CAVIAR OF THE EAST :SHRIMP PASTE IN THE FOOD AND FOODWAYS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

Abstract

Shrimp paste was and remains to be one of the markers of Southeast Asian identity and cuisine. There has been, however, very few scholarly works about the history of this condiment or how it relates to the region's history. This thesis thus explores the ways in which shrimp paste was important to Southeast Asian foodways, and the development of a common food culture in the region during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Climatic and geographical factors made the large consumption and production of shrimp paste across the region imperative. Its savoury flavour made it a preferred complement to rice, which has been a regional staple. Furthermore, the study of shrimp paste provides another springboard to examine the dichotomy between the colonised and the coloniser. The British were particularly concerned with the smell of this odoriferous compound and the poor hygiene of the environment in which shrimp paste was manufactured. They regarded the stench as a sign of cultural and moral inferiority. This thesis also examines the tensions between ethnic groups as a result of competition in the production and commerce of shrimp paste. Both native commerce and international maritime trade further facilitated the spread of shrimp paste consumption. Local shrimp paste industries did not develop in isolation, and were affected by the vagaries of the salt and fishing industries in the 1920s. This study concludes with a discussion of the modern decline of shrimp paste production and consumption during the early twentieth century in light of the advancements of food technology and transportation.