Pandan Cake Listed as Best in the World, So S’poreans & M’sians Argue Who ‘Own’ it. Again

In a recent list of the best national cakes in the world, CNN has named the humble but delicious Pandan cake as one of them. Interestingly, the Pandan cake is also the only cake on the list with 2 countries of origin.

Singapore, and our neighbour Malaysia.

It’s barely even a day since the news broke, and we can already hear Malaysians (and of course, Singaporeans) complaining about the true origins of Pandan cake.

Image: misstamchiak.com

If we’re being completely honest, it seems that the real origins are quite mysterious. As the CNN list said, the Pandan cake is essentially a chiffon cake. Chiffon cakes originated in the US, so it is entirely possible the cake was merely a local adaptation during colonisation.

Unfortunately, that didn’t answer the question at all. Which country did the Pandan adaptation first then?

Depending on who you ask, of course.

There are already multiple Malaysian websites laying claim to the Pandan cake, like here and here. The thing is, neither of them have any real evidence.

Actually, this seems like quite a non-issue, considering it’s just cake we’re talking about here. Like what one of my colleagues say, when Singaporeans and Malaysians argue about food, it’s almost cute.

(By the way, which country has a better nasi lemak? *cues the Singaporeans’ and Malaysians’ roars)

Early history of the region is shared for the two countries anyway, so there are bound to be some overlaps. It’s way easier to just accept that, and go have some cake.

Lord knows I need some cake over here.

You can check out the rest of the list here. CNN featured some famous classics, such as Tiramisu and the Black Forest cake. It’s bound to make you hungry for some!

Since you’re here, why not check out Goody Feed’s YouTube videos as well? They’re so Singaporean, I bet you’ll like them!

Featured Image: youtube.com

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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