deal with Asia-Europe Meeting issues, and China and Japan each wanted regular summit meetings with ASEAN members afterwards. The group's significance and importance was strengthened by the Asian Financial Crisis. In response to the crisis, ASEAN closely cooperated with China, South Korea, and Japan. Since the implementation of the Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation in 1999 at the Manila Summit, ASEAN Plus Three finance ministers have been holding periodic consultations. ASEAN Plus Three, in establishing the Chiang Mai Initiative, has been credited as forming the basis for financial stability in Asia, the lack of such stability having contributed to the Asian Financial Crisis.

Since the process began in 1997, ASEAN Plus Three has also focused on subjects other than finance such as the areas of food and energy security, financial co-operation, trade facilitation, disaster management, people-to-people contacts, narrowing the development gap, rural development and poverty alleviation, human trafficking, labour movement, communicable diseases, environment and sustainable development, and transnational crime, including counter-terrorism. With the aim of further strengthening the nations' co-operation, East Asia Vision Group (EAVG) II was established at the 13th ASEAN Plus Three Summit on 29 October 2010 in Hanoi to stock-take, review, and identify the future direction of the co-operation.

ASEAN Plus Three was the first of attempts for further integration to improve existing ties of Southeast Asia with East Asian countries of China, Japan and South Korea. This was followed by the even larger East Asia Summit (EAS), which included ASEAN Plus Three as well as India, Australia, and New Zealand. This group acted as a prerequisite for the planned East Asia Community which was supposedly patterned after the European Community (now transformed into the European Union). The ASEAN Eminent Persons Group was created to study the possible successes and failures of this policy.

The group became ASEAN Plus Six with Australia, New Zealand, and India, and stands as the linchpin of Asia Pacific's economic, political, security, socio-cultural architecture, as well as the global economy. Codification of the relations between these countries has seen progress through the development of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed free-trade agreement involving the 16 countries of ASEAN Plus Six. RCEP would, in part, allow the members to protect local sectors and give more time to comply with the aim for developed country members.

Taiwan has been excluded from participating with the organization owing to China's influence on the Asia Pacific through its economic and diplomatic influence.

ASEAN Vision 2020 was formalised and made comprehensive through the Bali Concord II in 2003. Three major pillars of a single ASEAN community were established: Political-Security Community (APSC), Economic Community (AEC) and Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). To fully embody the three pillars as part of the 2015 integration, blueprints for APSC and ASCC were subsequently adopted in 2009 in Cha-am, Thailand. The ASEAN Community, initially planned to commence by 2020, was accelerated to begin by 31 December 2015. It was decided during the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu in 2007.

At the 23rd ASEAN Summit in November 2013, leaders decided to develop a post-2015 Vision and created the High-Level Task Force (HLTF) that consists of ten high-level representatives from all member states. The Vision was adopted at the 27th Summit in November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur. The ASEAN community would revise and renew its vision every ten years to provide a framework for continuous development and further integration.

The terms in the post-2015 Vision are divided into four subcategories, namely APSC, AEC, ASCC, and Moving Forward. APSC issues are covered under articles 7 and 8. The former generally states the overall aspiration of the community aiming for a united, inclusive and resilient community. It also puts human and environmental security as crucial points. Deepening engagement with both internal and external parties are also stressed to contribute to international peace, security and stability. The "Moving Forward" subcategory implies the acknowledgement of weaknesses of the institution's capacity to process and coordinate ASEAN work. Strengthening ASEAN Secretariat and other ASEAN organs and bodies is therefore desired. There is also a call for a higher level of ASEAN institutional presence at the national, regional and international levels.[citation needed ]

Additionally, ASEAN institutional weakness has been further amplified by the ineffectiveness of its initiatives in fighting against COVID-19. ASEAN has been making painstaking efforts to combat the pandemic by establishing both intra and extra-regional ad-hoc agencies such as theASEAN-China Ad-Hoc Health Ministers Joint Task Force, the Special ASEAN Summit on the COVID-19, COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund, and the Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19. These mechanisms aim to facilitate senior discussions among regional actors on how to contain the pandemic's spread and to reduce its negative impacts on the region. However, their practical implementations are still insignificant when the cooperation among member states is insubstantial, as illustrated by the polarisation of their COVID-19 policies and the high number of cases and deaths in the region.

The AEC aims to "implement economic integration initiatives" to create a single market for member states. The blueprint that serves as a comprehensive guide for the establishment of the community was adopted on 20 November 2007 at the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore. Its characteristics include a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of fair economic development, and a region fully integrated into the global economy. The areas of cooperation include human resources development, recognition of professional qualifications, closer consultation economic policies, enhanced infrastructure and communications connectivity, integrating industries for regional sourcing, and strengthening private sector involvement. Through the free movement of skilled labour, goods, services and investment, ASEAN would rise globally as one market, thus increasing its competitiveness and opportunities for development.

During the 14th ASEAN Summit, the group adopted the APSC Blueprint. This document is aimed at creating a robust political-security environment within ASEAN, with programs and activities outlined to establish the APSC by 2016. It is based on the ASEAN Charter, the ASEAN Security Community Plan of Action, and the Vientiane Action Program. The APSC aims to create a sense of responsibility toward comprehensive security and a dynamic, outward-looking region in an increasingly integrated and interdependent world.

The ASEAN Defence Industry Collaboration (ADIC) was proposed at the 4th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) on 11 May 2010 in Hanoi. It has the purpose, among others, to reduce defence imports from non-ASEAN countries by half and to further develop the defence industry in the region. It was formally adopted on the next ADMM on 19 May 2011, in Jakarta, Indonesia. The main focus is to industrially and technologically boost the security capability of ASEAN, consistent with the principles of flexibility and non-binding and voluntary participation among the member states. The concept revolves around education and capability-building programs to develop the skills and capabilities of the workforce, production of capital for defence products, and the provision of numerous services to address the security needs of each member state. It also aims to develop an intra-ASEAN defence trade. ADIC aims to establish a strong defence industry relying on the local capabilities of each member state and limit annual procurement from external original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Countries like the US, Germany, Russia, France, Italy, UK, China, South Korea, Israel, and the Netherlands are among the major suppliers to ASEAN. ASEAN defence budget rose by 147% from 2004 to 2013 and is expected to rise further in the future. Factors affecting the increase include economic growth, ageing equipment, and the plan to strengthen the establishment of the defence industry. ASEANAPOL is also established to enhance cooperation on law enforcement and crime control among police forces of member states.

However, the unequal level of capabilities among the member states in the defence industry and the lack of established defence trade pose challenges. Before the adoption of the ADIC concept, the status of the defence industry base in each of the member states was at a different level. Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand are among the top member states with an established defence industry base, but they possess different levels of capacity. The remaining member states have yet to develop and enhance their capabilities. Indonesia and Singapore are among the most competitive players; the former is the only one recognised as one of the top 100 global defence suppliers from between 2010 and 2013. ASEAN member states purchase virtually no defence products from within ASEAN. Singapore purchases products from Germany, France, and Israel. Malaysia purchased only 0.49% from ASEAN, Indonesia 0.1%, and Thailand 8.02%.

The ASCC was also adopted during the 14th ASEAN Summit. It envisions an "ASEAN Community that is people-centered and socially responsible with a view to achieving enduring solidarity and unity among the countries and peoples of ASEAN by forging a common identity and building a caring and sharing society which is inclusive and harmonious where the well-being, livelihood, and welfare of the peoples are enhanced". Among its focus areas include human development, social welfare and protection, social justice and rights, environmental sustainability, building the ASEAN identity, and narrowing the development gap.

To track the progress of the AEC, a compliance tool called the AEC Scorecard was developed based on the EU Internal Market Scorecard. It is the only one in effect and is expected to serve as an unbiased assessment tool to measure the extent of integration and the economic health of the region. It is expected to provide relevant information about regional priorities, and thus foster productive, inclusive, and sustainable growth. It makes it possible to monitor the implementation of ASEAN agreements, and the achievement of milestones indicated in the AEC Strategic Schedule. The scorecard outlines specific actions that must be undertaken collectively and individually to establish AEC by 2015. To date, two official scorecards have been published, one in 2010, and the other in 2012. However, the scorecard is purely quantitative, as it only examines whether a member state has performed the AEC task or not. The more "yes" answers, the higher the score.

Narrowing the Development Gap (NDG) is the framework for addressing disparities among, and within, member states where pockets of underdevelopment exist. Under NDG, ASEAN has continued to coordinate closely with other sub-regional cooperation frameworks (e.g., BIMP-EAGA, IMT-GT, GMS, Mekong programs), viewing them as "equal partners in the development of regional production and distribution networks" in the AEC, and as a platform to "mainstream social development issues in developing and implementing projects" in the context of the ASCC.

The six-year Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plans have been developed to assist Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, as well as other sub-regions to ensure quick growth. The First IAI Work Plan was implemented from 2002 to 2008. The second plan (2009-2015) supports the goals of the ASEAN Community and is composed of 182 prescribed actions, which includes studies, training programs, and policy implementation support, conducted through projects supported by older ASEAN member states, and ASEAN's Dialogue partners and external parties. The IAI Work Plan is patterned after and supports the key program areas in the three ASEAN Community Blueprints: ASPC, AEC, and ASCC. The IAI Task Force, composed of representatives of the Committee of Permanent Representatives and its working group from all member states, is in charge of providing general advice and policy guidelines and directions in the design and implementation of the plan. All member states are represented in the IAI Task Force, chaired by representatives of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam. The ASEAN Secretariat, in particular through the IAI and NDG Division, supports the implementation and management of the IAI Work Plan and coordinates activities related to sub-regional frameworks. The division works closely with the Dialogue Partners, and international agencies, to develop strategies and programs to assist in promoting and implementing IAI and NDG activities in ASEAN.

ASEAN's planned integration has challenged its citizens to embrace a regional identity. It delivers a challenge to construct dynamic institutions and foster sufficient amount of social capital. The underlying assumption is that the creation of a regional identity is of special interest to ASEAN and the intent of the 2020 Vision policy document was to reassert the belief in a regional framework designed as an action plan related to human development and civic empowerment. Accordingly, these assumptions will be the basis for recommendations and strategies in developing a participatory regional identity.

2020 ASEAN Banking Integration Framework

As trade is liberalised with the integration in 2015, the need arises for ASEAN banking institutions to accommodate and expand their services to an intra-ASEAN market. Experts, however, have already forecast a shaky economic transition, especially for smaller players in the banking an d financial services industry. Two separate reports by Standard & Poor's (S&P) outline the challenges that ASEAN financial institutions face as they prepare for the 2020 banking integration. The reports point out that overcrowded banking sector in the Philippines is expected to feel the most pressure as the integration welcomes tighter competition with bigger and more established foreign banks. As a result, there needs to be a regional expansion by countries with a small banking sector to lessen the impact of the post-integration environment. In a follow-up report, S&P recently cited the Philippines for "shoring up its network bases and building up capital ahead of the banking integration - playing defence and strengthening their domestic networks".

Financial integration roadmap

The roadmap for financial integration is the latest regional initiative that aims to strengthen local self-help and support mechanisms. The roadmap's implementation would contribute to the realisation of the AEC. Adoption of a common currency, when conditions are ripe, could be the final stage of the AEC. The roadmap identifies approaches and milestones in capital market development, capital account and financial services liberalisation, and ASEAN currency cooperation. Capital market development entails promoting institutional capacity as well as the facilitation of greater cross-border collaboration, linkages, and harmonisation between capital markets. Orderly capital account liberalisation would be promoted with adequate safeguards against volatility and systemic risks. To expedite the process of financial services liberalisation, ASEAN has agreed on a positive list modality and adopted milestones to facilitate negotiations. Currency cooperation would involve the exploration of possible currency arrangements, including an ASEAN currency payment system for trade in local goods to reduce the demand for US dollars and to help promote stability of regional currencies, such as by settling intra-ASEAN trade using regional currencies.

In regards to a common currency, ASEAN leaders agreed in November 1999 to create the establishment of currency swaps and repurchase agreements as a credit line against future financial shocks. In May 2000, ASEAN finance ministers agreed to plan for closer cooperation through the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI). The CMI has two components, an expanded ASEAN Swap Arrangement (ASA), and a network of bilateral swap arrangements among the ASEAN Plus Three. The ASA preceded the 1997 Asian financial crisis and was originally established by the monetary authorities of the five founding member states to help meet temporary liquidity problems. The ASA now includes all ten member states with an expanded facility of US$1 billion. In recognition of the economic interdependence of East Asia, which has combined foreign exchange reserves amounting to about US$1 trillion, a network of bilateral swap arrangements and repurchase agreements among the ASEAN Plus Three has been agreed upon. The supplementary facility aims to provide temporary financing for member states with balance-of-payments difficulties. In 2009, 16 bilateral swap arrangements (BSAs) were concluded with a combined amount of about US$35.5 billion. The CMI was signed on 9 December 2009 and took effect on 20 March 2014 while the amended version, the multilateralisation of CMI (CMIM), was on 17 July 2014. The CMIM is a multilateral currency swap arrangement governed by a single contractual agreement. In addition, an independent regional surveillance unit called the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) was established to monitor and analyse economies and to support the CMIM decision-making process. The amendments would allow access for the ASEAN Plus Three and Hong Kong to an enhanced CMIM package, which includes, among others, the doubling of the fund size from US$120 billion to US$240 billion, an increase in the level of access not linked to an IMF program from 20%-30%, and the introduction of a crisis prevention facility. These amendments are expected to fortify CMIM as the region's financial safety net in the event of any potential or actual liquidity difficulty.

Food security

Member states recognise the importance of strengthening food security to maintain stability and prosperity in the region. As ASEAN moves towards AEC and beyond, food security would be an integral part of the community-building agenda. Strengthened food security is even more relevant in light of potentially severe risks from climate change with agriculture and fisheries being the most affected industries.

