The cuisine of Singapore is often viewed by her population as a prime example of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore. The food is heavily influenced by Malaysian, Chinese, Indian (specifically southern Indian styles), Indonesian, and even Western traditions since its founding by the British in the 1800s. In Singaporean hawker stores, for example, chefs of a Chinese ethnic background might experiment with Indian influences such as tamarind, turmeric and ghee ,
while an Indian chef could serve a greater amount of coconut products.
This phenomenon makes the cuisine of Singapore significantly rich and a cultural attraction. Most of the prepared food bought outside home is eaten at hawker centres or food courts, examples of which include Lau Pa Sat and Newton Food Centre, rather than at actual restaurants. These hawker centres are relatively abundant which leads to low prices and encourages a large consumer base.
Cross-cultural/fusion
A number of dishes, listed below, can be considered as truly hybrid or multi-ethnic food.
Fish head curry,
traced to Chinese and Indian roots. The head of an ikan merah (literally "Red fish") - which is red snapper, is stewed in curry with vegetables. Usually served with either rice or bread.
Satay bee hoon, thin rice vermicelli served with spicy peanut satay sauce
Spicy kangkung, a dish of leafy green vegetables (water convolvulus) fried in sambal.
Tauhu goreng, fried tofu with sweet sauce
Singapore-style Western food, Chinese interpretations of Western cuisine, although Malay-inspired versions also exist. Hainanese cooks in Singapore hybridised Western dishes for local palates during the country's British colonial era, creating such dishes as stewed pork chop in tomato sauce served with green peas.

Nyonya food
Nyonya food was invented by the Peranakan people of Malaysia and Singapore. It uses mainly Chinese ingredients but blends them with South-East Asian spices such as coconut milk, lemon grass, turmeric, screwpine leaves, chillies and sambal. It can be considered as a blend of Chinese and Malay cooking.
Examples of Nyonya dishes include:
Laksa lemak is a type of laksa served in a rich coconut gravy.
Otak-otak
is a fish cake grilled in a banana leaf wrapping. The town of Muar is famous for it.
Ayam pongteh, a chicken stew cooked with tauchu and gula melaka that is sweetish
Ayam buah keluak, a chicken dish cooked using the nuts from Pangium edule or the "Kepayang" tree, a mangrove tree that grows in Malaysia and Indonesia
Cincalok, a distinctly Peranakan condiment made of fermented shrimp
Se Bak, pork loin, marinated overnight with herbs and spices, cooked over a slow fire and simmered to perfection.
Rojak (Malay Influenced: 水果囉喏). A fruit salad with a topping of thick dark prawn paste