Refactoring cuisine: how an Iraqi stew sailed to Singapore

Refactoring cuisine: how an Iraqi stew sailed to Singapore(iza.ac)

27 points by infinitewalk 3 days ago | 8 comments

roughly 2 hours ago |

I love these kinds of tales of cultural fusion, because they're so much the norm in human history, and yet we've got this weird idea of fixed identities, categories, and cultures - trace any food, any dance, any music or art back far enough and you're walking continents, and frequently not the ones you think.

infinitewalk 2 hours ago | |

The interesting thing is, for a long time I didn't really think about it. I never thought about why I never saw this dish outside of my families dinner table as a kid, and later when I was an adult, I never really questioned what this oddly familiar but distant stew was in middle eastern restaurants.

It was only when I moved out of home and decided to try and recreate it I realized how unique it was!

Makes me wonder how many other similar stories exist in other peoples homes.

oliculipolicula 1 hour ago | | |

Can I ask you about the calamansi? Filipinos tend to prefer them ripening (never fully ripe), but it looks like the unripe ones are more common in malay cuisine? Your recreation seem to have used store-bought juice?

Did Rose's version not have the calamansi?

The garnishing, was that cilantro? What choice of rice brings you back to the childhood?

Thanks! This was quite eye-opening. The tiniest details are essential!!

There are also other ethnic takes, like Kuah bamia/bamia kambing (close to the original,lamb; north Indian version would add yoghurt, South would be (fermented?)coconut milk?), nonya okra stew (Straits Chinese,adding tamarind like you mentioned, different spices)

kazinator 35 minutes ago |

> how an Iraqi stew sailed to Singapore

Spoiler: it was a stewaway.

infinitewalk 25 minutes ago | |

Damn. That's a much better title

Nursie 50 minutes ago |

> For example, the paradox of Grandfather’s axe where the handle and the blade have long been replaced

For a pop-culture reference, probably known mostly in the UK, see "Trigger's Broom".

The character Trigger is a street sweeper and is given an award by the council for using the same broom for 20 years. Later he reveals the trick to good broom maintenance is to replace parts when they start to go, and says it has had 17 new heads and 14 new handles.