Part of the aim of ASEAN integration is to achieve food security collectively via trade in rice and maize. Trade facilitation measures and the harmonisation/equivalency of food regulation and control standards would reduce the cost of trade in food products. While specialisation and revealed comparative and competitive indices point to complementarities between trade patterns among the member states, intra-ASEAN trade in agriculture is quite small, something that integration could address. The MARKET project would provide flexible and demand-driven support to the ASEAN Secretariat while bringing more private-sector and civil-society input into regional agriculture policy dialogue. By building an environment that reduces barriers to trade, ASEAN trade would increase, thereby decreasing the risk of food price crisis.

The group sought economic integration by creating the AEC by the end of 2015 that established a single market. The average economic growth of member states from 1989 to 2009 was between 3.8% and 7%. This was greater than the average growth of APEC, which was 2.8%. The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), established on 28 January 1992, includes a Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) to promote the free flow of goods between member states. ASEAN had only six members when it was signed. The new member states (Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia) have not fully met AFTA's obligations, but are officially considered part of the agreement as they were required to sign it upon entry into ASEAN, and were given longer time frames to meet AFTA's tariff reduction obligations. The next steps are to create a single market and production base, a competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development, and a region that is fully integrated into the global economy. Since 2007, ASEAN countries have gradually lowered their import duties to member states, with a target of zero import duties by 2016.

ASEAN planned to establish a single market based upon the four freedoms by the end of 2015, with the goal of ensuring free flow of goods, services, skilled labour, and capital. Until the end of 2010, intra-ASEAN trade was still low as trade involved mainly exports to countries outside the region, with the exception of Laos and Myanmar, whose foreign trade was ASEAN-oriented. In 2009, realised foreign direct investment (FDI) was US$37.9 billion and increased two-fold in 2010 to US$75.8 billion. 22% of FDI came from the European Union, followed by ASEAN countries (16%), and by Japan and the United States.

In addition, six member states ( Malaysia, Vietnam (2 exchanges), Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore) have collaborated on integrating their stock exchanges, which includes 70% of its transaction values with the goal to compete with international exchanges.

Single market will also include the ASEAN Single Aviation Market (ASEAN-SAM), the region's aviation policy geared towards the development of a unified and single aviation market in Southeast Asia. It was proposed by the ASEAN Air Transport Working Group, supported by the ASEAN Senior Transport Officials Meeting, and endorsed by the ASEAN Transport Ministers. It is expected to liberalise air travel between member states allowing ASEAN airlines to benefit directly from the growth in air travel, and also free up tourism, trade, investment, and service flows. Since 1 December 2008, restrictions on the third and fourth freedoms of the air between capital cities of member states for air passenger services have been removed, while from 1 January 2009, full liberalisation of air freight services in the region took effect. On 1 January 2011, full liberalisation on fifth freedom traffic rights between all capital cities took effect. This policy supersedes existing unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral air services agreements among member states which are inconsistent with its provisions.

The concept of an Asian Currency Unit (ACU) started in the middle of the 1990s, prior to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. It is a proposed basket of Asian currencies, similar to the European Currency Unit, which was the precursor of the Euro. The Asian Development Bank is responsible for exploring the feasibility and construction of the basket. Since the ACU is being considered to be a precursor to a common currency, it has a dynamic outlook of the region. The overall goal of a common currency is to contribute to the financial stability of a regional economy, including price stability. It means lower cost of cross-border business through the elimination of currency risk. Greater flows of intra-trade would put pressure on prices, resulting in cheaper goods and services. Individuals benefit not only from the lowering of prices, they save by not having to change money when travelling, by being able to compare prices more readily, and by the reduced cost of transferring money across borders.

However, there are conditions for a common currency: the intensity of intra-regional trade and the convergence of macroeconomic conditions. Substantial intra-ASEAN trade (which is growing, partly as a result of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the ASEAN Economic Community.) and economic integration is an incentive for a monetary union. Member states currently trade more with other countries (80%) than among themselves (20%). Therefore, their economies are more concerned about currency stability against major international currencies, like the US dollar. On macroeconomic conditions, member states have different levels of economic development, capacity, and priorities that translate into different levels of interest and readiness. Monetary integration, however, implies less control over national monetary and fiscal policy to stimulate the economy. Therefore, greater convergence in macroeconomic conditions is being enacted to improve conditions and confidence in a common currency. Other concerns include weaknesses in the financial sectors, inadequacy of regional-level resource pooling mechanisms and institutions required to form and manage a currency union, and lack of political preconditions for monetary co-operation and a common currency.

In 1992, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme was adopted as a schedule for phasing out tariffs to increase the "region's competitive advantage as a production base geared for the world market". This law would act as the framework for the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), which is an agreement by member states concerning local manufacturing in ASEAN. It was signed on 28 January 1992 in Singapore.

Free trade initiatives in ASEAN are spearheaded by the implementation of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and the Agreement on Customs. These agreements are supported by several sector bodies to plan and to execute free trade measures, guided by the provisions and the requirements of ATIGA and the Agreement on Customs. They form a backbone for achieving targets of the AEC Blueprint and establishing the ASEAN Economic Community by the end of 2015.

On 26 August 2007, ASEAN stated its aim of completing free trade agreements (FTA) with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand by 2013, which is in line with the start of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. In November 2007, ASEAN states signed the ASEAN Charter, a constitution governing relations among member states and establishing the group itself as an international legal entity. During the same year, the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security was signed by ASEAN and the other members of the EAS (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea), which pursues energy security by finding energy alternatives to conventional fuels.

On 27 February 2009, an FTA with Australia and New Zealand was signed. It is believed that this FTA would boost combined GDP across the 12 countries by more than US$48 billion over the period between 2000 and 2020. The agreement with China created the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), which went into full effect on 1 January 2010. In addition, ASEAN was noted to be negotiating an FTA with the European Union. Bilateral trade with India crossed the US$70 billion target in 2012 (target was to reach the level by 2015). Taiwan has also expressed interest in an agreement with ASEAN but needs to overcome diplomatic objections from China.

ASEAN, together with its six major trading partners (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea), began the first round of negotiations on 26-28 February 2013, in Bali, Indonesia on the establishment of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which is an extension of ASEAN Plus Three and Six that covers 45% of the world's population and about a third of the world's total GDP.

In 2019, Reuters highlighted a mechanism used by traders to avoid the 70% tariff on ethanol imported into China from the United States, involving importing the fuel into Malaysia, mixing it with at least 40% ASEAN-produced fuel, and re-exporting it to China tariff-free under ACFTA rules.

With the institutionalisation of visa-free travel between ASEAN member states, intra-ASEAN travel has boomed. In 2010, 47% or 34 million out of 73 million tourists in ASEAN member-states were from other ASEAN countries. Cooperation in tourism was formalised in 1976, following the formation of the Sub-Committee on Tourism (SCOT) under the ASEAN Committee on Trade and Tourism. The 1st ASEAN Tourism Forum was held on 18-26 October 1981 in Kuala Lumpur. In 1986, ASEAN Promotional Chapters for Tourism (APCT) were established in Hong Kong, West Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia/New Zealand, Japan, and North America.

Tourism has been one of the key growth sectors in ASEAN and has proven resilient amid global economic challenges. The wide array of tourist attractions across the region drew 109 million tourists to ASEAN in 2015, up by 34% compared to 81 million tourists in 2011. As of 2012, tourism was estimated to account for 4.6% of ASEAN GDP-10.9% when taking into account all indirect contributions. It directly employed 9.3 million people, or 3.2% of total employment, and indirectly supported some 25 million jobs. In addition, the sector accounted for an estimated 8% of total capital investment in the region. In January 2012, ASEAN tourism ministers called for the development of a marketing strategy. The strategy represents the consensus of ASEAN National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) on marketing directions for ASEAN moving forward to 2015. In the 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) report, Singapore placed 1st, Malaysia placed 8th, Thailand placed 9th, Indonesia placed 12th, Brunei placed 13th, Vietnam placed 16th, Philippines placed 17th, and Cambodia placed 20th as the top destinations of travellers in the Asia Pacific region.

1981 The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) was established. It is a regional meeting of NGOs, Ministers, sellers, buyers and journalists to promote the ASEAN countries as a single one tourist destination. The annual event 2019 in Ha Long marks the 38th anniversary and involves all the tourism industry sectors of the 10 member states of ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. It was organized by TTG Events from Singapore.

ASEAN maintains a global network of alliances, dialogue partners and diplomatic missions, and is involved in numerous international affairs. The organisation maintains good relationships on an international scale, particularly towards Asia-Pacific nations, and upholds itself as a neutral party in politics. It holds ASEAN Summits, where heads of government of each member states meet to discuss and resolve regional issues, as well as to conduct other meetings with countries outside the bloc to promote external relations and deal with international affairs. The first summit was held in Bali in 1976. The third summit was in Manila in 1987, and during this meeting, it was decided that the leaders would meet every five years. The fourth meeting was held in Singapore in 1992 where the leaders decided to meet more frequently, every three years. In 2001, it was decided that the organisation will meet annually to address urgent issues affecting the region. In December 2008, the ASEAN Charter came into force and with it, the ASEAN Summit will be held twice a year. The formal summit meets for three days, and usually includes internal organisation meeting, a conference with foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum, an ASEAN Plus Three meeting and ASEAN-CER, a meeting of member states with Australia and New Zealand.

ASEAN is a major partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, developing cooperation model with the organisation in the field of security, economy, finance, tourism, culture, environmental protection, development and sustainability. Additionally, the grouping has been closely aligned with China, cooperating across numerous areas, including economy, security, education, culture, technology, agriculture, human resource, society, development, investment, energy, transport, public health, tourism, media, environment, and sustainability. It is also the linchpin in the foreign policy of Australia and New Zealand, with the three sides being integrated into an essential alliance.

ASEAN also participates in the East Asia Summit (EAS), a pan-Asian forum held annually by the leaders of eighteen countries in the East Asian region, with ASEAN in a leadership position. Initially, membership included all member states of ASEAN plus China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand, but was expanded to include the United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS in 2011. The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December 2005, and subsequent meetings have been held after the annual ASEAN Leaders' Meeting. The summit has discussed issues including trade, energy, and security and the summit has a role in regional community building.

Other meetings include the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting that focus mostly on specific topics, such as defence or the environment, and are attended by ministers. The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which met for the first time in 1994, fosters dialogue and consultation, and to promote confidence-building and preventive diplomacy in the region. As of July 2007, it consists of twenty-seven participants that include all ASEAN member states, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, North and South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Russia, East Timor, the United States, and Sri Lanka. Taiwan has been excluded since the establishment of the ARF, and issues regarding the Taiwan Strait are neither discussed at ARF meetings nor stated in the ARF Chairman's Statements.

ASEAN also holds meetings with Europe during the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), an informal dialogue process initiated in 1996 with the intention of strengthening co-operation between the countries of Europe and Asia, especially members of the European Union and ASEAN in particular. ASEAN, represented by its secretariat, is one of the forty-five ASEM partners. It also appoints a representative to sit on the governing board of Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), a socio-cultural organisation associated with the meeting. Annual bilateral meetings between ASEAN and India, Russia and the United States are also held.

At the turn of the 21st century, ASEAN began to discuss environmental agreements. These included the signing of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002 as an attempt to control haze pollution in Southeast Asia, arguably the region's most high-profile environmental issue. Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful due to the outbreaks of haze in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2015. As of 2015, thirteen years after signing the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, the situation with respect to the long term issue of Southeast Asian haze has not been changed for 50% of the ASEAN member states, and still remains as a crisis every two years during summer and fall.

Trash dumping from foreign countries (such as Japan and Canada) to ASEAN has yet to be discussed and resolved. Important issues include deforestation (with Indonesia recorded the largest loss of forest in the region, more than other member states combined in the 2001-2013 period), plastic waste dumping (5 member states were among the top 10 out of 192 countries based on 2010 data, with Indonesia ranked as second worst polluter), threatened mammal species (Indonesia ranked the worst in the region with 184 species under threat), threatened fish species (Indonesia ranked the worst in the region), threatened (higher) plant species (Malaysia ranked the worst in the region).

ASEAN's aggregate economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. It is expected to grow by 4.6% in 2019, and 4.8% in 2020, but at the cost of the release about 1.5 billion tonnes of CO ₂ to the atmosphere every year. That makes ASEAN a greater source of greenhouse gas emissions than Japan (1.3 billion tonnes per year) or Germany (796 million tonnes per year). It is the only region in the world where coal is expected to increase its share of the energy mix. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), "Since 2000 [ASEAN's] overall energy demand has grown by more than 80% and the lion's share of this growth has been met by a doubling in fossil fuel use,... Oil is the largest element in the regional energy mix and coal, largely for power generation, has been the fastest growing."

While high performing Asian economies and the six oldest ASEAN member states have invested heavily in public education at the primary and secondary levels, tertiary education has been left largely to the private sector. Tertiary education in Southeast Asia is, in general, relatively weak in terms of technological capacity and integration such as in credit transfer schemes. The governments of Singapore and Malaysia are highly focused on innovation while the rest of the region lags behind. In most cases, universities are focused on teaching and service to government rather than academic research. Universities, both in terms of academic salaries and research infrastructure (libraries, laboratories), tend to be poorly supported financially. Moreover, regional academic journals cater to their local audiences and respond less to international standards which makes universal or regional benchmarking difficult. Governments have a vested interest in investing in education and other aspects of human capital infrastructure, especially rapidly developing countries in the region. In the short run, investment spending directly supports aggregate demand and growth. In the longer term, investments in physical infrastructure, productivity enhancements, and provision of education and health services determine the potential for growth.

