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Bandung
	Two glasses of bandung at a restaurant in City Plaza, Singapore
Type	Drink
Place of origin	Singapore
Region or state	Maritime Southeast Asia
Associated cuisine	Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore
Main ingredients	Evaporated milk, condensed milk, rose cordial syrup
	Media: Bandung;

Bandung, sirap bandung, air bandung, iced bandung or rose syrup drink is a drink popular in Maritime Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It consists of evaporated milk or condensed milk flavoured with rose syrup (rose cordial), giving it a pink colour.^[1]

Regional names

The term bandung means "pairs",^[2] while sirap means "syrup"^[3] and air means "water".^[4] in the Malay and Indonesian languages, and the sirap refers to the rose-flavoured base syrup. More broadly, bandung refers to anything that is mixed from other ingredients or comes in pairs, such as the term rumah berbandung to refer to a semi-detached house, or "mee bandung" which refers to a noodle dish.^[5] The name has no connection to the city of Bandung in Indonesia, but a variant of the drink can be found there as "soda gembira".^[6]^[7]

Details

Originating out of Singapore in the early 20th century during its time as an important British colonial entrepôt,^[1] Bandung is a favourite beverage especially among the Singaporean Malay community and subsequently the Malay communities of Southeast Asia. It is usually served during Iftar in Ramadan month or wedding receptions with other foods such as nasi beriani or rendang. Modern innovations include adding grass jelly or soda water and are served as street food especially at night markets.

Variations

The soda water variant may be more commonly known as Soda gembira by Indonesians, although it has a distinct taste to Bandung due to the addition of a carbonated soft drink, such as Fanta. It may be bought pre-mixed or made at home.^[8] In Malaysia, the drink is usually served with grass jelly (bandung cincau) which is sometimes mixed with lychee puree (bandung cincau laici) or basil seed/chia seed (bandung selasih).^[9]

Catering to local tastes and culinary traditions, Singapore's McDonald's often releases desserts inspired by the drink's taste in the country, including Bandung-flavoured McFlurry, sundae, and soft serve.^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Naleeza Ebrahim, Yaw Yan Yee, Singapore. Not just a good food guide (Ed. rev. et augm.) 2007, p.253-4
^ "Bandung", Online Dictionary, Cari.com.my, archived from the original on 22 July 2011, retrieved 29 March 2010
^ "Syrup", Online Dictionary, Cari.com.my, archived from the original on 22 July 2011, retrieved 29 March 2010
^ "Water", Online Dictionary, Cari.com.my, archived from the original on 22 July 2011, retrieved 29 March 2010
^ "Online Keyword Search: Bandung", Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (in Malay), Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017, retrieved 6 April 2021
^ Yinghong, Cai (2014). "Bandung in Bandung". National Library Board, Singapore. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
^ Di Malaysia : Bandung Mempunyai Arti Berbeda (in Indonesian), Jakarta Indonesia: Mahfudz Tejani: Memaparkan Apa Yang Patut Di Paparkan, 5 July 2014, retrieved 6 April 2021
^ "Air bandung drink now in packets", New Straits Times, 31 December 1992, retrieved 29 March 2010^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ Md Said, Rosalinda (30 March 2024). "Sirap bandung cincau selasih" [Grass jelly bandung syrup with basil/chia seed]. Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Retrieved 17 November 2024.
^ Qua, Mei Rei (4 January 2021). "McDonald's S'pore Has Bandung Flavoured Soft Serve Available In Dessert Kiosks". Singapore Foodie. Retrieved 25 July 2023.