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MALAY CUISINE 4

A walk through a wet market at any time of year will show you just what wonders the tropics can produce. Varieties of banana, fresh coconut, papaya, mango, and pineapple are just a few of the fresh and juicy fruits available year-round; in addition, Southeast Asia has an amazing selection of exotic and almost unimaginable fruits. From the light and juicy star fruit to the red and hairy rambutan, they are all worthy of a try, either whole or juiced.

Dare it if you will, the fruit to sample-the veritable king of fruits-is the durian, a large, green, spiky fruit that, when cut open, smells worse than old tennis shoes. The "best" ones are in season every June, when Singaporcans go wild over them. In case you're curious, the fruit has a creamy texture and tastes lightly sweet and deeply musky.

One interesting note on fruits: The Chinese believe that foods contain either vin or yang qualities with corresponding "heating" and "cooling" effects. Fried foods and hot soups are heating and therefore should be kept to a minimum in the tropics, and the same is true for some fruits. Whereas watermelon, star fruit, and oranges are cooling, mangoes, litchi, and especially durians are heating. Taking too many heating foods is believed to result in a sore throat, for which the best remedy is Chinese tea.
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