To enhance regional co-operation in education, ASEAN education ministers have agreed four priorities for education, promoting ASEAN awareness among ASEAN citizens, particularly youth, strengthening ASEAN identity through education, building ASEAN human resources in the field of education strengthening the ASEAN University Network. At the 11th ASEAN Summit in December 2005, leaders set new direction for regional education collaboration when they welcomed the decision of the ASEAN education ministers to convene meetings on a regular basis. The annual ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting oversees co-operation efforts on education at the ministerial level. With regard to implementation, programs, and activities are carried out by the ASEAN Senior Officials on Education (SOM-ED). SOM-ED also manages co-operation on higher education through the ASEAN University Network (AUN). It is a consortium of Southeast Asian tertiary institutions of which 30 currently belong as participating universities. Founded in November 1995 by 11 universities, the AUN was established to: promote co-operation among ASEAN scholars, academics, and scientists, develop academic and professional human resources, promote information dissemination among the ASEAN academic community, enhance awareness of a regional identity and the sense of "ASEAN-ness" among member states.

The Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (SEED-Net) Project was established as an autonomous sub-network of AUN in April 2001. It is aimed at promoting human resource development in engineering. The network consists of 26 member institutions selected by higher education ministries of each ASEAN member state, and 11 supporting Japanese universities selected by the Japanese government. This network is mainly supported by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and partially supported by the ASEAN Foundation. SEED-Net activities are implemented by the SEED-Net secretariat with the support of the JICA Project for SEED-Net now based at Chulalongkorn University.

ASEAN has a scholarship program offered by Singapore to the 9 other member states for secondary school, junior college, and university education. It covers accommodation, food, medical benefits and accident insurance, school fees, and examination fees. Its recipients, who then perform well on the GCE Advanced Level Examination, may apply for ASEAN undergraduate scholarships, which are tailored specifically to undergraduate institutions in Singapore and other ASEAN member countries. Singapore has used this program effectively to attract many of the best students from the ASEAN region over the past several years, and scholars for the most part tend to remain in Singapore to pursue undergraduate studies through the ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship program.

The organization hosts cultural activities in an attempt to further integrate the region. These include sports and educational activities as well as writing awards. Examples of these include the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity, ASEAN Heritage Parks and the ASEAN Outstanding Scientist and Technologist Award. In addition, the ASEAN region has been recognized as one of the world's most diverse region ethnically, religiously and linguistically.

The ASEAN Media Portal was launched 16 November 2007. The portal aims to provide a one-stop site that contains documentaries, games, music videos, and multimedia clips on the culture, arts, and heritage of the ASEAN countries to showcase ASEAN culture and the capabilities of its media industry.

The ASEAN NewsMaker Project, an initiative launched in 2009, trains students and teachers to produce informational video clips about their countries. The project was initiated by Singapore. Students trained in NewsMaker software, video production, together with developing narrative storytelling skills. Dr Soeung Rathchavy, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community noted that: "Raising ASEAN awareness amongst the youth is part and parcel of our efforts to build the ASEAN Community by 2015. Using ICT and the media, our youths in the region will get to know ASEAN better, deepening their understanding and appreciation of the cultures, social traditions and values in ASEAN."

The ASEAN Digital Broadcasting Meeting, is an annual forum for ASEAN members to set digital television (DTV) standards and policies, and to discuss progress in the implementation of the blueprint from analogue to digital TV broadcasting by 2020. During the 11th ASEAN Digital Broadcasting Meeting members updated the status on DTV implementation and agreed to inform ASEAN members on the Guidelines for ASEAN Digital Switchover. An issue was raised around the availability and affordability of set-top boxes (STB), thus ASEAN members were asked to make policies to determine funding for STBs, methods of allocation, subsidies and rebates, and other methods for the allocation of STBs. It was also agreed in the meeting to form a task force to develop STB specifications for DVB-T2 to ensure efficiency.

The ASEAN Post was launched on 8 August 2017 to commemorate ASEAN's 50th Anniversary. It is an independent regional digital media company that is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The focus of the company is to leverage-off new technologies and future proof the media landscape. It was founded by former investment banker Rohan Ramakrishnan.

Music plays a significant role in ASEAN affairs, as evidenced by the new music composed for, and to be performed at, the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in June 2019.

Since ASEAN's founding, a number of songs have been written for the regional alliance:

The main sporting event of ASEAN is the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial meet of athletes from the ten member-states. A non-member state Timor Leste (also known as East Timor) is now participating the SEA Games.

ASEAN has been credited by many as among the world's most influential organisations and a global powerhouse. The organisation plays a prominent role in regional and international diplomacy, politics, security, economy and trade. The ASEAN Free Trade Area also stands as one of the largest and most important free trade areas in the world, and together with its network of dialogue partners, drove some of the world's largest multilateral forums and blocs, including APEC, EAS and RCEP. Being one of the world's forefront political, economic and security meetings, the ASEAN Summit serves as a prominent regional (Asia) and international (worldwide) conference, with world leaders attending its related summits and meetings to discuss about various problems and global issues, strengthening cooperation, and making decisions.

Critics have charged ASEAN with only weakly promoting human rights and democracy, particularly in junta-led Burma. Some scholars think that non-interference has hindered ASEAN efforts to handle the Burma issue, human rights abuse, and haze pollution in the area. Despite global outrage at the military crack-down on unarmed protesters in Yangon, ASEAN has refused to suspend Burma as a member and also rejects proposals for economic sanctions. This has caused concern as the European Union has refused to conduct free trade negotiations at a regional level for these political reasons. During a UN vote against the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya, most member states voted to either abstain or against the condemnation. Only the Muslim-majority countries Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei voted to condemn the cleansing of Rohingya. Some international observers view ASEAN as a "talk shop", stating that the organisation is: "big on words, but small on action". "ASEAN policies have proven to be mostly rhetoric, rather than actual implementation", according to Pokpong Lawansiri, a Bangkok-based independent analyst of ASEAN. "It has been noted that less than 50% of ASEAN agreements are actually implemented, while ASEAN holds more than six hundred meetings annually".

The head of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Tim Huxley, cites the diverse political systems present in the grouping, including many young states, as a barrier to far-reaching co-operation beyond economics. He also asserts that, without an external threat to rally against after the Cold War ended, ASEAN has less successfully restrained its members and resolved such border disputes as those between Burma and Thailand or Indonesia and Malaysia. During the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, several activist groups staged anti-globalisation protests, arguing that the agenda of economic integration would negatively affect industries in the Philippines and would deprive thousands of Filipinos of their jobs.

Corruption remains a widespread issue, as "tea money" remains an important requirement to grease business transactions and to receive public services. Following the release of the Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 by Berlin-based graft watchdog Transparency International on 27 January, its Asia Pacific director, Srirak Plipat, noted that: "if there was one common challenge to unite the Asia-Pacific region, it would be corruption", noting that: "from campaign pledges to media coverage to civil society forums, corruption dominates the discussion. Yet despite all this talk, there's little sign of action."

The group's integration plan has raised concerns, in particular, the 2015 deadline. Business and economy experts who attended the Lippo-UPH Dialogue in Naypyidaw cited unresolved issues relating to aviation, agriculture, and human resources. Some panelists, among them, Kishore Mahbubani, warned against high expectations at the onset. He stated: "Please do not expect a big bang event in 2015 where everything is going to happen overnight when the ASEAN Economic Community comes into being. We've made progress in some areas and unfortunately regressed in some areas."

Some panelists enumerated other matters to be dealt with for a successful launch. Among them were the communications issues involving the 600 million citizens living in the region, increasing understanding in business, current visa arrangements, demand for specific skills, banking connections, and economic differences. Former Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) Secretary General Romulo A. Virola, said in 2012 that the Philippines seems unready to benefit from the integration due to its "wobbly" economic performance compared to other member states. According to Virola, the Philippines continues to lag behind in terms of employment rate, tourism, life expectancy, and cellular subscriptions. Nestor Tan, head of BDO Unibank Inc., said that while some businesses see the Asian Economic Blueprint (AEC) as an opportunity, the integration would be more of a threat to local firms. Tan added that protecting the Philippines' agricultural and financial services sectors, as well as the labour sector, would be necessary for the implementation of AEC by 2015. Standard & Poor's also believed that banks in the Philippines are not yet prepared for the tougher competition that would result from the integration. In one of its latest publications, S&P said banks in the country, although profitable and stable, operate on a much smaller scale than their counterparts in the region.

The US Chamber of Commerce has highlighted widespread concern that the much-anticipated AEC could not be launched by the 2015 deadline. In January 2014, former ASEAN Secretary-General Rodolfo C. Severino, wrote: "while ASEAN should not be condemned for its members' failure to make good on their commitments, any failure to deliver will likely lead to a loss of credibility and could mean that member states fall further behind in the global competition for export markets and foreign direct investment (FDI)". This is not the first time that AEC faces a probable delay. In 2012, the commencement of the AEC was postponed to 31 December 2015 from the original plan of 1 January. Despite Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan's firm reassurance that "[t]here will be no more delays and that all ten ASEAN countries will participate", even the most fervent proponents of AEC worried that AEC would not be delivered on time as December 2015 neared.

An article published by Vietnam News echoed some of the challenges and opportunities that Vietnam faces in preparation for the AEC. The article said that the deputy head of the under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Tran Thanh Hai, was concerned about local enterprises' lack of knowledge of the AEC. It was said that 80% of local enterprises surveyed acknowledged that they have little information about the interests and challenges available for them in the ASEAN market. The article also noted that the general secretary of the Vietnam Steel Association, Chu Duc Khai, said that most of the local steel making enterprises lack information about doing business in the ASEAN market; they have not had a chance to study it, and have only exported small amounts of steel to ASEAN countries. Another challenge is the need to compete with other countries in the ASEAN market to export raw products since the country had mainly exported raw products. The Asian Development Bank also has doubts about Cambodia's ability to meet the AEC deadline. The leading economist of ADB, Jayant Menon, said that Cambodia needs to speed up its customs reform and to press ahead with automating processes to reduce trade costs and minimise the opportunities for corruption and be ready for the implementation of its National Single Window by 2015.

Several territorial disputes have affected the unity of ASEAN such as the Cambodian-Thai border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, Cambodian-Vietnamese border dispute between Cambodia and Vietnam, the North Borneo dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia, and the South China Sea dispute which includes Vietnam, Brunei, the Philippines, Malaysia, and possibly Indonesia.

1. ^ ASEAN Charter (PDF). Association of Southeast Asian Nations. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 November 2015. Article 34. The working language of ASEAN shall be English.

2. ^ Asean.org Archived 2 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, ASEAN-10: Meeting the Challenges, by Termsak Chalermpalanupap, Asean.org Archived 11 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, ASEAN Secretariat official website. Retrieved 27 June 2008.

3. ^ Bernard Eccleston; Michael Dawson; Deborah J. McNamara (1998). The Asia-Pacific Profile. Routledge (UK). ISBN 978-0-415-17279-0. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020.

4. Carolyn L. Gates; Mya Than (2001). ASEAN Enlargement: impacts and implications. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-981-230-081-2.

5. ^ Goh, Gillian (Spring 2003). "The 'ASEAN Way'; Non-Intervention and ASEAN's Role in Conflict Management" (PDF). Stanford Journal of East Asian Affairs. 3 (1): 113-18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2013.

6. ^ Leviter, Lee (2010). "The ASEAN Charter: ASEAN Failure or Member Failure?". New York University Journal of International Law and Politics. 43: 159-210.

7. ^ UNT.edu, Asia's Reaction to NAFTA, Nancy J. Hamilton. CRS - Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 14 March 2007.

8. ^ IHT.com, Japan Straddles Fence on Issue of East Asia Caucus. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 14 March 2007. Archived 12 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine

9. ^ "The Rise of China and Community Building in East Asia", Zhang Xiaoming, ASIAN Perspective, Vol. 30, No. 3, 2006, pp. 129-148.

10. ^ Hsieh, Pasha L. (9 September 2019). "Rethinking non-recognition: Taiwan's new pivot to ASEAN and the one-China policy". Cambridge Review of International Affairs. Informa UK Limited. 33 (2): 204-228. doi:10.1080/09557571.2019.1657796. ISSN 0955-7571. S2CID 203301979. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020.

11. ^ The Association of Academies of Sciences in Asia (2011). Towards A Sustainable Asia: Environment and Climate Change. Beijing: Science Press.

12. ^ "2011 JOINT DECLARATION OF THE ASEAN DEFENCE MINISTERS ON STRENGTHENING DEFENCE COOPERATION OF ASEAN IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY TO FACE NEW CHALLENGES". www.asean.org. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015.

13. ^ "Fear Us: Military Expenditures in Southeast Asia (11 Sep 2014)". Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.

14. ^ J. Dowdy; D. Chinn; M. Mancini; J. Ng (February 2014). "Southeast Asia: The next growth opportunity in defence McKinsey - Innovation Campus Aerospace and Defence Practice".

15. ^ Jones, Michael E. (2004). "Forging an ASEAN Identity: The Challenge to Construct a Shared Destiny". Contemporary Southeast Asia. 26 (1): 140-154. doi:10.1355/cs26-1g. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020.

16. Overland, Indra et al. (2017) ^ Impact of Climate Change on ASEAN International Affairs: Risk and Opportunity Multiplier Archived 28 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and Myanmar Institute of International and Strategic Studies (MISIS).

17. ^ Bello, Amelia L. "Ensuring Food Security--A Case for ASEAN Integration". Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development. 2 (1, 2). ISSN 1656-4383. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020.

18. Sim, Edmund "Introduction to the ASEAN Economic Community", https://web.archive.org/web/20120218183029/http://www.asil.org/aseanevent/Sim_Intro_to_ASEAN.pdf

19. Baby Steps to a Common Currency

20. ^ Ong, Christine (27 August 2007). "ASEAN confident of concluding FTAs with partners by 2013". Channel NewsAsia.

21. ^ "The ASEAN Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2012" (PDF). World Economic Forum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2017.

22. ^ "The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013" (PDF). World Economic Forum. 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 November 2019.

