This article is about the Maritime Southeast Asian drink with Hainanese cultural roots. For coffee in Indonesia, see List of Indonesian drinks.Kopi
A cup of Kopi OTypeServed hot or coldRegion of originBritish MalayaColorBlack or brown
Kopi, also known as Nanyang coffee, is a traditional coffee beverage found in several Maritime Southeast Asian nations. Often brewed to be highly caffeinated in strength, it is commonly served with sugar and/or milk-based condiments. This drink originated from the British Malaya era, with Hainanese cultural roots. The name of the drink is derived from the Malay term for coffee. The term Nanyang, which means "South Sea" in Mandarin, refers to Maritime Southeast Asia.[1] Kopi culture vocabulary is grounded in Hokkien dialect as a result of historical immigration to Maritime Southeast Asia from the Minnan region in the south-eastern part of Fujian Province in Southeastern Mainland China. The beverage is usually served in coffee shops, Hawker centres and kopitiams across the region.[2]
In Singapore, kopi is recognized as culturally significant[3] and part of the everyday diet and lifestyle of many Singaporeans. It is habitual for Singaporeans of all ethnicities and ages to customize their Kopi using the Hokkien dialect.[4] The Singapore coffee is distinct from other types of coffee due to its roasting process and preparation technique involving a variation of the Torrefacto method.[1]Coffee consumption thus offers a medium for performing an ambivalent (g)local version of what it means to be a Singaporean. [lima] Concerns over the elevation of diabetes cases, have caused the creation of government-led nationwide campaigns in Singapore to reduce sugar intake, especially with regard to sweet drinks or drinks that add sugar such as Kopi O.[6] This has the potential to affect the consumption of Kopi O.[6] The significance of Kopi in Singapore's culture can be found in greater detail in Singapore's only Kopi museum.[7]
Kopi is also a popular drink in Brunei,[8] Malaysia,[8] and Southern Thailand.[9] Tenom in the East Malaysian state of Sabah is a major regional producer of coffee beans,[10] which is used to brew kopi.[11]Etymology[edit]
Kopi (pictured in the background, or Kopi O (pictured in the foreground), paired with kaya toast is a popular breakfast option in Singapore.
This transcendence of Hokkien dialect in local kopi culture can be linked to the prominence of Hokkien immigrants in Malaya and Colonial Singapore.[12] According to the history of Chinese immigration, millions of China residents left due to natural calamities and political instability during the 19th Century.[13] In the beginning, 50,000 Chinese landed in Singapore – many of them Chinese traders.[13] This number grew to 200,000 in 1900 as more passed through the Malay States and Dutch East Indies into Singapore. Amongst the arrivals, the Hokkiens made up the largest proportion of Chinese dialect groups in Singapore.[13] Thus, they also came to possess a dominant share of the banking, manufacturing and trade industries.[12]Variations[edit]
Variations in style of traditional coffee revolve around denseness, sugar level, and additions of evaporated milk, condensed milk or ice. Local Kopi vocabulary governs the way consumers order their preferred style of Kopi in Malaysia and Singapore. The terms used to order these variations in Singapore, along with their respective meanings, can be found below.[4]Kopi: Coffee with sugar and condensed milkKopi-O: Coffee with sugarKopi-O-Kosong: Coffee without sugar and evaporated milkKopi-C: Coffee with sugar and evaporated milkKopi-Peng: Iced coffee with sugar and condensed milkKopi-Siew-Dai: Coffee with less sugar and condensed milkKopi-Siew-Siew-Dai: Coffee with little sugar and condensed milkKopi-Ga-Dai: Coffee with extra sugar and condensed milkKopi-Gao: Coffee with sugar, condensed milk and extra thick concentrated coffeeKopi-Di-Lo: Coffee with no dilutionKopi-Poh: Coffee with extra dilution
In addition to local variations, there are also diverse overseas combinations and variations of Kopi. This includes Yuenyeung or Kopi Cham which is a mixture of coffee and tea popular in Malaysia and Hong Kong.[14] Kopi is also otherwise known as Nanyang coffee. Nanyang means ‘South Sea’ in Mandarin, and usually references to Southeast Asia.[1]
