Kopi tiam
Encyclopedia
咖啡店
A kopitiam or kopi tiam is a traditional breakfast
and coffee
shop found in Southeast Asia
. The word is a portmanteau of the Malay
word for coffee (as borrowed and altered from the Portuguese
) and the Hokkien
dialect word for shop . Menus typically feature simple offerings: a variety of foods based on egg
, toast
, and kaya
, plus coffee
, tea
, and Milo, a malted chocolate drink which is extremely popular in Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore, Malaysia and Riau Islands.
In a typical kopi tiam, the drinks stall is usually run by the owner who sells coffee, tea, soft drinks, and other beverages as well as breakfast items like kaya toast
, soft-boiled eggs and snacks. The other stalls are leased by the owner to independent stallholders who prepare a variety of food dishes, often featuring the cuisine of Singapore
& Malaysian Cuisine. Traditional dishes from different ethnicities are usually available at kopitiams so that people from different ethnic backgrounds and having different dietary habits could dine in a common place and even at a common table.
Kopitiam is also the name of a food court chain in Singapore.
Some of the more common foods that can be seen in kopi tiams, besides the ever-popular eggs and toast, consist of char kway tiao (fried hor fun, sometimes cooked with eggs and cockles), Hokkien mee (mee noodles served with various seafoods as well as egg) and, possibly the most common, nasi lemak, or coconut rice (a Malay dish of coconut-flavoured rice, served with sambal chilli paste, egg, and ikan billis or anchovies).
Recently a new breed of "modern" kopitiams have sprung up. The popularity of the old-fashioned outlets along with society's obsession with nostalgia and increasing affluence has led to the revival of these pseudo-kopitiams. The new kopitiams are fast-food outlets which are reminiscent of the old kopitiams in terms of decor, but are usually built in a more modern, hygienic setting such as a shopping mall rather than in the traditional shophouse, catering mainly for young adults.
This has come after the creation of so-called "coffee culture
" by western coffee chains such as Starbucks
and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
. The kopitiams offer a viable alternative wherein the coffee culture could be experienced with local flavour and for a more affordable price.
To offer the true kopitiam experience, modern kopitiams such as Uncle Lim's Cafe mostly offer authentic local coffee brews, charcoal grilled toast
served with butter
and kaya
(a local version of jam made from coconut milk and eggs) and soft boiled eggs. Some have extended menus where local breakfast, lunch and dinner meals are served. To tap into the sizable Muslim market, these kopitiams usually serve food that is halal (permissible for consumption by Muslims) unlike the traditional shophouse kopitiams
Today there are no less than 100 brand names of modern kopitiams operating in various parts of Malaysia.
Kopitiams in Ipoh oldtown district serves Ipoh white coffee. The coffee beans are roasted with palm-oil margarine and with less sugar. Resulting in a brew that is lighter in colour than normal coffee beans that uses sugar. Hence the name 'white coffee'. The colour is almost comparable with coca-cola.
A kopitiam or kopi tiam is a traditional breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
and coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
shop found in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. The word is a portmanteau of the Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
word for coffee (as borrowed and altered from the Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
) and the Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
dialect word for shop . Menus typically feature simple offerings: a variety of foods based on egg
Egg (food)
Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes...
, toast
Toast
Toast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
, and kaya
Kaya (jam)
Coconut jam, Srikaya, or Kaya is a food spread, a fruit curd in the general sense, consumed mainly in Southeast Asia and made from a base of coconut and sugar.-Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore:...
, plus coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
, and Milo, a malted chocolate drink which is extremely popular in Southeast Asia, particularly Singapore, Malaysia and Riau Islands.
In Singapore
Kopi tiams in Singapore are commonly found in almost all residential areas as well as some industrial and business districts in the country, numbering about 2,000 in total. Although most are an aggregate of small stalls or shops, some may be more reminiscent of food courts, although each stall has similar appearance and the same style of signage.In a typical kopi tiam, the drinks stall is usually run by the owner who sells coffee, tea, soft drinks, and other beverages as well as breakfast items like kaya toast
Kaya toast
Kaya toast is a popular snack amongst Singaporeans and Malaysians. It consists of kaya, a spread of eggs, sugar and coconut milk and flavored with pandan on toasted or fresh bread or cream crackers. Butter or margarine may be spread as well....
, soft-boiled eggs and snacks. The other stalls are leased by the owner to independent stallholders who prepare a variety of food dishes, often featuring the cuisine of Singapore
Cuisine of Singapore
Singaporean cuisine is indicative of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore, as a product of centuries of cultural interaction owing to Singapore's strategic location...
& Malaysian Cuisine. Traditional dishes from different ethnicities are usually available at kopitiams so that people from different ethnic backgrounds and having different dietary habits could dine in a common place and even at a common table.
Kopitiam is also the name of a food court chain in Singapore.
Some of the more common foods that can be seen in kopi tiams, besides the ever-popular eggs and toast, consist of char kway tiao (fried hor fun, sometimes cooked with eggs and cockles), Hokkien mee (mee noodles served with various seafoods as well as egg) and, possibly the most common, nasi lemak, or coconut rice (a Malay dish of coconut-flavoured rice, served with sambal chilli paste, egg, and ikan billis or anchovies).
