trending: 'Singapore's kaya toast' in world's top 50 sandwiches list, Malaysians say it was 'stolen' from them
SINGAPORE — Following last September's 100 Best Rated Breads in the World, Croatia-based food encyclopaedia TasteAtlas recently released a new ranking for the Top 100 Sandwiches in the World, which has once again stirred up commotion among Malaysian and Singaporean online users.The list, published on Monday (March 11), puts Singapore's kaya toast at number 42 with a rating of 4.2 out of 5.0. The top place went to Vietnam's banh mi with a rating of 4.6.
This might be a source of pride for Singaporeans, but Malaysians were not so pleased by what they perceived as a snub.
On the TasteAtlas website, its description of kaya toast calls it "a popular Malaysian and Singaporean breakfast". However, it attributes the dish only to Singapore.
Kaya toast is believed to have originated with Hainanese people who worked on British ships as cooks and later settled in Singapore, where residents "replaced the British jams with local coconut spreads", the site states.
Referring to the recent unhappiness over Singapore's exclusive concert deal with Taylor Swift and other Singaporean-Malaysian dishes that are often fought over by both sides, Malaysian Facebook user Summer Hauz wrote in a Kuala Lumpur (KL) Facebook group: "Taylor Swift has been stolen, Hainanese chicken rice has been stolen, bak kut teh has been stolen.
"Now even kaya toast (42) has been stolen (from us)."
Comedy site Mgag shared the same sentiment on Monday, using a popular reaction image of cartoon character Fry from Futurama narrowing his eyes to represent Malaysians' reaction to kaya toast being identified as Singaporean.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Mgag's Facebook post has received 5,100 reactions, 630 comments and 520 shares.
Another meme posted by Mgag in the comments section, which depicts Singapore as a masked thief pickpocketing "kaya toast" from an unsuspecting Malaysia, has 1,200 likes.
Food wars between the two countries often involve some mention of the weaker Malaysian ringgit, which on Wednesday stands at about 3.5 ringgit against the Singapore dollar.
Likewise, under Mgag's Facebook post, one Malaysian online user said: "I eat before, Singapore kaya toast, the roti (bread) size is (shrunken) 3.5 times.
"Even Hup Seng biscuits (are) thicker than their kaya toast."
Some also poked fun at Singapore's limited land area and reliance on imports, writing: "Ah, yes. The kaya toast made locally in Singapore from their vast pandan fields, fresh farm eggs and vast coconut plantations."
Others joked that the Malaysian government would soon be discussing kaya toast in parliament.
Just last month, the government there gazetted bak kut teh — a pork bone soup made with aromatic herbs and spices — as one of 10 national foods to preserve Malaysian heritage. The move was reportedly proposed by a lawmaker in June last year to prevent Singapore from "claiming" the dish.
As for kaya toast, there were more people who felt that there was simply no need to kick up a fuss about the rankings, referring to another recent report that named Malaysia as the fifth happiest country in the world. Singapore, on the other hand, came in 21st.
A top comment on the post read: "We are happy people. Please relax. We are (the) fifth happiest people... They wanna claim, ah? Shake hand and take, lah. We love you, lah."
The report, published by non-profit neuroscience research organisation Sapien Labs on March 4, is based on a comprehensive assessment of mental well-being. It has been widely reported in Malaysia.
Malaysian online users also pointed out that regardless of origin, kaya toast is much more popular in Singapore since shops such as Ya Kun Kaya Toast often entertain "full houses every breakfast, lunch, tea time and maybe dinner".
As one Facebook user wrote: "Seriously, who cares which country it belongs to, as long as it tastes good?"