Younger generations of Singaporeans have created terbaru twists and recipes involving Kopi. An example is Coffee Break at Amoy Street that offers Almond Ginger Kopi which embodies a spicy and nutty nyeduh flavor.[7] This depicts an existing progression away from the traditional methods of preparing Kopi in Singapore.Processing[edit]Beans and sources[edit]
Kopi traditionally uses Robusta coffee beans. During Colonial Singapore, the Chinese partook in exchanges with Arab traders who carried with them Indonesian Robusta beans, and these beans grew better in Singapore's conditions as opposed to Arabica beans.[15] The common type of Robusta beans used in Singapore is the Indonesia EK-1 species.[4] In 21st Century Singapore, Robusta beans continue to be largely imported from Indonesia and Vietnam.[16] In a bid to modernize, heritage brands such as Lam Yeo Coffee Powder Factory choose to use gourmet beans from South Africa and Central America.[17]Roasting[edit]
The general traditional preparation process for Hainanese-style Kopi involves using a combination of 80% beans, 20% sugar and margarine in the roasting process for a duration of 25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.[1] Halfway into the roasting time, salt is added. Sugar is also added at the end to provide a caramelized finish and takeaway any bitter aftertaste.[1] The result is a richer and more fragrant coffee than Western-style coffee.[15] This method has been said to hold slight similarities to the common Torrefacto roasting method in Argentina, Costa Rica, France, Portugal and Spain.[4]Serving[edit]
To serve, the ground Kopi powder is placed in a muslin bag and boiling water is poured over it.[18] It is then stirred using a long stick or chopstick. After, the brew is transferred back and forth between two large cylindrical kettles with upright tubular spouts tapering to the pouring end.[18] The purpose is to aerate and cool the Kopi.Nutrition[edit]
Kopi has twice the amount of caffeine found in Arabica coffee.[19] A regular cup of Kopi contains three teaspoons of sugar whereas Kopi-Siew-Dai has 1.lima teaspoons.[20] The World Health Organization recommends that an optimal sugar intake would border 5 teaspoons to bring about health benefits.[20]History[edit]Singapore[edit]
The origin of Kopi in Singapore is intertwined with the demographic, industrial and cultural history of Colonial Singapore. In 1821, the Hainanese arrived in Singapore to trade medicinal herbs, umbrellas and wax amongst other things.[21] They did not immigrate to Singapore until much later in the 1870s due to conservative attitudes and delayed open trade and seafaring activities.[22]
This left the Hainanese at an employment disadvantage compared to earlier arrivals like the Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese, who had already entrenched themselves into industries like commerce and agriculture, due to aid from exclusivist clan associations.[dua] The Hainanese were a small group, unable to communicate easily with other Chinese groups due to dialect differences and were both illiterate and poor.[22] These circumstances forced them into the service sector, where they found work as rubber tapers, waiters, and more popularly, cooks and domestic servants in rich European and Peranakan households.[dua]
From the late 1920s to early 1930s, the economic downturn incentivized the Hainanese to turn to the hotel, bar and restaurant landscape due to lower rental rates.[22] The competition from Cantonese single women immigrants and reduction of British and Peranakan families after World War II also impacted the viability of remaining in the services sector.[dua] Thus, the Hainanese relied upon their culminated culinary and personal service skills, and increasingly ventured into setting up their own coffeeshops or kopitiams from the 1920s to 1950s.[23] The support from the Hainanese association members aided this successful transition.[24] It is recognized that the Hainanese community played a pioneering and pivotal role in the emergence of the kopitiam culture in Singapore.[25] It was through these Hainanese kopitiams that distinctive techniques of roasting coffee beans and brewing coffee were created, and Kopi along with its variations in Singapore was birthed.[dua]
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