Kopi (drink)

This article is about the Southeast Asian drink with Hainanese cultural roots. For coffee in Indonesia, see List of Indonesian drinks.
Kopi
A cup of kopi
TypeServed hot or cold
Region of originBritish Malaya
ColorBlack or brown

Kopi (Chinese: 㗝呸; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko-pi), also known as Nanyang coffee, is a traditional coffee beverage found in several Maritime Southeast Asian nations. Often brewed to be highly caffeinated in strength, it is commonly served with sugar and/or milk-based condiments. This drink originated from the British Malaya era, with Hainanese cultural roots. The name of the drink is derived from the Malay term for coffee. The term Nanyang, which means "South Sea" in Mandarin, refers to Maritime Southeast Asia.[1] Kopi culture vocabulary is grounded in the Hokkien dialect as a result of historical immigration to Maritime Southeast Asia from the Minnan region in the south-eastern part of Fujian Province in southeastern mainland China. The beverage is usually served in coffee shops, hawker centres and kopitiams across the region.[2]

In Singapore, kopi is recognized as culturally significant[3] and part of the everyday diet and lifestyle of many Singaporeans. It is habitual for Singaporeans of all ethnicities and ages to customize their Kopi using the Hokkien dialect.[4] The Singapore coffee is distinct from other types of coffee due to its roasting process and preparation technique involving a variation of the Torrefacto method.[1] Coffee consumption thus offers a medium for performing an ambivalent (g)local version of what it means to be a Singaporean.[5] Concerns over the elevation of diabetes cases, have caused the creation of government-led nationwide campaigns in Singapore to reduce sugar intake, especially with regard to sweet drinks or drinks that add sugar such as Kopi O.[6] This has the potential to affect the consumption of Kopi O.[6] The significance of Kopi in Singapore's culture can be found in greater detail in Singapore's only Kopi museum.[7]

Kopi is also a popular drink in Brunei,[8] Malaysia,[8] and Southern Thailand.[9] Tenom in the East Malaysian state of Sabah is a major regional producer of coffee beans,[10] which is used to brew kopi.[11]

  1. ^ a b "Traditional Breakfast of Kaya and Kopi". www.roots.sg. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  2. ^ Lai, Ah Eng (2015). "The Kopitiam in Singapore: An Evolving Story about Cultural Diversity and Cultural Politics". Food, Foodways and Foodscapes: 103–132. doi:10.1142/9789814641234_0006. ISBN 978-981-4641-21-0.
  3. ^ Aljunied, Khairudin (2014). "Coffee-shops in Colonial Singapore: Domains of Contentious Publics". History Workshop Journal. 77: 65–85. doi:10.1093/hwj/dbt011. S2CID 154985319 – via Oxford Academic.
  4. ^ "Singapore Coffee Association". Singapore Coffee Association. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  5. ^ Chang, Cheryl; McGonigle, Ian (2020-07-02). "Kopi culture: consumption, conservatism and cosmopolitanism among Singapore's millennials". Asian Anthropology. 19 (3): 213–231. doi:10.1080/1683478X.2020.1726965. ISSN 1683-478X. S2CID 216228666.
  6. ^ a b Ng, Kelly (2018). "Sugar? No thanks: Patrons opt for healthier option when asked to sweeten beverages themselves". TODAYonline. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  7. ^ "Order kopi like a local". www.visitsingapore.com. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Capital was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Robusta coffee, native to Satun Province…a gem to preserve in the community". Prince of Songkla University. January 28, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Shortage was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Kopi popularkan daerah Tenom" (in Malay). Berita Harian. Retrieved April 24, 2022.