23. ASEAN Structure, ASEAN Primer Archived 22 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine

24. ^ About Us Archived 25 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, ASEAN Regional Forum official website Archived 25 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 June 2006.

25. ^ Lay Hwee Yeo (2003). Asia and Europe: the development and different dimensions of ASEM. Routledge (UK). ISBN 978-0-415-30697-3.

26. ^ Jambeck, Jenna R. (13 February 2015). "Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into the Ocean". Science. 347 (6223): 768-771. Bibcode:2015Sci...347..768J. doi:10.1126/science.1260352. PMID 25678662. S2CID 206562155. Cited in "Thailand big contributor to plastic trash on ocean floors", The Nation, Bangkok, 14 February 2015 [1]

27. ^ "Mammal species, threatened". World Bank. UN Environmental Forum; World Conservation Monitoring Centre; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015.

28. Savage, Victor. "Problems of Tertiary Education and Regional Academic Journals: A View from Southeast Asia". 219. ^ Asia Pacific Viewpoint, August 2011. Web. 23 October 2012.

29. "ASEANWEB - Education." ASEANWEB - Education. N.p., 2009. Web. 23 October 2012.

30. ^ ASEAN. "ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting". Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ASEAN Secretariat. 2012. <>.

31. ^ Zein, Subhan; Stroupe, Richmond (2 September 2017). "English and language-in-education policy in the ASEAN Plus Three Forum". Asian Englishes. 19 (3): 193-196. doi:10.1080/13488678.2017.1389061.

32. ^ Haas, Michael (1997). "Asean's Pivotal Role in Asian-Pacific Regional Cooperation". Global Governance. 3 (3): 329-348. doi:10.1163/19426720-00303009. JSTOR 27800175.

33. ^ Hew, Denis (2005). Roadmap to an Asean Economic Community. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-981-230-347-9.

34. ^ Silp, Sai (15 February 2007). "Burma an Issue in Asean-EU Trade Talks". The Irawaddy News Magazine Online Edition - via irrawaddy.org.

35. ^ "ASEAN protests in Cebu will also underscore massive opposition to Charter Change". Kilusang Mayo Uno. 7 December 2006. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007 - via kilusangmayouno.org.

36. "^ AEC Blueprint 2025 Archived 30 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine," The ASEAN Secretariat, November 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2019.

37. "^ Non-tariff barriers in ASEAN and their elimination from a business perspective Archived 30 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine," The Asian Trade Centre, 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.

Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center; ASEAN Outlook Magazine; May 2013. Myanmar's Overlooked Industry Opportunities and Investment Climate, by David DuByne

ASEAN Community in Figures (ACIF) 2012 (PDF), Jakarta: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 2012, ISBN 978-602-7643-22-2, archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2015

Acharya, Amitav (2009), Constructing a Security Community in Southeast Asia: ASEAN and the problem of regional order (2nd ed.), Abingdon, Oxfordshire/New York: Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-41428-9

Fry, Gerald W. (2008), The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, New York: Chelsea House, ISBN 978-0-7910-9609-3

Seah, Daniel (2015) Problems Concerning the International Law-Making Practice of ASEAN Asian Journal of International Law (Cambridge University Press)

Amador III J, Teodoro J. (2014), A united region: The ASEAN Community 2015

Organisations

ASEAN Summits

ASEAN organisations

ASEAN related websites

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN; AH-see-ahn , AH-zee-ahn ) is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration among its members and other countries in Asia.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Good Singapore food is everywhere. Without a doubt, Singapore, given its size, packs a barrage of food options that are sure to satiate every craving and longing. Our geographical location also means that much of the food we love comes from the intersectionality of cultures and locale, influenced by neighbouring Southeast Asia countries- Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia.

Enter our local hawker centres, coffee shops, and food courts-gastronomical destinations ubiquitous and unique to this small island nation, shaping how Singaporeans think and dream about food.

So here's the ultimate list of 30 famous local food, steeped in heritage, that has shaped the culinary landscape of Singapore and defined what it means to be a foodie in food-obsessed, trend-driven Singapore.

If you're a tourist visiting Singapore for the first time, or a newly minted citizen looking to brush up on your local food knowledge, this is a good checklist of authentic local cuisine in Singapore that would do right by you.

1. Bak Kut Teh

One of the many stories of the invention of Bak Kut Teh (Meat Bone Tea/Pork Ribs Soup) is that during the olden days of Singapore, a poor, starving beggar came by a roadside pork noodle store to beg for food. The stall owner was in poverty but wanted to help him.

He boiled some of the leftover pork bones and added whatever cheap spices he had to flavour the soup, including star anise and pepper which created a soup that resembled tea in terms of colour. Thus, pork bone tea was born. Another story claims that it was a tonic invented to 'reinvigorate' the Chinese coolies who worked in the Clark Quay area.

Bak Kut Teh has been around in Singapore since we were still a developing country and deserves its recognition as a simple, humble dish. Most of the Bak Kut Teh here are of the pepper variety with mild use of herbs like star anise.

Choose pork rib meat in your soup for a more tender bite. The other variant would be the Klang Bak Kut Teh, a dark and highly flavoured herbal soup originating from Malaysia.

2. Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is a very versatile dish and what was once a breakfast item, is now eaten during lunch and dinner too. Traditionally wrapped in banana leaves, Nasi Lemak is a Malay, santan-infused rice dish that, in Singapore, has more variations and iterations than we can ever catch up to.

The rice is steamed with coconut cream to give it a sweet fragrance. A typical Nasi Lemak set comes with Ikan Bilis (fried anchovies), peanuts, egg and sambal (chilli paste). A good sambal is arguably the mark of a good Nasi Lemak.

Nasi Lemak is so popular in Singapore, the other races have adopted this dish in their own variations and offer a wide selection of additional ingredients like fried chicken drumsticks, luncheon meat and sotong (cuttlefish) balls.

3. Wanton Mee

This Singapore wanton noodle dish was probably influenced by Hong Kong cuisine, but has become entrenched in our culture over the years. The Singapore version is typically eaten 'dry', drenched with some light sweet sauce, slices of pork char siew and wanton dumplings filled with pork, with a small bowl of soup on the side.

Auntie will also ask if you want it spicy or not. The spicy type sees chilli mixed into the noodles, while the non-spicy kids' version comes with tomato sauce. The wanton dumplings may be either deep-fried or come in the form of soup dumplings. wanton

The Malaysian variant uses a darker-coloured sauce and sweeter tasting mee (noodles).

4. Fried Carrot Cake

No, this isn't the Western dessert. This is far from it. The Singapore Fried Carrot Cake is made with eggs, preserved radish ( chai poh) and white radish flour cake, which resembles a 'white carrot', thus giving rise to the dish name. Locally, this is known as Cai Tow Kway.

This is a Teochew dish popular in both Singapore and Malaysia. Variants include the 'black' version, which has sweet sauce (molasses) added, or a crispy version with the cake fried on top of a beaten egg to create a crust and chunks of cake. Most commonly seen in Singapore though is the chopped up version with individual radish cake cubes.

5. Nasi Biryani

Biryani (or Briyani, Biriyani, Biriani and Birani) is a mixed rice dish of Indian-Muslim influence made using distinctive long-grain rice, usually Basmati rice. A little bit of saffron is also added to give the dish its distinct colour. Meats like chicken, mutton, beef or fish are often included on the side. Vegetarian versions are also popping up, to reflect the growing demand for non-meat local favourites.

Spices used are heavy in flavours like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and bay leaves, rendering the entire dish incredibly aromatic with a heady and irresistible bouquet.

6. Dim Sum (点心)

Another Hong Kong/Shanghai-inspired type of cuisine available in Singapore is Dim Sum or ' Dian Xin'. This is not exactly one dish, but a set of small dishes to be savoured in a group - a typical Chinese dining sharing custom. Popular Dim Sum dishes include BBQ Pork Buns, Xiao Long Bao, Siew Mai, Chee Cheong Fun and many more.

There are even Halal-certified and Muslim-owned dim sum houses to cater to Halal diners.

7. Kaya Toast & Soft-Boiled Eggs

The one and only traditional Singaporean breakfast - Kaya Toast with Soft-Boiled Eggs. The traditional bread is an old school rectangular white loaf, toasted on a bread grill, slathered with coconut or egg kaya, then slapped with a thick slice of butter that slowly melts between two slices of warm bread.

This is the classic kaya toast. Variations include using thinly-sliced brown bread, round buns or 'Jiam Tao Loh Tee' (like a French baguette).

For the eggs, they're usually placed in a large hot water metal pot and covered with a plate to allow it to cook. Then you time it and take out the eggs when they're ready (about 7 - 10 minutes depending on how well you like your eggs).

Trying not to scream like a banshee, crack open the eggs with your bare hands onto one of the two plates given and throw the shells onto the remaining plate. Season with pepper and dark or light soya sauce and pip the kaya toast into the eggy mixture for extra deliciousness.

8. Crabs (Chilli Or Pepper)
Kaya toast recommendations:
10 must-try Kaya Toasts in Singapore
Fete Kopi & Toast
133 Traditional Coffee and Toast
Charcoal Traditional Toast
TOBY's Kopi Toast Bakery

The two most famous styles of cooking crabs in Singapore are with a sweet, spicy tomato-ish chilli sauce, or with black pepper sauce. Chilli crabs are commonly eaten with fried mantous (buns), which are dipped in the luscious chilli sauce.

To achieve a delicious texture, the crabs go through a two-step cooking process; they're first boiled then fried so that the meat doesn't stick to the shell. Recently, many new popular styles of cooking have surfaced as well, like salted-egg crabs or crab bee hoon.

9. Laksa

Laksa is a dish created from the merging of Chinese and Malay cuisine, otherwise known as Peranakan culture. There are two main types of Laksa - Curry Laksa and Asam Laksa.

Curry Laksa is more predominant in Singapore, while Asam Laksa is more commonly found in Malaysian regions like Penang. In fact there are loads of variants of Laksa, differing in the type of fish used, broth and even noodles.

Traditional Singapore Curry Laksa uses vermicelli, coconut milk, tau pok (beancurd puffs), fish slices, shrimp and hum (cockles). Due to cost-cutting, taste preference, and climate change, some stalls might opt out of shrimp and cockles.

A unique Singapore variant known as Katong Laksa, features vermicelli that's been cut into short pieces and eaten only with a spoon. There is much debate on which establishment is the original Katong Laksa, but most bowls are delicious in their own way.

10. Curry Fish Head

Is it Chinese, Indian or Malay? This is another ambiguous dish that probably has a South Indian origin, but has been heavily influenced by the various ethnicities in Singapore. What I do know, is that it's delicious.

Either half a head or a whole head of red snapper is stewed in curry with assorted vegetables like lady's finger (okra) and brinjal (aubergine). The Indian-style of curry has heavier spices and flavours, while the Chinese-style is lighter and sweeter. Variants include the Assam-style fish head curry, which has an added tinge of sourness from tamarind fruit (assam).

15 best omakase restaurants in Singapore for the most authentic Japanese dining experience

11. Bak Chor Mee

Colloquially known as ' Bak Chor Mee ' 肉脞面, this is a noodle dish with minced pork, liver, meatballs, fish balls, fish cake slices, and a signature vinegary braised sauce that adds some wetness.

Typically, the dish is ordered 'dry' to savour the full flavours of the sauce and you can choose between chilli or ketchup, and the type of noodles that you would like. Noodle choices are normally either mee pok (a flat noodle) or mee kia (thin noodle), while some stalls offer bee hoon, mee sua or mee tai mak as well. Variants include a soup version with homemade noodles that's famous at Bedok Blk 85.

12. Oyster Omelette (Orh Lua)

Popular in Singapore hawker centres as well as in Taiwan night markets, this is a dish that many foreigners and locals love. Stalls that sell Carrot Cake typically also sell Oyster Omelettes as it's a similar cooking process that also utilises a common ingredient: Eggs.

Potato starch is usually mixed in when frying the egg and gives a thicker, fuller taste. Variants include a version without the starch, which is priced slightly higher due to more eggs needed instead. A special vinegar chilli is also paired exclusively with Oyster Omelettes in Singapore.

13. Hokkien Prawn Mee

Singapore Hokkien Mee features a combination of fried egg noodles and rice noodles in a rich prawn stock with cubes of fried pork fat, prawns, fish cake and squid. Some vendors add pork strips as well to add more flavour.

This dish was the creation of post-war Hokkien noodle factory workers who would gather along Rochor Road and fry any excess noodles they had. Another version easily confused by the same name is called Hokkien Char Mee, which, unlike the classic, is covered in a signature thick dark sauce and uses only one type of egg noodles.

14. Satay
Oyster omelette recommendations:
Oyster Omelette showdown: Famous Old Airport Road Fried Oyster VS Lim's Fried Oyster VS Ah Chuan Fried Oyster Omelette
Seng Thor Coffee Shop
Hougang Oyster Omelette & Fried Kway Teow, Hougang
Lim's Fried Oyster
Sengkang Square Oyster Omelette, Sengkang
Satay is a dish of skewered, turmeric-marinated meat that is grilled on an open fire. It originates from Indonesia but has become a common hawker dish in Singapore. Stalls are not restricted to any race and may be operated by the Chinese, Malays or Indians.

Typical meats include chicken, beef, mutton and even pork which is sold by the Chinese stall owners. Ketupat (rice cake), onions and cucumbers usually accompany Satay. A spicy peanut dip is also provided for the Satay and sides as well.
Hokkien mee recommendations:
19 best Hokkien prawn mee stalls in SG for the avid Singaporean foodie
Sumo Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
Swee Guan Hokkien Mee
Deng Wen Ji 鄧文记
Quan Ji Cooked Food
15. BBQ Sambal Stingray

In the past, having a fridge or freezer was as rare as winning TOTO (lottery); barbecuing or frying fishes to mask the fishy odour after being left out in the open for days was a popular cooking choice.

