Yee Sang Was Made in Seremban But BBC Claims It Was Created By 4 S’porean Chefs

Oh no, not again! 

Just three months ago, CNN said that cendol is from Singapore and now, BBC has claimed that Yee Sang originates from our neighbour. 😐

In the travel piece titled “Singapore’s salad that makes you rich”, BBC decided to shine some light on the famous Yee Sang by giving some background and history on this dish which they called Singapore’s “secret weapon”.

Now, we all know that Yee Sang is a dish inspired by Yu Sheng, which is a dish from China but BBC claimed that the Yee Sang we all know today is the brain-child of four Singaporean chefs. BBC wrote,

“When the dish was brought to Singapore by Chinese immigrants in the 1930s, it looked very little like the ‘prosperity salad’ that’s tossed today.”

“They would meet regularly to brainstorm new recipes, and the festive Yu Sheng was the result of one of these gatherings.”

Nevertheless, the origin of Yee Sang has been an ongoing debate between the two nations but this debate was thought to have ended when a book named “A Toss of Yee Sang” was published. In the book, it was clearly mentioned that Yee Sang didn’t originate from Singapore. In fact, it has its origins in Malaysia. 

It was created by Loke Ching Fatt who came to Malaya (Now: Malaysia) and he adapted the Yu Sheng recipe in an effort to up his business game in the 1940s. He even renamed Yu Sheng to Sup Kum Yee Sang (Tenth Sense Yee Sang) to create his own brand. Smart guy!

Yep, the famous Yee Sang which is tossed during Chinese New Year dinners is actually from Seremban, Malaysia. 

Well, it looks like the western media has again caused a stir between the two nations (Singapore and Malaysia). Perhaps, western media like BBC and CNN should have done more research on Asian food if they would like to feature our cuisines.

What do you think of BBC’s blunder? Let us know in the comments below! 

 

Also read: Did You Know That Yee Sang Actually Originated From Malaysia?