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While Singapore is well-known for its Hainanese chicken rice, chilli crab and chicken satay, it came as a pleasant surprise when our humble kaya toast was recognised as one of the 50 “best sandwiches in the world”.
This was announced in a recent Instagram post by the experiential travel online guide TasteAtlas.
Kaya toast is believed to have been created by Hainanese immigrants who served as cooks for the British colonial masters.
The kaya spread is made mainly with eggs, sugar, coconut milk and pandan leaves. Sometimes called kaya jam, it replaced the Western fruit jam in the sandwich.
Eaten on its own or as a set with two soft-boiled eggs and local coffee or tea with sweet condensed milk, kaya toast started off as a breakfast item.
It is said to have been first served at Singapore’s oldest Hainanese coffee shop that opened along Killiney Road in 1919.
Today, kaya toast can be found at practically every coffee shop, foodcourt and hawker centre, and is well-loved by all races.
Its popularity is surprising when you consider that eating sliced bread is a novelty for some locals.
The Indians would normally start their day with thosai and idli, the Malays with their nasi lemak and mee siam and the Chinese with their noodles and porridge.
While the North Indians might have bread in the morning, this would be naan or chapati, and not sliced white bread layered with kaya and butter.
From being a breakfast staple, kaya toast is now enjoyed throughout the day. So much so, it was promoted by the Singapore Tourism Board as a uniquely Singaporean tradition.
In June 2021, South Korean convenience store chain CU sold kaya toast at all of its stores as part of its “Singapore Gourmet Trip” series.
Then in October 2021, the Monetary Authority of Singapore issued commemorative coins that featured kaya toast, along with other local dishes, to celebrate the inscription of Singapore’s hawker culture into the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
Let’s hope Singapore’s soul food sandwich becomes as globally prevalent as French toast, and then it will be on everyone’s lips.