Also known as Ikan Bakar (barbecued fish), stingray has since risen in popularity since Singaporean Malays figured out that sambal (chilli paste) on top of stingray = delicious. It is traditionally wrapped in banana leaf and barbecued, then a sambal paste made with belachan (dried shrimp paste), spices, shallots and Indian walnuts is smothered generously all over the top. Lime is usually squeezed over the fish right before eating as well.

16. Soy Bean Curd (Tau Huay)

Tau Huay is a dessert made with beancurd tofu, sweetened with sugar syrup. It can be eaten hot or cold, sometimes with Tang Yuan (glutinous rice balls), grass jelly or soya bean milk added as well.

In recent times, a popular and more gelatinous, jelly-like version of Tau Huay has surfaced and for a period of time, drove Singaporeans to queue like beesto honey. This version is smoother and can incorporate pretty much any flavour like mango, melon or sesame. The texture is distinct from the traditional types and some camps advocate against it due to unnatural stabilisers used. This version is only eaten cold as the heat would break the structure.

A grinding machine is used to produce a mountain of shaved ice on a bowl filled with assorted ingredients such as red bean, attap chee (palm seed), agar agar jelly, chendol, and grass jelly.
Sambal stingray recommendations:
B.B.Q Seafood

Evaporated or condensed milk is then drizzled on top, along with red rose syrup and Sarsi syrup to produce the multi-coloured, kaleidoscope effect. Variations may include drizzling with gula melaka (palm sugar), adding ice cream or other novelty toppings like durian puree or chocolate syrup.

18. Chwee Kueh ( lit. Water Rice Cake )

This is another breakfast dish seen regularly in both Singapore and Johor, most stalls selling Chwee Kueh only open in the morning and close by lunch time. Rice flour and water are mixed together to form the rice cake, then put into little saucers and steamed to produce the typical bowl-like Chwee Kueh shape.

It is topped with chai poh (preserved radish) and chilli. Making Chwee Kueh is a dying trade that the young generation does not want to carry on, so try it before it's gone forever.

19. Durian

Durian is widely regarded by many as the 'King Of Fruits' in Southeast Asia. In Singapore, we've adopted it as our national fruit-we even modelled a performing arts venue, The Esplande, after it. Most foreigners are turned off by the strong 'pungent' smell, while locals adore the succulent flesh so much that they turn it into desserts, cakes, tarts and even shakes.

Many expensive and popular varieties of durian have surfaced like D24 or the Mao Shan Wang (猫山王), which are even more pronounced in fragrance. There is a taste preference for either the more bitter variety or sweeter flesh. Whether you love it or hate it, you can always smell it when it's in the room, leading to bans in many public areas like on trains, buses, and hotel rooms.
Ice Kacang recommendations:
Cendol Geylang Serai
Ye Tang Chendol
Makan Melaka

Durian stall recommendations:
16 honest durian stores to get the perfect durian fix
10 unique durian-inspired foods in Singapore that you've got to try

20. Mee Siam

Popular among the Malay community as well as the Chinese, Mee Siam means "Siamese noodles" and is a plate of vermicelli soaked in a sweet and spicy gravy flavoured by tamarind (assam), dried shrimp and Tau Cheo (fermented bean paste). It usually comes with a boiled egg, beansprouts, tau pok (beancurd puff) and is garnished with chives.

18 best Indian restaurants in Singapore to add spice to your life

21. Mee Rebus

In the past, mobile hawkers would sell Mee Rebus by the roadside using a pole balanced on the shoulders with a basket hanging at each end-one basket would hold the ingredients and the other contained a stove and boiling hot water.

Mee Rebus is a noodle dish that uses yellow egg noodles like the type in Hokkien Prawn Mee, with a brown, sweet peanut-ty gravy. Compared to Mee Siam, the Mee Rebus gravy is much thicker and viscous, lacking in the sour assam taste. The gravy is made from sweet potatoes (the starch makes it thicker), curry powder, peanuts, dried shrimp, and salted soybeans.

22. Roti Prata

Yet another cross-cultural dish that has been popularly adopted by Singaporeans is the Roti Prata. Roti Prata is of Indian origin, has a Malay name, and is eaten by the Chinese! That's what Singapore racial harmony is all about.

A fried flour-based pancake, popular Roti Prata variants include adding cheese, eggs, mushroom, onions or even chocolates and strawberries to the batter. The dough is tossed, flipped and stretched multiple times into a large thin layer before folding the edges inwards.

Some outlets also stretch the dough so thin that it turns crispy when fried on the metal pan. These are called 'paper' or 'tissue' prata. Prata is served with fish or chicken curry while some people like myself like to sprinkle sugar onto it-sacrilegious as some may deem it.
Mee siam recommendations:
Shi Xian
Aziz Jaffar Muslim Food
Old Teochew

23. Fish Head & Sliced Fish Bee Hoon Soup

What originally started as Fish Head Bee Hoon in the 1920s has slowly evolved to using fish slices or chunks of fish meat in this age of abundance. In the past, meat was scarce and food sellers had to maximise every part of the fish including the head.

The fish head was fried to mask the fishy odour, as back then refrigeration wasn't as accessible. These days, boiled fish slices are now an available option.

The Fish Bee Hoon Soup broth is made from fish or pork bones that have been boiled for several hours, and some stalls might add evaporated milk for a fuller taste. Variants include adding XO cognac or brandy.

Fish slice soup recommendations:
Fish Soup Paradise
You&Me Teochew Fish Soup
Mei Chin Fish Soup
13 fish soups 鱼片汤 in Singapore to help weather the rainy season

24. Rojak

Singapore Chinese or Malay Rojak is a mixture of you tiao (dough fritters), bean sprouts, tau pok (beancurd puffs), radish, pineapple, cucumber and roasted peanuts. Everything is then mixed with a sweet-savoury black, fermented prawn paste sauce. Chilli is optional.

The ingredients in Rojak is quite standard. The other distinctive variant is the Indian version. Indian Rojak lets you pick what ingredients are added and usually doesn't include you tiao. Red gravy made with potato and spices is used in Indian Rojak instead. It is also dipped in a fiery red peanut sauce.

25. Chicken Rice

More accurately known as Hainanese Chicken Rice, this is one of Singapore's most well-known and celebrated dishes. No coffee shop in Singapore is complete without a Chicken Rice stall.

The whole chicken is steeped in sub-boiling pork and chicken bone stock to absorb the flavours and cook. Some shops will also dip the bird in ice after cooking to create a jelly-like finish on the chicken's skin.

Variations include roasting the chicken which is called 'black chicken' (pictured), in contrast to the 'white chicken'. The stalls with better service will de-bone the chicken for you.

The rice used in Chicken Rice is cooked with chicken stock, ginger, garlic and occasionally pandan leaves for added fragrance. Chilli sauce made with garlic and red chilli is served with Chicken Rice, and the dish sometimes comes topped with sweet dark soy sauce and heaped spoons of chopped ginger.

26. Duck Rice

Sometimes Chicken Rice stalls will sell Duck Rice as well, but the good ducks are in specialised Duck Rice-only shops. The common version of Duck Rice, influenced by roast meats in Hong Kong, uses plain white rice with ruby red roasted duck, is drizzled with an ddictive braised sauce.
Rojak recommendations:
Gu Zao Rojak
Lau Hong Ser Rojak
Soon Heng Rojak
Tow Kwar Pop

The other Teochew version uses braised yam rice and braised duck meat, along with some tau pok (beancurd puffs), eggs and peanuts on the side. Teochews just love braised sauce. Both are equally yummy and have distinct taste profiles.

27. Char Kway Teow

Char Kway Teow is another signature Singapore noodle dish made with flat rice noodles (河粉) with sweet dark sauce. Stir-fried with egg, pork lard, Chinese sausages and fish cake, Char Kway Teow was intentionally made to be loaded in fats because labourers in the past needed a cheap source of energy and what better way than to get that from one huge fatty meal.
Chicken rice recommendations:
Cockles are also usually added, as there was plenty of it in Singapore's port island. A Penang Char Kway Teow variation exists as well, using chives and prawns and lacks the sweetness that is distinctive of Singapore-style Char Kway Teow.
Mat Noh & Rose Authentic Ginger Fried Chicken Rice
Pin Sheng Chicken Rice
Leng Heng Chicken Rice
Traditional Rui Ji Chicken Rice
18 best chicken rice stalls in Singapore

28. Curry Puff

A Curry Puff is a small baked pie enclosed with either shortcrust or puff pastry, the former being the more traditional option in Singapore. A common local snack, the filling is usually made with curry gravy, chicken, potato and egg. Other variants include fillings with yam, sardines, otak (grilled fish cake) or even durian.

29. Fish Head Steamboat
Duck rice recommendations:
Cheok Kee Boneless Braised Duck
Ming Fa Duck Rice
Tai Dong Teochew Duck Rice
Top 12 duck rice stalls in Singapore you need to quackly visit

Being an island port, Singapore used to have many fishermen who would bring their fresh unsold catch to be sold as dishes instead. Teochew Fish Head Steamboat is another result of our geographic situation.

The soup typically contains a mix of fried yam, sour plums, fried fish bones and vegetables which add flavour to the soup. Raw fish slices are added in later. Grouper, red snapper or pomfret are the usual choices available in Fish Head Steamboat.

Old school steamboat places still use hot charcoal as a heat source, which apparently adds more flavour as compared to just using an electric or fire stove. Be warned-good and popular Fish Head Steamboats in Singapore have fervent customers queuing for more than an hour regardless of how nonchalant the restaurant service is.

Fish head steamboat recommendations:
Hualong Fish Head Steamboat
136 Hong Kong Street Teochew Fish Head Steamboat

30. Popiah
Char Kway Teow recommendations:
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
Day Night Fried Kway Teow
Quan Ji Cooked Food
786 Char Kway Teow
Fried Kway Teow
And finally, the last dish on this list to eat in Singapore before you die: Popiah. The Teochews call it 薄餅仔 (thin wafer) or 薄餅 in Mandarin, which in the Teochew dialect reads as ' Bo-BEE-ah', thus resulting in the English name Popiah.

The round Popiah skin is a thin paper-like wheat crepe that encases all the ingredients. A sweet sauce called hoisin is lathered onto the laid-out flat skin before fillings are added. Ingredients within a Popiah typically include small prawns, boiled eggs, Chinese sausage, lettuce, bean sprouts and primarily filled with cooked carrot and turnip strips.

Seth's Note

Now you know where and what to eat in Singapore! This is, however, in no way an exhaustive list of classic Singapore dishes. As expected, this article has generated a lot of passionate comments from Singaporeans, with their own take on who is the 'best' or on the history of our dishes.

Many of the Singapore dishes were created out of poverty and whatever ingredient was available at the time. The high number of immigrants predominantly from China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Indonesia also shaped how our food culture mingled and interacted to create many of these dishes. Some people disagree and think that certain dishes listed here are not Singaporean, but as mentioned, Singapore adopts dishes from overseas and assimilates them into our culture. We're shameless like that.

No matter if you are a local or a tourist, I hope this guide I've compiled gives you a better, more authentic picture of what local Singapore food is all about.

30 best restaurants in Singapore you need to cross off your list
Popiah recommendations:
Old Long House Popiah
Good Chance Popiah

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Best Singapore Foods: 30 famous local foods to eat before you die

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here's our specially curated list of the 30 famous local foods in Singapore you should eat. Read on to find out more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Singaporean cuisine is derived from several ethnic groups in Singapore and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan city-state.

Influences include the cuisines of the Malays/ Indonesians, the Chinese and the Indians as well as, Peranakan and Western traditions (particularly English and Portuguese-influenced Eurasian, known as Kristang). Influences from neighbouring regions such as Japan, Korea, and Thailand are also present.

In Singapore, food is viewed as crucial to its national identity and a unifying cultural thread. Singaporean literature declares eating a national pastime and food a national obsession. Food is a frequent topic of conversation among Singaporeans. Religious dietary strictures do exist; Muslims do not eat pork and Hindus do not eat beef, and there is also a significant group of vegetarians/ vegans. People from different communities often eat together, while being mindful of each other's culture and choosing food that is acceptable for all.

In addition to venues serving traditional Singaporean food, restaurants serving cuisine from a diverse range of countries worldwide are also common in Singapore.

Since Singapore is established as a British port in 1819, Singaporean cuisine has been influenced by different cultures due to its position as an international shipping port. It is geographically located in between the Pacific and Indian oceans and it has the shape of a peninsula and an island at the same time, where various cultures and trades used to and continue to occur. Singapore's geographical position is surrounded by various Asian countries, hence there is much diversity in food and culture. Indonesia is located to the south, while Thailand, China, the Philippines and Malaysia are located to the north, and India is located to the west.

The culture of Singapore is made up of diverse influences from different continents and countries. Hence, the Singapore cuisine can be said to be culturally enriched. Singaporean cuisine has also been influenced by its colonial history, as it established as a British colony from the early 19th century until the mid-20th century when it became part of Malaysia before becoming independent; Singapore was also occupied by Imperial Japan during the Second World War.

It is believed that certain dishes that are part of Singaporean cuisine today predates the arrival of Raffles in 1819; some of these dishes include laksa, biryani and betel quid. However, it is unknown when these dishes arrived in Singapore, as historical records on them are largely scattered and inaccurate as these dishes were largely made by early Singapore immigrants at home and not served in an establishment. Adaptation of various dishes that were prepared by early Singapore immigrants to suit the ingredients and taste preferences were how some of the dishes were created; some examples of such dishes are fish head curry, kaya toast and Hainanese chicken rice, which are culinary staples in Singaporean cuisine today.

