Bandung, sirap bandung, air bandung, iced bandung or rose syrup drink, 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] 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".[7][8]
Details
Originating out of Singapore in the early 20th century during its time as an important British colonial entrepôt,[1][2] Bandung is a favourite beverage especially 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, although it has a distinct taste to Bandung due to the addition of a carbonated soft drink, such as Fanta. In Singapore, it may also be 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.
