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Iraqi Jews had other stories of food migration. For example there is the curious fact where due to Iraqi Jews the falafel in Israel has Amba as a condiment, originally an Indian mango chutney
Okay... There's a whole Wikipedia about this topic! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amba_(condiment)
Wow I have to tell my dad about this (he's going to not like this lol)
Also known as Bamiya or Bamia (okra stew) among the Malay-Arab community in Singapore.
Iraqi Jews had other stories of food migration. For example there is the curious fact where due to Iraqi Jews the falafel in Israel has Amba as a condiment, originally an Indian mango chutney
What's the deal with Amba eating in Iraq? It seems out of place as it's spicy source condiment. Okay... There's a whole Wikipedia about this topic! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amba_(condiment) Wow I have to tell my dad about this (he's going to not like this lol)
Also known as Bamiya or Bamia (okra stew) among the Malay-Arab community in Singapore.
But is the recipe the same or different?
https://www.peranakanmuseum.nhb.gov.sg/learn/digital-resourc...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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…
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!!…
An aside: I used to not use the Calamansi in Hokkien Mee because I thought we don't really do sour in our mains in my origin cuisine. After I saw a friend squeeze (over a spoon to filter out the seeds) Clamansi, I tried it too and regretted all the times I did not add it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
But is the recipe the same or different?
Similar. It seems the dish had both Arab and Jewish roots. In colonial Singapore, both communities were small but left an outsized mark. https://www.peranakanmuseum.nhb.gov.sg/learn/digital-resourc...
This is a lovely piece of writing. Well done.