It would be helpful to understand the local food culture if you are going to invest and do business in Southeast Asia. Now let’s explore food culture in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnamese.

Thailand:

Here are some items that Thai people eat for breakfast: johk, sweet bread, dumplings, sardines, noodles, and western desserts, fried eggs on toast, chicken congee, milk and coffee. Rice is the staple food. Fish dishes are popular, but Thai people don’t eat sea cucumber.  

Singapore:

The most striking part of Singaporean food culture is its rich ethnic diversity. From Malay food to Japanese cuisine, Western fast food joints to the typical Chinese restaurants, from Korean BBQ to Thai flavor, Indonesian favorites as well as Indian specials, Singapore offers a good mix of delicacies to pick from. The signature dish in Singapore is called nasi lemak, which is a Nyonya dish originated from the neighboring China and Malaysia.

Malaysia:

Malaysian people normally eat rice, pastries, coconut milk and curry. Spicy dishes are favored. Malaysian flavored Satay (i.e. grilled chicken or lamb skewers) is a tasty dish indispensable for feast and banquet. In Malaysia, people prefer Chinese food to Western dishes. It is common to eat food with hand in Malaysia. However, people do use forks and spoons in Western banquets.

Burma (the Union of Myanmar):

Burman enjoy both Chinese and Western cuisines. The most commonly eaten food includes beef, chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, egg and vegetable. Light vegetable dishes are favored while eating Chinese food. Typically, the flavor is light, sweet and sour. Curry seasoning and especially chili oil is indispensable for nearly every meal. Burman drink black tea and coffee after meal. They do not eat animal organs or pork. Some Burman even do not eat four-legged animals, maybe because of their bad luck superstitions.

Indonesia:

West-style breakfasts and fresh orange juice are popular in Indonesia. Chinese dishes are common on lunch and dinner tables. An Indonesian meal consists of rice as the staple food complemented by spicy dishes, deep-fried food and dehydrated vegetables. Animal organs are their favorite food, such as deep-fried tripe, fried sausage, deep-fried chicken liver and so on. Common methods of cooking include grilling, deep-frying, pan-frying, stir-frying and sautéing. Dishes are served crispy, flaky, sweet, sour and fragrant, quite similar to the tastes of Shandong dishes. Indonesian abstains from eating pork. Indonesian drinks black tea, fruit wine, wine and champagne, but not spirits or other strong alcohol. There are no alcoholic drinks for National Day and other significant festivals in Indonesia.

The Philippines:

Filipino people rely on rice and maize, complemented by corns, cassava flour, vegetables and fruits. Filipinos flavor their food with fragrant vinegar, sugar, hot pepper, tomato sauce and other fragrant and chili condiments. Basic Filipino cooking methods include baking, simmering, braising, grilling, etc. Coconut milk boiled with cassava or rice, and then wrapped with banana leaves are popular dished in the Filipino diet.

Cambodia:

Cambodian diet often consists of rice complemented by fish, shrimp, lettuce and mixed vegetables (cold dish). Cambodian treat guests with special dishes, e.g. smoked fish, egg with shrimp, shrimp balls with vegetable, mixed vegetables and vegetarian dishes. Without using salad dressings, they put spring onion, ginger, garlic, pepper and coconut milk into the mixed vegetable dishes.

Vietnam:

The Vietnamese like eating fish, shrimp, crab, sea cucumber, shark’s fin, fish belly and other seafood, chicken, noodles, pasta, and tomatoes, etc. They do not eat much dessert, mutton or bean sprouts. Ravioli and salty dumplings are served as breakfast. They eat rice with vegetables and a small amount of meat at lunch and dinner because they prefer a light and healthy diet. The main beverage is vegetable juice and coffee.