Baba Bling, Peranakan Cuisine and Culture at Musee Quai Branly, Paris, October 5-January 30

The Singapour Festivarts season opened on October 5, 2010 in Paris.

One of its main events is the Baba Bling exhibit at Musee du Quai Branly which shares the contributions of Peranakans to the city-state. This event runs until January 30, 2011.

Baba Bling shares "a fascinating story of a diasporic community in Southeast Asia which is a fusion culture combining elements of their original culture with the customs and beliefs of their adopted country."

What we learn from the program notes on this blend of experiences:

"In Singapore, the term “Baba” designates a “Peranakan Chinese man”, and by extension, the descendents of Chinese traders who settled in Southeast Asia and assimilated certain aspects of Malay culture into their culture of origin.

The Peranakan Chinese community is believed to have been in existence as early as the 17th century in Malacca. By the 19th century, Peranakan Chinese had established themselves in various parts of Southeast Asia – Java, Sumatra, and the British Straits Settlements of Malaya (consisting of Malacca, Penang and Singapore). Singapore, being the capital of the Straits Settlements and a thriving entrepot, attracted Peranakans (also known during the colonial period as the Straits Chinese) from across the region.

Interaction and identification with the British colonial powers added a third, European ingredient to the Peranakan mix (of Chinese and Southeast Asian) and became part of the Peranakan identity.

The intercultural integration that lay behind the Peranakan identity is a lesson in open-mindedness and tolerance, two subjects that have never been more relevant today.

A collection of approximately 500 artefacts has been assembled for this exhibition in order to highlight the luxurious extravagant culture of the Peranakan Chinese established in Singapore.

The word Peranakan comes from a Malay word ‘anak’ meaning child, and can be loosely translated to mean ‘local-born’ (but not originally indigenous). As such, this term is not only used for Chinese Peranakans but also other Peranakan communities of various ethnicities in Southeast Asia – like Indian and Eurasian."

As part of this event, from October 23 to October 31, chef and cookbook author Christopher Tan,  chef Benjamin Seck and Sylvia Tan, food writer and author of Singapore Heritage Food,  will run workshops on Peranakan cuisine.

Each workshops lasts one hour and focuses on 1 dish (3 dishes at most) including Popiah Goreng (fried spring rolls), Ayam or Babi Pongteh (simmered Chicken or Pork), Goreng Kelodok (banana beignets), Sayur Lodeh (Vegetable curry).

I hope you learned as much reading this piece as I did writing it.

Found out about this Parisian event thanks to Pascale of C'est moi qui l'ai fait (French food site).