I spent some enjoyable minutes flicking through a book on Singaporean cuisine, pausing at recipes for prawn laksa, and egg roti, fish head curry and hainanese chicken rice, before discovering that Singapore noodles are all but unknown in that country – in fact, they're a Cantonese creation, popular in the restaurants, street stalls and tea houses of Hong Kong.
Why they're credited to somewhere else entirely is a mystery – I wonder, given the famous fusion cuisine of that island, whether it might be something to do with the curry powder that's often responsible for the dish's violent hue, but if anyone actually knows, please do spill the beans.
Whatever the story behind the name, any country should be proud to claim this fine dish as its own. Singaporeans, apparently, get cross at being asked about it. If they're not keen, maybe we should make a bid for it instead?
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