A large part of Singaporean cuisine revolves around hawker centres, where hawker stalls were first set up around the mid-19th century, and were largely street food stalls selling a large variety of foods These street vendors usually set up stalls by the side of the streets with pushcarts or bicycles and served cheap and fast foods to coolies, office workers and those that did not cook at home. Although the street vendors provided early Singapore immigrants with cheap and fast meals, these stalls were unhygienic, due to the lack of supporting infrastructure such as waste disposal and a steady supply of fresh water, and limited sanitation practices. Starting in the 1960s, the Singapore government began enforcing more rules and regulations for street hawkers, and relocated these vendors to more permanent locations with the construction of wet markets and hawker centres across the country.

Today, when dining out, Singaporeans often eat at hawker centres, coffee shops or food courts rather than restaurants, due to convenience, a wider range of options and affordability. Hawker centres are widespread and offer affordable food. They usually feature dozens of stalls in a single complex, with each stall offering its own speciality dishes. Well-known hawker centres among tourists include Telok Ayer Market, Maxwell Food Center, Lau Pa Sat and Newton Food Centre. Coffee shops are non-air-conditioned versions of food courts and are commonly found island-wide, usually at the bottom of blocks of HDB flats. Hawker centres, or open-air food courts, have come to define Singaporean food culture. Popular markets like Old Airport Road Food Centre in Geylang, Golden Mile Food Centre on Beach Road and Maxwell Road Food Centre in Chinatown offer the best of Chinese, Malaysian and Indian cooking, melded into foods that are uniquely Singaporean. Some well-known Singaporean hawker or kopitiam dishes includes kaya toast, chilli crab, fish head curry, laksa, roti prata and Hainanese chicken rice, which is widely considered to be one of Singapore's national dishes.

In 2016, Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle and Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle became the first two street food locations in the world to be awarded a Michelin star. The former also gained the title of the world's "cheapest Michelin-starred meal".

In 2018, Singapore hawker culture was nominated by Singapore's National Heritage Board (NHB), National Environment Agency and Federation of Merchants' Associations Singapore for inscription into UNESCO's Representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The nomination was submitted in March 2019 and approved and inscribed on 16 December 2020. UNESCO described the hawker centre as "'community dining rooms' where people from diverse backgrounds gather and share the experience of dining over breakfast, lunch and dinner."

Chinese Singaporeans families gather in a restaurant in Suntec City for Yusheng yee sang (prosperity toss), a symbol of abundance and prosperity during Chinese New Year celebration.

A common greeting for many Singaporean comes in the form of the question "Have you eaten?", and its equivalent is in various Chinese languages. It is one way of expressing a greeting to another person. It is also possible to assume that this is how Singaporeans think about meals and food. Since Singapore is a multicultural nation there is a diverse range of people who might have different and restricted diets, such as Muslims and Hindus. Since Singapore is influenced by many different regions, religions, and cultures, there are also many events or anniversaries. During the Lunar New Year, people eat nian gao, which is originally from China, and is traditionally eaten around the Chinese New Year. It is an extension of Malay cuisine but influenced by the Chinese and Indians - not to mention the Arabs, British and other immigrants who have contributed to making Singapore one of the world's most important trading ports.

Singaporean food is a significant cultural attraction for tourists and visitors. Some Singaporean dishes have become internationally known. In 2011, four Singaporean dishes were included in the list of 'World's 50 Most Delicious Foods (Readers' Pick)' - a worldwide online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International. They are Hainanese chicken rice (13th), chili crab (29th), Katong laksa (44th) and roti prata (45th).

Anthony Bourdain brought international attention to local food available in hawker centres on his show, No Reservations. He featured Tian Tian Chicken Rice and Maxwell Food Centre on the programme. Bourdain also publicly spoke about hoping to feature four Singaporean dishes in his upcoming food hall in New York City.

Gordon Ramsay participated in a ' Hawker Heroes Challenge' held in Singapore in 2013, in which each competitor made three dishes. Ramsay's chili crab was voted the best, but he lost on the other two dishes to Ryan Koh (representing 328 Katong Laksa) and Foo Kui Lian (representing Tian Tian Chicken Rice).

YouTube personality Mike Chen, better known by his username Strictly Dumpling, has created several videos bringing attention to local cuisine on his channel. Over the course of 13 videos he highlighted Singaporean street food, hawker centres, local buffets and restaurants. These videos have a combined view count of over 17 million views.

Singaporean cuisine has been promoted as a tourist attraction by the Singapore Tourism Board. The Singapore Food Festival, held every year in July, is a celebration of Singapore's cuisine. The Overseas Singaporean Unit also organises Singapore Day in major cities around the world as a platform for Singaporeans living abroad. One of Singapore Day's major draws is the local Singaporean hawker food, which is prepared on-site by well-known hawkers specially flown in for the event.

Singaporean food can be divided into six types: meat, seafood, rice, noodles, dessert and snacks.

Singapore is especially renowned for its seafood. Chilli crab and black pepper crab are two quintessential dishes that dominate the scene and are greatly recommended to tourists. Another favourite is sambal stingray.

In the meat category, Hainanese chicken rice is the most popular dish. Essentially, it is rice cooked with chicken fat, served with steamed chicken, accompanied with chilli sauce and cucumbers.

Three noodle dishes stand out in Singapore cuisine. "Fried Hokkien mee" comprises fried egg noodles and rice noodles with prawns, sliced pork, fishcake and squid. It is stir-fried with a broth usually made from prawns. "Nyonya laksa" is composed of rice noodles served in a coconut prawn broth. " Char kway teow" is stir-fried rice noodles with prawns, Chinese sausage, bean sprout, lard and cockles.

In the dessert category, tau-suan is one of many types of desserts commonly found in hawker centres around Singapore. Tāu-suàn (split mung bean soup), is a dessert of Teochew origin. It is a sweet and starchy soup made from split mung beans, usually eaten with Youtiao.

In the snack category, kaya toast is the representative dish, primarily due to the use of kaya. "Kaya kopitiams" are a common sight on the island. These affordable coffee shops dish out bread toasts, spread with coconut egg jam and butter, served with coffee and tea as well as two soft boiled eggs.

The dishes that comprise "Singaporean Chinese cuisine" today were originally brought to Singapore by the early southern Chinese immigrants ( Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hakka and Hainanese). They were then adapted to suit the local availability of ingredients, while absorbing influences from Malay, Indian and other cooking traditions.

Most of the names of Chinese-originated Singaporean dishes were derived from languages/dialects of southern China, Hokkien (Min Nan) being the most common. As there was no common system for transliterating these Sinitic languages/dialects into the Latin alphabet, it is common to see different variants on the same name for a single dish. For example, bah kut teh may also be spelt bak kut teh, and char kway tiao may also be spelt char kuay teow.

Ban mian (板面; ), hand-made flat noodles served with vegetables, minced meat, sliced mushrooms, and an egg in an anchovy-based soup. Noodle variations are common. "Ban mian" refers to flat, long noodles; "mee hoon kuay" (米粉粿; ; 'rice vermicelli cake') refers to flat, rectangular noodles; "you mian" (幼面; ; 'thin noodles') refers to thin noodles.

Chai tow kway (菜头粿; ), also known as char kway (炒粿; ) or carrot cake, is a dish of steamed radish/daikon cakes diced and stir-fried with garlic, egg, chopped preserved radish, and sometimes with shrimp. This dish comes in black (fried with sweet dark soy sauce) or white (fried into an omelette) versions, with a chilli paste sometimes added.

Chicken noodles is an egg noodle dish with diced chicken meat.

Chwee kueh (水粿; chúi-kóe/shuǐ guǒ), a type of steamed rice cake served with preserved radish.

Crab bee hoon (螃蟹米粉; páng xiè mí fěn ) is a rice vermicelli dish served with whole mud crab. It may be served dry or in soup and sometimes in a claypot.

Duck rice (鸭饭; ), braised duck served with rice cooked with yam and shrimp. It can be served simply with white rice and a thick dark sauce, or with braised hard-boiled eggs, preserved salted vegetables, and hard bean curd (tau kua) on the side. Teochew boneless duck rice is a similar, but a more refined dish. The duck is deboned and sliced thinly, allowing the sauces to seep into the meat. Roasted duck rice is also commonly sold.

Hainanese chicken rice (海南鸡饭; Hǎinán jī fàn ) is based on the Hainanese dish Wenchang chicken. It is considered Singapore's national dish.

Hainanese curry rice is a dish consisting of steamed white rice smothered in a mess of curries and braised gravy.

Oyster omelette (蠔烙; háolào), a dish of omelette cooked with fresh raw oysters, tapioca starch and eggs.

Pig's brain soup (猪脑汤; zhū nǎo tāng ), a soup dish comprising pig brain with Chinese herbs.

Popiah (薄饼; ), Hokkien/Teochew-style spring roll or rolled crêpe, stuffed with stewed turnip, Chinese sausage, shrimp and lettuce.

Youtiao (油条; ), also called yew char kueh (油炸粿; ), fried dough crullers similar to those served in other Chinese cuisines around the world.

Beef fried rice topped with a sunny side up egg

Malay/Indonesian

Situated between Malaysia and Indonesia, Singaporean Malay dishes are influenced by the food of the neighbouring Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java and the Riau Islands. Despite absorbing regional influences, it tends to be adapted to local tastes and differs from their counterparts in neighbouring countries. Although Malays, such as the Orang Laut, are native to Singapore, most Malays in Singapore today are descended from native Indonesians or native Malays from present-day Malaysia. Hence, Singaporean Malay cuisine features a unique set of influences, especially from Minang cuisine. Spices and coconut milk are common ingredients, although Chinese ingredients such as taupok (tofu puffs) and tofu (known as tauhu in Malay) have been integrated. Many Chinese and Tamil Muslim adaptations of the following dishes also exist. As almost all Malays are Muslims, pork is not used as it is prohibited in Islam.

Acar, pickled vegetables or fruits with dried chilli, peanuts, and spices. Indian and Peranakan versions can also be found.

Assam pedas, seafood and vegetables cooked in a sauce consisting of tamarind, coconut milk, chilli, and spices.

Ayam penyet, fried chicken dish consisting of fried chicken that is smashed with the pestle against mortar to make it softer and a relatively new culinary phenomenon of Indonesian origin.

Bakso, also Ba'so, meatballs served with noodles.

Begedil, mashed potato mixture that is fried into patties and eaten together with mee soto.

Curry puff, also known as epok-epok, a flaky pastry usually stuffed with curry chicken, potato cubes, and a slice of hard-boiled egg. Sardines are sometimes used in place of chicken.

Dendeng paru, a dish of dried beef lung cooked in spices.

Goreng pisang, bananas rolled in flour, fried, and eaten as a snack.

Gudeg putih, white jackfruit curry.

Gulai daun ubi, sweet potato leaves stewed in coconut milk.

Keropok, deep fried crackers usually flavoured with shrimp, but sometimes with fish or vegetables.

Ketupat, rice cakes steamed in a square-shaped coconut leaf wrapping and usually served with satay.

Lemak siput, shellfish cooked in a thick coconut milk-based gravy.

Lontong, compressed rice cakes (see ketupat) in a spicy vegetable soup.

Nagasari, a rice snack with Indonesian origins.

Nasi goreng, steamed rice stir-fried in a wok, often mixed with other ingredients, such as eggs, vegetables and meat.

Nasi Padang, a steamed white rice served with an array - sometimes as many as 12, or more - of pre-cooked dishes, the mini banquet usually laid out in small plates.

Otak-otak/otah, spicy fish cake grilled in a banana leaf wrapping.

Pecel lele, fried catfish served with chilli paste.

Rawon, beef soup.

Rojak bandung, a variant of Singaporean style rojak.

Roti john, an omelette sandwich.

Sambal, not a dish in itself, but a common chilli-based accompaniment to most foods.

Satay, grilled meat on skewers served with satay sauce (a spicy peanut sauce) and usually eaten with ketupat, cucumber and onions.

Sayur lodeh, a mix of vegetables in coconut milk.

Soto, a soup dish mainly composed of meat and vegetables.

Soto ayam, a spicy chicken soup that features chicken shreds, rice cakes and sometimes begedil.

Tumpeng, a cone-shaped rice dish of Javanese origin. It is served with side dishes of vegetables and meat.

Like other Singaporean ethnic cuisines, Indian Singaporean cuisine has been influenced by multiple cultural groups. Dishes from both North India and South India can be found in Singapore.

Appam, a fermented rice pancake.

Dosa, rice and lentil pancake. Commonly served as a "masala" version that includes spiced potatoes and is served with different types of sambar.

Murtabak, an Indian-Muslim dish originating from the Middle East. It consists of folded dough stuffed with spiced minced meat, onions and egg, and is often served with curry.

Naan, an Indian oven-baked flatbread.

Putu mayam rice flour string hoppers or noodles served with sugar and coconut usually eaten for breakfast.

Roti prata, a local evolution of the Indian paratha. It is a popular dish for breakfast and supper. It is a fried bread pancake that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The dough is flipped to attain the right texture, then cooked quickly on a greased stove and served with curry or sugar. A plethora of modern variations are available, including egg, cheese, chocolate, masala, durian and even ice cream.

Soup kambing, a local Tamil-Muslim dish of spiced mutton soup.

Soup tulang, a local Tamil-Muslim dish of mutton or beef leg bones stewed in a spice. The bones are broken to allow the marrow to be eaten.

Soup tulang merah, is a dish consisting of mutton or beef bones stewed in a sweet and spicy red soup of mutton stock, tomatoes, ginger, chillies and spices. It is considered a Singapore invention

Tandoori chicken, chicken marinated in a mixture of spices and yogurt and cooked in a clay oven.

Vadai, spicy, deep-fried snacks that are made from dhal, lentils or potato.

Katong Laksa and otah

A number of dishes, listed below, can be considered as truly hybrid or multi-ethnic food.

Ayam buah keluak, a Peranakan dish of chicken stewed with spices and Southeast Asian black nuts (buah keluak).

Biryani (Indian variant) or Nasi Briyani (Malay variant), a popular mixed rice dish commonly found in places offering Malay or Indian food.

