Immigrate to Singapore and taste Singaporean cuisine: Singaporeans are extremely passionate about food and enjoy eating immensely. Even their greetings are often related to food, which clearly demonstrates how popular dining is in this country.
For many people arriving in Singapore, the first delicacy they choose to try is Singapore Bak Kut Teh. Just one taste of this dish is a true culinary delight. Bak Kut Teh literally means "meat bone tea"; the experience of gnawing on bones while sipping tea is quite a novel way to dine.
When you sit in a restaurant and order Bak Kut Teh, you will soon be served a bowl of soup containing large pork ribs. You can add various seasonings according to your personal taste. The pork ribs are generally lean and stewed until very tender. And when eating these ribs, how could one go without tea?
Ah, the tea is where the sophistication lies. The tea must be brewed from high-quality leaves using fine ceramic tea sets, and there is a tea-rinsing process before consumption. It is just like a tea ceremony; what one might expect to be a simple cup of tea actually involves many intricate steps.
Specifically, Bak Kut Teh is prepared by stewing pork ribs and meat chunks with a variety of seasonings. When served, it comes with rice and fried dough sticks (youtiao) in addition to the meat and tea, completing the set. Some restaurants also serve it with fish, vegetables, and more. In fact, Bak Kut Teh can be described as a medicinal pork rib soup, as Chinese herbal medicines are indeed added to the preparation.
While Bak Kut Teh also exists in Malaysia, there are some differences in flavor. Singaporean Bak Kut Teh has a stronger herbal taste, whereas the Malaysian version is more peppery. Relatively speaking, Singaporean Bak Kut Teh is more akin to a nourishing tonic soup.
