Bandung, sirap bandung, air bandung or iced bandung is a drink popular in Maritime Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, 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",[3] while sirap means "syrup"[4] and air means "water".[5] 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.[6] Despite the name, there is no connection to the city of Bandung in Indonesia, and the drink actually can be found there as "soda gembira".[7][8]
Details
Bandung is a favourite beverage in among 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. The soda water variant may be more commonly known as Soda Gembira by Indonesians. In Singapore, it is known by the English term Rose syrup drink.
It may be bought pre-mixed or made at home.[9]
Variations
Due to the popularity of Bandung, many variations of the drink have emerged. Popular versions of the drink include the addition of grass jelly, basil seeds, lychee fruit, sparkling water, carbonated sodas such as ice cream soda, and even Milo powder.
