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1180 articles
7 August 2026
New Books on Singapore History (October 2026)
Topics
Collection Highlights
Check out the new books in National Library Singapore.
Article
5 August 2026
The Curious Case of Curry Puffs
Topics
Food
Before expensive imported butter became widely available, curry puffs were typically made with animal fat.
Video
5 August 2026
The Crisped, the Baked, the Spiralled: Curry Puffs and Their History
Topics
Food
Award-winning writer Christopher Tan talks how the Indian samosa led to the curry puffs we know today, as well as the different types of curry puffs – baked, spiralled, made with mutton fat and fillings like otak-otak and taro.
Podcast
29 July 2026
Interpreting the Turk: Everyday Encounters and Urban Memory in Colonial Singapore
Topics
Culture
History
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Turkish imagery appeared in a variety of popular media in Singapore, reflecting the fascination with the Ottoman Empire and Turkish world and the island’s status as a cosmopolitan port city.
Article
29 July 2026
Abacus Seeds: A Hakka Classic
Topics
Food
Hakka dishes like thunder tea rice, yong tau foo and salt-baked chicken are familiar to most, but what about abacus seeds?
Video
29 July 2026
Putting Together a Family Recipe of Abacus Seeds
Topics
Food
When chef, filmmaker and writer Sarah Huang Benjamin wanted to make Hakka abacus seeds for Chinese New Year, her relatives were of little help. The exact recipe was something the older generation had not passed on. Armed with her childhood memories of helping to make the dish, Sarah spent hours doing research and conducting countless experiments before she came up with something she was happy with.
Podcast
24 July 2026
From "Pok Jui" to Jui Residences: The Story of the National Aerated Water Company
Topics
History
Places and Buildings
In the 1950s, the National Aerated Water Company was able to produce over 40,000 bottles of Sinalco a day. All that remains today is the company’s factory on Serangoon Road.
Article
24 July 2026
Gambling Farms, Horse-drawn Omnibuses and Stately Homes
Topics
History
People
Weekend gambling trips to Johor by horse-drawn omnibus were once commonplace. Blogger Jerome Lim uncovers surprising details that challenge what we know about Singapore’s past.
Feature Articles
24 July 2026
The Untold Negotiations Behind Singapore’s Independence in 1965
Topics
History
For decades, the conventional wisdom was that Singapore was “kicked out” of Malaysia. However, newly released documents in Dr Goh Keng Swee's Albatross file reveal a more complex history. In this episode, Janadas Devan, the coordinator for the Albatross File project, tells us more about the secret negotiations by Singapore’s leaders to separate from Malaysia, even as many of them still hoped to preserve a looser federation.
Podcast
10 July 2026
Trends in Malay Wedding Photography (1950s to the Early 1980s)
Topics
Arts
Culture
The evolution of Malay wedding photography since the 1950s has been shaped by several factors, including the changing needs of newlyweds, the professionalisation of the craft and the services provided by the mak andam.
Article