Fascinated by intersection of cuisines in Singapore

English chef-author Fuchsia Dunlop will be here to host a salon session and take part in a panel discussion on the ethics of food writing

- Ong Sor Fern Arts Editor

English author Fuchsia Dunlop is looking forward to the food when she comes to town for the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) in November.

The 52-year-old says over a video call from her London home: "I'm always interested to experience food in its cultural and historical context. Singapore is so interesting because you have a collision of lots of different cultures. Although my focus has been on Chinese food in China, I'm completely fascinated by the intersection between Chinese food and Malay, Indian, Southeast Asian.

"Cuisines don't really have borders. They're all about encounters and trade. You really see that in Singapore with things like coconut milk, the different herbs and spices that are not so common in China, but come from Singapore's position as a very international place."

The trained chef is one of the early champions of Chinese cuisine in the West, publishing her landmark Sichuan Cookery in 2001.

Her most recent book is the entertainingly erudite Invitation To A Banquet (2024), which tells the story of Chinese food spanning millennia.

At the SWF, which runs from Nov 7 to 16, Dunlop will be participating in a panel on the ethics of food writing on Nov 8 as well as hosting an intimate salon session on Nov 9.