Having problems with message search?
Habitatnews 2003-08: Tuesday, 15th April 2003
The Habitat Group's Nature Information ListTo subscribe, email: habitatnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nature-related news for the busy Singaporean.
Information and archives at: http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The search for the Shellfish call "Sinting"
I received a query about a shellfish called “Sinting” earlier this month, in
reference to an article from The Star. Being vegetarian most of my life, I
am relatively clueless about food, Travelling with my appreciative biology
friends however soon revealed the links food was able to provide to natural
history and local culture. Still, for queries of this sort, I depend on
friends who have a much wider knowledge of this sort of thing and so I
forwarded the query to a few of them.
Within a day, I received three replies - enough to solve the question.
Eunice, is my classmate from NUS Biology. Typically we share a reliance on
literature for the first clues. Oi Yee and Yap are old hands and thus are
able to draw on their memories and personal experiences, much of which is
lost to us now due to changes in the environment.
While there may be useful references in the literature, a search with Google
for “asam sinting” on the internet revealed only one entry, the article from
The Star! Thus the text below, which links the local name of the shell to
the scientific name, will contribute to the internet repository of
information because all issues of Habitatnews are referenced by google after
a few days and will be returned in a relevant search.
The internet is not the ultimate reference, and comprehensive research still
requires legwork in a library. For local heritage issues, talking to the
right people can be crucial.
Conservation is not just a battle for nature lovers. In the article from
The Star, the part about asam sinting begins with the remark that “Pollution
and land reclamation have resulted in smaller gerago catch in recent years.
A Malaccan specialty known mostly to older locals, asam sinting, has long
fallen prey to the development of the coastal area.”
At Chek Jawa, we do have the privilege of encountering window pane shells
quite easily. We admire them for their beauty, before returning them to the
precious habitat, we have been gifted with.
Thanks to KF Yap, Kok Oi Yee and Eunice Low for the speedy and informative replies!.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Lloyd Tan
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 16:57:34 +0800
To: <habitatnews@...>
Subject: Search for Shellfish call Sinting
Hi
I am doing research on old peranakan recipes..
There is this recipe which call for sinting. I am trying to find out what is
sinting in my search i came across this description in the internet.
"Asam sinting is fermented small oysters. My mother and grandmother used to
Make it, but we haven't seen it in at least 40 years because the oysters
used are no longer found. Not everybody can stand the strong flavours, but I
remember how delicious it tasted with fried fish or cooked in omelette,''
recalls the proprietress of a shop in Jonker Street that sells cincaluk.
In my talks with elderly nonyas they recall that sinting can be found at the
Old tanjong katong beach..and that when opening it up if you are lucky you
would be able to find a pearl. I was told that long ago in can be as big as
a palm of a human hand and the shell is white in colour.
Is sinting a malay name for oyster as all my serach has lead to zero.
Can you help?
Lloyd
---
The reference he cited appears to be:
“Tasty sample of Malacca's past,”
by Ivy Soon, 4th March 2001http://thestar.com.my/kuali/recipes/04rnis0301.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eunice Low, 3rd April 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Hi all,
Sinting could be Placuna - the window-pane oyster. Used largely for
artistic ornaments.
This reference is found in Burkill's Dictionary of Economic Products, V2 p.
1794-5, where the Malay name of Placuna is described as 'sinting', 'siting
or sentang'
However, it does not mention its culinary use.
There is further mention of its economic use in: (from Burkill) Philippine
Journal of Science D-6, 1911, p. 296, and 42, 1930 p. 295, and 45, 1931, p.
339
He may want to refer to these articles for more details.
thanks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kok Oi Yee, 3rd April 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello!
This might be "sinting".
The walls and rocks along the former coastline, stretching from Tanjong Rhu
(then a ship-building yard, now the ECP), past St. Patrick's, Marine Parade
HDB, the then Bedok beach, all the way to Telok Paku, (the pier, from which
one heads for Bintan etc. now.) used to be encrusted with "oysters" (Ostrea
sp.?).
Villagers and oysters-collectors would use a small sharp implement to
"gorek" them from their shells. These are usually dump into cleaned, used
milo/ovaltine cans.
The oysters, when cooked, are very sweet and delicious. Donaxes, Mytilus,
Pinas, & the pink/white bivalve, were abundant. With reclamation, which
started at the end of the 1960’s, all these slowly disappeared.
Labrador was another spot.
I could be wrong...Cheers!...OY
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
K F Yap, 3 Apr 2003
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Hello All:
Sinting or sintin is Placuna spp. (F: Placunidae) or the window pane shells.
These bivalves live in shallow muddy-sandy areas of the coast. In Malaysia,
this bivalve (mostly Placuna sella) is collected in large numbers, the meat
removed & pickled as asam sinting & sold in bottles (tomato ketchup
bottles). It is, I believe, a speciality of the Malacca Portuguese. The
product is still available in Malaysia (especially Malacca). In the past,
the shells are discarded.
It is eaten very much like chichalok (pickled Acetes sp. or the belachan
shrimp). Recipe: mix sinting with sliced shallots, sliced red chillis &
finely sliced skin of the limau kesturi fruit with a generous squeeze of
limau kesturi or kalamansi (Citrus microcarpa). It was a favourite dish of
the peranakans. My father was born in Malacca & he loves asam sinting.
In the Philippines & also in Thailand, the window pane shells are collected,
the meat eaten & the thin translucent shells fashioned into ornaments,
especially wind chimes & chandeliers. It is called kapis shells in the
Philippines.
Hope this is of help.
Cheers, KF Yap
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Placuna photos
Molluscan Pictures Exploration Trails by Chan Sow-Yang
Loyang, 9th June 2002.
http://www.molluscan.com/explore/explore/loyang/loyang.shtml
Femorale.com: Shell photos
Placunidae
http://www.femorale.com.br/shellphotos/species.asp?family=PLACUNIDAE
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Fight world hunger: http://www.hungersite.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------More news at Ecology Asia
<http://www.ecologyasia.com/Top-Level/eco-news.htm> -------------------------------------------------------------------
Offline 
Send Email