Kopi and toast stories served up at Nanyang Breakfast exhibition

Travelling display showcases evolution of culinary staple and how it has gone global

- Chin Soo Fang

Nanyang coffee, colloquially known as "kopi", has historical ties to the opium dens of Singapore in the 1930s.

Its unique flavour came about after butter and sugar were added to the Robusta beans when they were about 80 per cent roasted. This was reportedly to satisfy opium smokers, who suffered from dry mouth and a dulled sense of taste.

This and other interesting facts about Singapore's iconic Nanyang breakfast can be found in a new exhibition, The Nanyang Breakfast Club: Let's Lim Kopi (drink coffee), Jiak Roti (eat bread).

It was launched by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) at the SingPost Centre in Eunos on April 3.

The travelling exhibition pays homage to the Nanyang breakfast, which has three elements: charcoal-grilled toast with a spread of kaya and a sliver of butter, two soft-boiled eggs drizzled with soya sauce and sprinkled with white pepper, and a cup of aromatic kopi.

The word "Nanyang" refers to "South Sea", or the South-east Asian region.

The Nanyang breakfast has its roots in the early 19th century, when Chinese immigrants, particularly the Hainanese, arrived in the area and worked as cooks and domestic helpers for British and European families.