Asian influence on Portuguese culture (Part II)
My last post on Asian influences on Portuguese food sparked off lots of comments, showing how viscerally important food culture can be to...
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Spencer Low
- Nov 20
- 3 min
Asian influence on Portuguese culture – Food
I recently had an interesting conversation with João Pimenta, bureau chief for the Portuguese Lusa News Agency who's lived in China for...
2,678 views1 comment
Spencer Low
- Oct 30
- 3 min
The Portuguese impact on Kerala
Kerala, a state on the southwest coast of India, is perhaps not particularly well-known in the rest of the world. I first heard about it...
1,649 views1 comment
Spencer Low
- Oct 23
- 2 min
How Standard Chinese became known as Mandarin thanks to the Portuguese
In an earlier post, I explained how China became known as China thanks to the Portuguese: https://www.portuguese.asia/post/how-china-beca...
1,650 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Oct 16
- 2 min
The little-known Portuguese influence on Vietnam
When most people think of Vietnam in a historical context, the Vietnamese war and the American role come to mind, or perhaps the French...
2,304 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Oct 11
- 1 min
How a distinctive Southeast Asian architectural style started with the Portuguese in Phuket
I had the pleasure of spending last weekend in Phuket, Thailand. Reading about things to do, I came across the fact that Old Phuket Town,...
2,465 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Sep 8
- 2 min
How a Portuguese adventurer, Filipe de Brito e Nicote, once controlled Burma's main port
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is not among the most well-known countries of Southeast Asia. A former British colony, it was starting...
977 views1 comment
Spencer Low
- Aug 28
- 2 min
Maria Guyomar de Pinha, the Luso-Asian who introduced Portuguese desserts to Thai royalty
Following up on Thailand's centuries-old relationship with Portugal, would there be any surprise that cultural exchange extended beyond...
472 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Aug 21
- 2 min
Thailand's oldest European connection
Each time that I go to Bangkok I like to visit the Kudeejeen neighbourhood on the west side of the Chao Phraya river. Not a well-known...
649 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Aug 14
- 1 min
The Portuguese influence in Indonesia: "kue pastel" anyone?
I had the pleasure of a quick trip to the Indonesian resort island of Bintan this weekend. At the breakfast buffet, I came across this...
373 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Jul 31
- 2 min
The Portuguese connections of some iconic aspects of Singaporean, Malaysian and Indonesian culture
In my last post about kerosang, I described how this traditional piece of jewellery for wearers of the kebaya blouse comes from the...
2,272 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Jul 23
- 2 min
How the Straits Chinese introduced the Malay word "kerosang" from the Portuguese
The Straits Chinese in Singapore and Malaysia are a unique culture, a centuries-old blend of Chinese and Malay. One of their traditional...
1,097 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Jun 21
- 1 min
Kristang, a Portuguese creole language, still lives on in Southeast Asia
I recently visited the Eurasian Heritage Gallery in Singapore, a museum at the Eurasian Association that commemorates the complex history...
293 views1 comment
Spencer Low
- Jun 11
- 3 min
From the curry puff to the digital and green transitions
Yesterday, June 10, was Portugal's national day and our Portuguese friends are enjoying a long weekend. The Portuguese ambassador to...
178 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Jun 6
- 2 min
How Singapore could have been Portuguese (or Spanish...)
I recently went to the Singapore National Museum and came across this quote about what is now Singapore highlighted on a wall: Who is...
63 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Nov 18, 2021
- 2 min
How China became known as China, thanks to the Portuguese
In the Chinese language, China is referred to as 中国 (zhōng guó), or 中國 in traditional script, meaning the middle kingdom. This wasn't...
948 views1 comment
Spencer Low
- Nov 7, 2021
- 2 min
Asian Influence in Portuguese Brazil
When I visited Minas Gerais in Brazil more than ten years ago, I made it a point to go to the city of Ouro Preto to check out some of the...
381 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Oct 26, 2021
- 2 min
Malay words of Portuguese origin
Malay was the lingua franca of Southeast Asia, and after the Portuguese took control of the trading port of Malacca in 1511, many words...
2,633 views1 comment
Spencer Low
- Oct 18, 2021
- 2 min
The joint Portuguese-Spanish interventions in Cambodia
The Portuguese made their appearance in Southeast Asia when they conquered Malacca on 24 August 1511. Their Iberian neighbours the...
227 views0 comments
Spencer Low
- Oct 10, 2021
- 2 min
Bartolomeu Vaz Landeiro: The King of the Portuguese from Macau
A merchant, a pirate, a smuggler, an adventurer, a captain, and even an official representative of the Portuguese authorities: Bartolomeu...
551 views0 comments