Singapore’s submission – Hawker Culture In Singapore: Community Dining And Culinary Practices In A Multicultural Urban Context – was accepted and added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This made it Singapore’s second entry to any UNESCO list, five years after the Singapore Botanic Gardens was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.
UNESCO recognises intangible cultural heritage as “living heritage” where traditions and practices are passed from one generation to the next.
Evolved from street food culture, hawker centres have become markers of Singapore as a multicultural city-state, comprising Chinese, Malay, Indian and other cultures. Hawkers take inspiration from the confluence of these cultures, adapting dishes to local tastes and contexts. Today, hawker centres across Singapore continue serving the needs of diverse communities in residential, recreational and work districts.