Cereal prawns (麦片虾; mài piàn xiā ), stir-fried prawns with sweetened cereal.

Laksa lemak, a Peranakan dish of vermicelli noodles and fried bean curd served in a creamy coconut sauce with slices of shrimp, fish, and cockles.

Fish head curry, a dish created by Singapore's Malayali (an Indian ethnic group from Kerala) community with some Chinese and Malay influences. The head of a red snapper (ikan merah, literally "red fish") stewed in curry consisting of varying amounts of coconut milk and tamarind juice, along with vegetables (okra and eggplant are common). Usually served with either rice or bread.

Kari debal / Devil's curry, a Eurasian Singaporean curry dish with Portuguese and Peranakan influences. Includes chicken, cabbage, sausage, and bacon pieces stewed in a curry sauce.

Kari lemak ayam, a Peranakan chicken curry with a coconut milk base

Katong Laksa, Singaporean thick rice noodles cut into shorter pieces (bee hoon) in a coconut curry gravy with prawn and egg. Sometimes tau pok (beancurd puffs) or fish cake may be added.[citation needed ]

Kueh tutu steamed rice flour pastries with a sweet shredded coconut or peanut filling

Kueh pie tee, a thin and crispy pastry tart shell filled with a spicy, sweet mixture of thinly sliced vegetables and prawns.

Kway teow goreng, stir-fried flat rice noodles.

Mee rebus, egg noodles with a spicy slightly sweet curry-like gravy. The gravy is made from sweet potatoes, curry powder, water, salted soybeans, dried shrimp and peanuts.

Mee siam, a dish of thin rice vermicelli.

Mee goreng, yellow egg noodles stir fried with ghee, tomato sauce, chilli, eggs, vegetables, and various meats and seafood.

Mee soto, a spicy noodle soup dish.

Rojak, a traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish of Indian origin and with Malay/Indonesian influences.

Sambal kangkong, a dish of water spinach (kangkong) fried in sambal.

Satay bee hoon, rice noodles served with cuttlefish, fried bean curd puffs, cockles and water spinach in satay sauce.

Tauhu goreng, fried bean curd with sweet sauce.

"Western Food" in hawker centres where "Singapore-style" chicken chop (topped with black pepper or mushroom sauce), chicken cutlet, pork chop are available. These are usually served with fries/mashed potato, coleslaw and baked beans. This style is often called "Hainanese Western food" due to the fact that it traces its origins to Hainanese immigrants who worked as cooks in the kitchens of Western employers.

Singaporeans also enjoy a wide variety of seafood including fish, squid (known as sotong in Malay), stingray, crab, lobster, clams, and oysters.

Popular seafood dishes include:

Black pepper crab, hard-shell crabs cooked in a black pepper sauce. Salted egg crab and buttermilk crab are also common

Chilli crab, hard-shell crabs cooked in chilli sauce, usually served with man tou, or deep-fried buns

Oyster omelette, an oyster omelette mixed with flour and fried, served garnished with coriander

Sambal lala, soft-shell clams fried with sambal sauce

Sambal stingray/hang hir (魟鱼; 魟魚; ), smothered in sambal and served on banana leaf, also known as ikan bakar in Malay

A wide variety of tropical fruits are available all year round. By far the most well known is the durian, known as the "King of Fruits", which produces a characteristic odour from the creamy yellow custard-like flesh within its spiky green or brown shell. Durians are banned on public transport, elevators, certain hotels, and public buildings because of their strong odour.

Other popular tropical fruits include mangosteen, jackfruit, longan, lychee, rambutan, soursop, pineapple and mango. Some of these fruits also are used as ingredients for other dishes: iced desserts, sweet-and-sour pork, and certain types of salad such as rojak.

Singaporean desserts have a varied history. A typical food court or hawker centre dessert stall will usually have a large variety of desserts available, including but not limited to:

Bubur cha cha, a dish of pearled sago, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, black-eyed peas, pandan leaves, sugar, and salt cooked in coconut milk and served hot or cold.

Chendol, basic version consist of pandan jelly strips with coconut milk and gula melaka syrup with shaved iced; other ingredients which could be added are red beans, sweet corns, ice cream and even durians.

Cheng tng (清汤; ), a light, refreshing soup with longan, barley, agar strips, lotus seeds and a sweet syrup, served either hot or cold. It is analogous to the Cantonese Ching bo leung.

Ice kacang, a mound of grated ice on a base consisting of jelly, red beans, corn and attap seeds, topped with various kinds of coloured sugar syrups, palm sugar, rose syrup and evaporated milk.

Kuih or kueh, small cakes or coconut milk based desserts that come in a variety of flavours, usually containing fruit such as durian or banana. Pandan is a common flavouring.

Kueh laddu are ball-shaped sweets.

Kueh lapis is a rich, multi-layered cake-style kueh using a large amount of egg whites and studded with prunes.

Kueh modak are rice flour dumplings stuffed with coconut and palm sugar.

Lapis sagu is also a popular kueh with layers of alternating colour and a sweet, coconut taste.

Pulut hitam, a creamy dessert made of black glutinous rice and served with coconut cream.

Tau suan (豆爽; ), mung beans in jelly, served hot with dough crullers.

Tang Yuan, bite-sized glutinous rice balls often filled with black sesame filling and sometimes served in ginger soup.

Wafer ice cream sandwiches are a popular dish sold by street vendors operating carts on busy street corners. These carts carry a variety of flavours, including but not limited to vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, sweet corn, coconut, and durian. While some vendors sell their ice cream in cups or cones, as is common in the West, the more popular variant is on slices of bread or between wafers. The ice cream consists of sealed blocks which are sliced to order and then placed on a single slice of over-sized, often multicolored bread. This can be either white bread or a slice of multicolored, slightly sweetened bread (dyed with food colouring and flavoured with pandan leaf extract). A sandwich costs around S$1 but may cost up to S$2 or more in downtown areas and tourist spots.

Popular Singaporean drinks include:

Bandung, rose syrup with evaporated milk.

Beer in Singapore

Chin chow drink (仙草水; xiān cǎo shuǐ ), grass jelly made into a sweet beverage.

Kopi, the local coffee in Singapore. Singapore's kopi lingo is mixed with various languages.

Kopi: Coffee with sugar and condensed milk

Kopi-O: Coffee with sugar

Kopi-O-Kosong: Coffee without sugar and evaporated milk

Kopi-C: Coffee with sugar and evaporated milk

Kopi-Peng: Iced coffee with sugar and condensed milk

Kopi-Siew-Dai: Coffee with less sugar and condensed milk

Kopi-Siew-Siew-Dai: Coffee with little sugar and condensed milk

Kopi-Ga-Dai: Coffee with extra sugar and condensed milk

Kopi-Gao: Coffee with sugar, condensed milk and extra thick concentrated coffee

Kopi-Di-Lo: Coffee with no dilution

Kopi-Poh: Coffee with extra dilution

Lemon barley drink

Water chestnut drink

Horlicks, malt milk drink. Variations include the Horlicks Dinosaur, a standard Horlicks drink topped with a scoop of Horlicks powder.

Milo, chocolate/malt milk drink. Variations include the Milo Dinosaur, a standard Milo drink topped with a scoop of Milo powder.

Sugarcane juice, usually blended to order from fresh sugar cane stalks.

Teh tarik, a pulled milk tea, often served hot. Variations include Teh halia tarik, which uses ginger tea instead of black tea.

Teh halia tarik, ginger tea with "pulled" milk (tarik)

Singapore Sling. While the cocktail was invented in Singapore's Raffles Hotel, and is still served at the hotel's Long Bar, it is not common in most Singaporean bars.

Singapore fried kway tiao (星州炒粿条; xīng zhōu chǎo guǒ tiáo ), a dish featuring fried thick, flat rice noodles flavoured with dark soy sauce commonly available in some Chinese restaurants in Canada and the United States, is also not a Singaporean dish. The dish most resembling it is char kway teow.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Singaporean cuisine is derived from several ethnic groups in Singapore and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan city-state. Influences include the cuisines of the Malays/ Indonesians, the Chinese and the Indians as well as, Peranakan and Western traditions (particularly English and Portuguese-influenced Eurasian, known as Kristang).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ingredients for One Dish Meals (makes four servings)

*some varieties of beans: kidney, chicken pea, black, white, navy, black-eyed peas, great northern

Directions:

1. Choose one ingredient from each column. If you increase the number of ingredients chosen, you may need to change the amount of liquid ingredients. Toppings are optional.

2. Mix all ingredients, except topping, together.

3. Heat thoroughly in oven or on the stove.

In oven: Place ingredients in an oven-proof dish, add topping if desired, cover dish, and bake at 350˚ for about 30 minutes, uncover and bake for 15 minutes to brown the topping.

On stove: place ingredients in a large skillet, simmer on top of stove until bubbly, add toppings and simmer for additional five minutes.

To make more than 4 servings:
The table below will help you determine how much to use.

As you increase the number of servings, adjust the seasonings and toppings to taste.
Healthy Choices:

1. Choose whole grain pastas, brown rice, and whole grain breads as often as possible to increase the fiber in your diet.

2. Choose lean meats. Remove the skin from poultry. Remove visible fat from meats and poultry. Choose water-packed canned fish.

To help prevent heart disease, limit eggs, substitute fish and/or beans several times a week for red meat and sausages.

3. Including a variety of vegetables in the dish will provide color, taste, texture, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Drain and rinse canned vegetables to decrease salt especially if you want to prevent high blood pressure. When in season, choose fresh vegetables.

4. Canned soups and sauces are generally high in salt. If concerned about high blood pressure and heart disease, consider one of these options: using a smaller amount, substituting lower salt versions, or using alternative liquids and/or limiting added salt.

5. Seasonings add to the flavor of foods. Using herbs and spices can limit the amount of salt needed in the dish.

6. Toppings add flavor, texture, and color. However, toppings also add calories and may add additional salt or fat that you may want to avoid if you are watching your weight or have high blood pressure.

Completing the Meal:
Add a fresh or canned fruit.

Choose a beverage: fat free or low fat milk, water, unsweetened fruit juice

Choose a whole grain bread, muffin, biscuit, or roll if desired

For more vegetables, add a salad.

The table for preparing a variety of sandwiches includes a choice of breads, fillings, vegetables, toppings, and ideas for optional special ingredients to add a surprise. To use the table, choose one or more ingredient from each group based on food preferences and availability. Try new combinations for added variety.

As with the one dish meal section, suggestions for completing a meal that is nutritionally balanced and healthy are listed at the end of the section. "Healthy Choices" are listed to assist families in preventing and treating common chronic diseases, such as hypertension, heart disease, and obesity.

Encourage clients to try a variety of combinations to make meals fun, nutritious, and healthy.
Building Healthy Sandwiches as Part of a Meal Healthy Choices:

1. Use whole grains products often to increase fiber in your diet. Try a variety of breads such as rye or pumpernickel.

2. Choose lean meats. Remove the skin from poultry. Choose water-packed canned fish. To help prevent heart disease, limit eggs and choose lean cuts of meat and light luncheon meats.

3. Use a variety of vegetables on the sandwich to add crunch, as well as increase fiber, vitamins, and minerals in your diet.

4. Limit the amount of toppings used if you are watching your weight or need to limit salt because of high blood pressure.

Completing the Meal:
Add a fresh or canned fruit.

Choose a beverage: fat free or low fat milk, water, unsweetened fruit juice

For more vegetables, add a salad.

When it's cold outside, add a soup.

1. Plan a menu for the week and prepare a shopping list after checking your pantry.

2. Use coupons and grocery store cards for extra savings.

3. Shop at grocery stores or co-ops not at convenience stores for lower prices.

4. In season, shop at farmer's markets.

5. Buy foods in bulk when you can freeze or store them dry.

6. Buy larger packaging when practical.

7. Store brands are often cheaper than brand names.

8. Buy fruits and vegetables in season and preserve if practical.

9. Look for specials.

10. Ready-made and pre-packaged foods may be more convenient but they are also more expensive.

11. To avoid overbuying, shop when you are not hungry.

Keep these items on hand. Replace them before they run out to avoid last minute trips to the store and to take advantage of sales.These items are also part of the planning you need to do for weather emergencies. For more information in preparing for weather emergencies, contact the American Red Cross.

Other supplies for emergencies include flashlight, battery operated radio, batteries, candles, matches or lighter, blankets, etc.

Tejaswini Rao, PhD, RD, CDN, Associate Professor, Dietetics and Nutrition Department

Donna M. Hayes, Ms, RD, CDN, Assistant Professor, Dietetics and Nutrition Department

Hogbin, Myrtle, Davis, Carole and Escobar, Alyson. Preparing Nutritious Meals at Minimal Cost. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. CNPP-7B, 1999.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Washington, D.C., 2005.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. MyPyramid. Accessed www.MyPyramid.gov November 2006.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals. CNPP-11, 2000.

Charette, Peggy, Coury, Laura, Dobbe, Chris, Lorine, Gardner, Graveen, Betty Jo, Hora-Schwobe, Donna, Roberts, pat, Templin, Joe. Your Journey to Better Health , Healthy Living Through the Commodity Food Program. University, MS: National Food Service Management Institute, University of Mississippi, 1999.

Dobelis, Inge, editor. Quick Thrifty Cooking. Pleasantville, New York: Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 1985.

Eshleman, Ruthe. American Heart Association Cookbook, 4th edition. New York: David McKay Company, Inc., 1984.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
health nutrition dietetics department buffalo state college

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ingredients for One Dish Meals (makes four servings) *some varieties of beans: kidney, chicken pea, black, white, navy, black-eyed peas, great northern Directions: Choose one ingredient from each column. If you increase the number of ingredients chosen, you may need to change the amount of liquid ingredients. Toppings are optional.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I've been back from my trip to Singapore for about a week now, and while I've mostly finished digesting from my six-day noodle bender, I feel like I've only begun to wrap my head around the depth and diversity of the food scene there. Singapore is a tiny country with a voracious appetite: " we'll eat five or six meals a day," one local told me. "I'm not saying that to impress you-we really do."

