Dr Leslie Tay, who runs food blog “ieatishootipost”, said: “How you define authentic really depends on the generation you are talking to and what they grew up eating.
“This authenticity has nothing to do with the product itself, but really depends on what you grew up with. Everybody’s definition of ‘authentic’ will be different.”
Agreeing, author Ryan Kueh said that ideals of authenticity tend to also be linked to notions of time and heritage, where third- and fourth-generation hawkers are often regarded as more “authentic” since they build on their families’ existing hawker legacies.
Therefore, what Singapore diners might consider to be an authentic rendition of a hawker dish may have also evolved with time, Mr Kueh added. He has written a book documenting Singapore’s hawking culture, titled From Streets to Stalls: The History and Evolution of Hawking and Hawker Centres in Singapore.
Original dishes – brought into Singapore decades ago by immigrants to the island – have been adjusted or adapted over the years, so diners’ expectations of what constitutes an “authentic” version would thus change.
Citing the example of chicken rice, Dr Tay pointed out that the popular dish has evolved from the time it was first made by the Hainanese, who moved here from China.
“(The Hainanese) didn’t use to put the chicken into cold water after cooking to firm up the jelly. That was introduced by the Cantonese, but gradually over time, it has become something that all the hawkers do,” he said.
“So if today, you try to reintroduce the traditional Hainanese way of making chicken rice, it may not work or be well-accepted … because people are too used to (this common version) now.
“And if you don’t give diners the soy sauce for the chicken rice, they may not accept it today. But in the past, Hainanese chicken rice was never eaten with soy sauce,” Dr Tay added.
Mr Kueh, pointing to the popular Teochew braised duck dish, a variation of the original braised goose version, said that the evolution of these dishes could also be a reflection of diners’ changing preferences.
For one thing, younger generations of Singaporeans seem to favour food that is healthier, less oily and less salty. Switching from braised goose to braised duck is thus a natural transition, since the latter is often fresher – as it is more easily procured here – and its meat is also leaner.
Ultimately, the idea of “authenticity” in hawker food is one that is in flux and will continue to evolve, the experts said.
After all, food is cultural and a product of its time and the population, which will also alter and change over the years.
This evolution is not necessarily a bad thing, Ms Ow said, since it could be one way to keep Singapore’s hawker cuisine continually relevant and alive.