In Malaysia
In Malaysia, as in Singapore, kopitiams are found almost everywhere. However, there are a few differences. In Malaysia:- the term kopitiam in Malaysia is usually referred specifically to Malaysian Chinese coffeeshops;
- food in a kopitiam is usually exclusively Malaysian Chinese cuisine;
- food courts and hawker centres are usually not referred to as kopitiams.
Recently a new breed of "modern" kopitiams have sprung up. The popularity of the old-fashioned outlets along with society's obsession with nostalgia and increasing affluence has led to the revival of these pseudo-kopitiams. The new kopitiams are fast-food outlets which are reminiscent of the old kopitiams in terms of decor, but are usually built in a more modern, hygienic setting such as a shopping mall rather than in the traditional shophouse, catering mainly for young adults.
This has come after the creation of so-called "coffee culture
Coffee culture
Coffee culture describes a social atmosphere or series of associated social behaviors that depends heavily upon coffee, particularly as a social lubricant. The term also refers to the diffusion and adoption of coffee as a widely consumed stimulant by a culture...
" by western coffee chains such as Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is a Los Angeles, California-based coffee chain, owned and operated by International Coffee & Tea, LLC. The first Coffee Bean opened in September 1963. The chain has over 750 locations in 22 countries...
. The kopitiams offer a viable alternative wherein the coffee culture could be experienced with local flavour and for a more affordable price.
To offer the true kopitiam experience, modern kopitiams such as Uncle Lim's Cafe mostly offer authentic local coffee brews, charcoal grilled toast
Toast
Toast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
served with butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
and kaya
Kaya
-Music:*Kaya , singer and creator of Seggae*Kaya , real name Francis Martin Lavergne*Kaya , former member of Schwarz Stein*Kaya , based in Liverpool...
(a local version of jam made from coconut milk and eggs) and soft boiled eggs. Some have extended menus where local breakfast, lunch and dinner meals are served. To tap into the sizable Muslim market, these kopitiams usually serve food that is halal (permissible for consumption by Muslims) unlike the traditional shophouse kopitiams
Today there are no less than 100 brand names of modern kopitiams operating in various parts of Malaysia.
Kopitiams in Ipoh oldtown district serves Ipoh white coffee. The coffee beans are roasted with palm-oil margarine and with less sugar. Resulting in a brew that is lighter in colour than normal coffee beans that uses sugar. Hence the name 'white coffee'. The colour is almost comparable with coca-cola.
"Coffee shop talk"
"Coffee shop talk" is a phrase used to describe gossip because it is often a familiar sight at kopi tiams where a group of workers or senior citizens would linger over cups of coffee and exchange news and comments on various topics including national politics, office politics, TV dramas, sports and food.Example of typical Kopitiam beverage terms
- kopi oh = hot black coffee (sweet)
- kopi oh peng = ice black coffee (sweet)
- kopi oh kosong = hot black coffee (unsweetened)
- kopi oh kosong peng = iced black coffee (unsweetened)
- kopi = White coffee (sweet)
- kopi peng - iced White coffee (sweet)
- kopi 'c' - hot coffee with evaporated milk (sweet)
- kopi 'c' kosong - hot coffee with evaporated milk (unsweetened)
- kopi 'c' peng - iced coffee with evaporated milk (sweet)
- teh oh = hot tea (without milk, sweet)
- teh oh peng = iced tea (without milk, sweet)
- teh oh kosong = hot tea (without milk, unsweetened)
- teh oh kosong peng = iced tea (without milk, unsweetened)
- teh = milk tea (sweet)
- teh peng - iced milk tea (sweet)
- teh 'c' - hot tea with evaporated milk (sweet)
- teh 'c' kosong - hot tea with evaporated milk (unsweetened)
- teh 'c' peng - iced tea with evaporated milk (sweet)
- tiao hee - Chinese tea in tea-bag
- dak ku - Milo
Explanation of kopitiam terms
- kopi = coffee
- o/ oh = black
- peng = iced
- kosong = without sugar
- 'c' = with evaporated milk
- teh = tea
- tiao hee = Hokkien dialect for ‘fishing’ Reference to dipping up and down of tea bag.
- dak ku = Hokkien dialect for ‘kick ball’, because Milo tins often feature a soccer player kicking a ball.
See also
- Malaysian cuisine
- Cuisine of SingaporeCuisine of SingaporeSingaporean cuisine is indicative of the ethnic diversity of the culture of Singapore, as a product of centuries of cultural interaction owing to Singapore's strategic location...
- Hawker centreHawker centreA hawker centre or cooked food centre is the name given to open-air complexes in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Riau Islands housing many stalls that sell a variety of inexpensive food...
- Pasar malamPasar malamPasar malam is a Malay and Indonesian word that literally means "night market", "pasar" being related to "bazaar" in Persian. A pasar malam is a street market in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore that opens in the evening, usually in residential neighbourhoods.It brings together a collection of...
, night market - Mamak stallMamak stallA mamak stall, is a food establishment which serves mamak food. In Malaysia, the term mamak refers to Tamil Muslims, who generally own and operate them. Although traditionally operated from roadside stalls, some modern mamak stall operators have expanded their businesses into restaurant or...
- CoffeeshopCoffeehouseA coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
- Tea restaurant