Like in Malaysia, those meals will draw from Malay stir fries to Chinese noodles to Indian curries, all slurped down with coffee, hot gingery tea, or the sweet and herbal citrus vibe of calamansi limeade. And no matter where you are, or what you're eating, you'll hear someone tsk-ing about a better noodle, porridge, or bean curd at their favorite hawker.

Never has this New Yorker heard arguments more cutthroat about the best food in town. This is a country of five million dead-serious eaters, the kind of people who ask, "have you eaten?" as a form of greeting.

It's also a nation full of contradictions: a fervent post-colonial drive to be Western in all things against a patchwork of immigrant cultural traditions that refuse to be ignored. Food from Singapore hails from everywhere, but also, in a sense, from nowhere: the local cuisine is defined by what it's borrowed, and how those puzzle pieces are assembled into something totally unique.

What is Singaporean cuisine? It's food you eat in Singapore. Bak kut teh may have come from Southern China, and fish head curry from Southern India, but today they're just Singaporean.

It's a crazy country that can set your head spinning, but food, of all things, will keep you grounded. You'll find fragrant coconut jam on toast in the shadow of skyscrapers, and hear the crack of crab shells in the alleys of red light districts. Wherever I was, and whatever I was doing, I always had the sense that I was in the company of people who cared deeply about what they ate.

With that preface out of the way, get ready to dig in.

Essential Findings

If I had to briefly answer what I learned from my trip, it's this: my cheapest meals were some of my best, I could spend the rest of my life eating in hawker centers, and f*@k, these people know how to make noodles. You could spend a trip-or an expat's lifetime (not that I've thought about it or anything)-eating nothing but noodles for less than $5, and feel like you're on top of the world.

If there's anything that ties the endless array of Singaporean food together, it's how good they make humble ingredients taste. A plate of rice and egg noodles stir-fried with shrimp stock and lard tastes way more vibrant and interesting than you'd think it has any right to. A spoonful of quivering tofu from a plastic carton will change your relationship with bean curd.

This kind of perfection in simplicity can only come from a place where eating is a way of life unto itself. And where a meal is judged solely by what comes on the plate-fancy restaurants and big name chefs not necessary.

A World of Influences

Singapore is seated at the cultural crossroads of an entire food-crazy continent. By the numbers, it's roughly 74% Chinese, 13% ethnic Malay, 9% Indian, and 3% Eurasian. As one of the wealthiest countries in Asia, it's drawn workers in from everywhere, and where large populations of immigrant workers go, good food is sure to follow. Singapore feels similar to New York in this way: not only is it a glass-towered metropolis of wealth; it's also a hotbed for a half dozen or so different ethnic groups making-and cooking-their way through the world.

Some fascinating cultural fusion has emerged as a result. The Peranakan/Nyonya population is the product of marriage between Chinese immigrants and Malaysian natives, which has created a food culture all its own. The Indian food satisfies Asian tastes as much as anything else; some of the dishes bear only a passing resemblance to their Indian subcontinent counterparts. And ingredients from everywhere figure into the local cuisine; I mean centuries-old cultural borrowings and brand-new imports that arrive every day.

There are plenty of distinct dishes, though. Many of the Chinese recipes are straight imports from their Hokkien and Teocheow homes, even if they've underwent local modification over the decades. Still, I get the sense that Singaporeans are less likely to "go out" for Chinese or Indian than they are to just go out and eat everything in sight. When your whole country is an ethnic maelstrom of people from all over, quibbles over exacting cultural boundaries or notions of "authenticity" feel quaint.

Essential Foods

The Three Pillars: Noodles, Rice, and Seafood

Most Asian cultures are rice- or noodle-focused, but in Singapore they're both. Noodles are typically served stir fried or in soup. The Malay dishes ( such as these) are usually based on a foundation of spicy, fishy sambal, sour herbs, and/or complex citrus. Their heat typically comes from a wallop of chili paste stirred into broth, or a small dish of even hotter sauce on the side.

Chinese-inspired noodles, which were the bulk I came across, are a little less complex but no less fantastic. The smoky kiss of the wok really shines in stir-fried hokkien mee; a superb dish of wonton mee was all about the hoisin-sweet and pickle-sour sauce touched up with just a dab of chile paste and some ridiculous roast pork. Noodle broths are typically pork-, chicken- or shrimp-based.

Coconutty laksa and mucilaginous lor mee excepted, they tend towards the thin side, but they deliver powerful flavors. The soups that accompanied my noodles never tasted random or incidental; cooks intelligently combine them with specific noodles, proteins, and vegetables to make a complete dish.

Most rice dishes, be they Chinese, Indian, or otherwise, tend to be of the "over rice" variety. Think a subtly spiced biryani topped with a rich chicken curry gravy, or gingery poached chicken heaped rice cooked in the chicken's broth. Rice can of course accompany anything, but if you're eating at a Hawker Center, you won't have a waiter bringing you rice to sop up your stir fry sauces. Rice dishes in Singapore tend to be just that: dishes, not accompaniments.

You'll hear that crab is the national dish, and that's true depending on who you talk to, but shrimp-always called prawns-are the every day seafood. Singapore has virtually no domestic agriculture, fish, or meat industry, so most ingredients, seafood included, have to be imported. But that means majestic platters of chili crab, shrimp in every conceivable style, and bubbling cauldrons of fish head hurry are never in short supply. In the West, fish tends to be seen the demure alternative to meat. And if not an alternative, at least a more subtle, clean protein paired with quieter flavors. That is not, in my experience, how they do fish in Singapore.

Fruit and Spices

Whether eaten straight, blended into juice, or used as a topping in a shaved ice dessert, a wealth of tropical fruit is an important part of the Singaporean diet. There is, of course, the famously stinky durian, which Singaporeans can't get enough of. The durian I've had in the U.S. has always had a rotting flesh flavor with hints of almond and overripe apricot; in Singapore it's even more intimidating. The custardy fruit boasts a hot, brash kiss of garlic breath that more than once stopped me in my tracks.

It's not for me, but given how prevalent it is in the country's food culture, you owe it to yourself to try it. One Brazilian travel companion fell in love with the stuff, and when we scored a dish of shaved ice with mango and durian, she couldn't be happier.

Another essential: calamansi lime, which makes its way into so many dishes it could be a food group. Carey perfectly described it as having "a complicated, compelling flavor that's simultaneously sweet and acidic and refreshingly bright-lime meets kumquat meets tangerine, say." The broths, chili pastes, and drinks of the country just wouldn't be the same without its cool, slightly herbal citrus vibe.

Other popular fruits include mangosteen, lychee, spiky rambutan, and deliriously sweet longan and sugar cane (durian and calamansi excepted, Singaporeans seem to like their fruit on the sweet side). Coconut, when not used for creaminess in a bowl of laksa or cendol, is bought for its water, drunk straight. Water from small Thai coconuts is on the sweeter side, but the larger, more common green-skinned coconuts have a more nutty, sour flavor.

You can't talk about Southeast Asia without talking about the spice trade. As an island off Malaysia, Singapore has been exposed to every spice, cuisine, and crook from the old spice routes. But since Singapore is mostly Chinese, spices figure less heavily into the cuisine than in Malaysia.

That said, virtually any spice that grows in India can be found here, and the Indian curries, which are thinner and much more intense than Westerners may be used to, aren't afraid to use them all. Malay dishes employ a range of exotic fruits and herbs with Indian and Thai spices; Indonesian ones like satay with spicy-sweet peanut sauce also aren't afraid to give South Asian spices the Southeast Asian treatment. Ginger, black and white peppers, and chilies figure heavily into some of the country's most iconic dishes: chili and pepper crabs and Hainan chicken rice.

That said, if you're wary of too much heat, take comfort in knowing that you can navigate Singapore's culinary landscape quite easily without touching spicy food. Most of my favorite dishes-to my great surprise-had no heat at all.

Other Essentials

Of course this barely touches on all the incredible variety of Singaporean cuisine: crisp-chewy roti prata, dreamlike rice porridge, garlicky pork rib soup, briny fried oyster omelets, savory fish paste grilled in banana leaves, tender daikon radish cake with eggs and molasses-ey soy sauce...you get the idea. Plus I've barely touched on breakfast, sweets, and the country's national specialties. As I file more stories on Singapore over the next few weeks, we'll keep this post updated as an index of everything Singapore culinary.

Where to Eat

Hawker Centers

You may have heard people call Singapore a street food mecca, and that's true, but not in the sense you may be used to. The government banned hawking in the street decades ago; hawkers are now housed in open air (but enclosed) Hawker Centers, which are something like food courts, but an institution all their own (this introductory guide is required reading).

Hawker Centers are the hot, humid, frenetic lifeblood of Singaporean food culture. They're owned by the government and house scores (and sometimes hundreds) of individual hawkers that usually specialize in a couple of dishes, if that many. You'll have your chicken rice guy, your fritter lady, and your char kueh teow wokstar-and everyone has their wokstar. Singaporeans will queue up for half an hour just to get their perfect plate of noodles or bowl of soup.

You'll find hawker centers near public housing buildings (which accommodate 85% of the country's population) and in larger markets. As far as street food goes, they're pretty clean and well-managed, the kind of place where tables are wiped down frequently by staff and a pack of tissues or an unattended backpack is an accepted and perfectly safe way to save your seat.

Kopitiams

Kopitiams (a portmanteau of the Malay word for "coffee" and the Hokkien Chinese word for "shop") are more than just places to get your morning coffee-they're cultural institutions. A kopitiam is a coffee house crossed with a bar crossed with a neighborhood breakfast joint -a place for quick meals and lengthy gatherings with friends. Any of the first three or four meals of the day can be taken at one, along with a hot kopi taken with condensed or evaporated milk.

More on this later, but if you don't spend several of your breakfasts in Singapore eating kaya toast (a coconut-egg jam on bread) and runny eggs topped with soy sauce alongside a kopi, you're doing Singapore wrong.

Cze Chas (Eating Houses)

Cze Chas are open-air restaurants (though many that take the name are also enclosed) with much lengthier menus than you'll find at Hawker stalls. There's table service here, and you'll be dining in the company of a couple dozen people, not hundreds like at a Hawker Center. Cze Chas may specialize in a single dish or a few dozen; the quality of the food, and the opportunity for people watching, can be just as top-notch as at a Hawker Center.

More Single-Serving Spots

You'll see other small lots with a few devoted tables out front for cooks who specialize in a couple foods but want a space larger than what a Hawker Center affords. I saw a number of fresh bean curd spots on my trip, but also one devoted to "Pig Organ Soup." As these single-serving places are often close by to others, they form a sort of Ur-Hawker Center on the street.

Restaurants and Food Courts

There are, of course, full-fledged indoor (air conditioned!) restaurants in Singapore, which tend to specialize in a specific cuisine much like in the U.S. They're typically classier operations: the dishware is made of ceramic, not plastic; you're not hit with the smell of a dozen different woks going at it; and you'll have a server paid to be nice to you.

There are also food courts, which are are indoors, often in malls. Avoid them; they focus on comfort and packaging, and are usually run by corporations whose first priority definitely isn't good food.

Fine Dining

I'd be remiss to not mention that there's an ever growing fine dining scene in the country, one of the many outlets for a Western-aspirational (and wealthy) sector of the public. The good ones, like Tung Lok Seafood or the newly opened Pollen in the brand-new Gardens by the Bay project, are very good. But beware that many fine dining restaurants cater to the tourist and Western expat market, and may not be as tied to the unforgiving Singaporean criterion for good food regardless of setting.

What About Home Cooking?

With all these dining out options, do Singaporeans cook at home? Definitely-markets are flooded at peak hours-but in a country where you can get a dish of first-rate noodles for about $3 U.S., and where there are so many options for great food around, there's a huge epicurean and economic incentive to eat out. That said, Singaporeans are just as proud of their homecooked meals as they are of their favorite hawker.

A Republic of Eaters

Even for a seasoned traveler, Singapore can be a bewildering place. Some people call it "Asia Lite" because it's so friendly to Westerners. It is easy for an English speaking Westerner to get around, but that makes the place more fascinating to me, not less.

Because Singapore is a city of incredible wealth and $3 noodles, and recognizes no contradiction in excelling at both. It's a culture that's growing and changing all the time, that relishes juxtapositions, food especially, and couldn't be more proud of its unique local cuisine that's a little bit from everywhere.

And after you receive your third or so plate from a smiling hawker who's spent his or her life perfecting one or two dishes, something clicks. You realize this food isn't just about food, or even about the culinary magic of teasing big flavors from humble ingredients.

The earth spins fast in Singapore; tradition has to fight to keep up. In this country of immigrants, "where you're from" and "where you're going" become relative questions. Food points the way.

Helpful Resources

Here are some handy guides to help you dive deep into Singapore's food culture.

iEat-iShoot-iPost is the most popular food blog in Singapore, with incredible coverage of the hawker scene that includes accurate locations and hours of operation. The author, Dr. Leslie Tay, has also published a book and iPhone app that are well worth buying.

Not a Tourist is a blog that encourages expats the discover the local culture. It covers more than just food, and is a great insider's guide.

Makansutra is K. F. Seetoh's annually published guide book and website all about celebrating local food.

More on Singapore
Note: Max's recent trip to Singapore was arranged by the Singapore Tourism Board. Special thanks to our awesome guide, Garry Koh.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Singapore is a tiny country with a voracious appetite: "we'll eat five or six meals a day," one local told me. "I'm not saying that to impress you-we really do." Learn about this food-crazy country's cultural influences, what you must eat here, the frenetic hawker centers, and more in this beginner's guide to Singaporean food.