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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...
Spencer Low
Jul 23, 20222 min read
1,655 views
0 comments


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...
Spencer Low
Jun 21, 20221 min read
410 views
1 comment


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...
Spencer Low
Jun 11, 20223 min read
215 views
0 comments


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...
Spencer Low
Jun 6, 20222 min read
110 views
0 comments


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...
Spencer Low
Nov 18, 20212 min read
2,532 views
1 comment


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...
Spencer Low
Nov 7, 20212 min read
546 views
0 comments


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...
Spencer Low
Oct 26, 20212 min read
11,903 views
6 comments


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...
Spencer Low
Oct 18, 20212 min read
965 views
0 comments


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...
Spencer Low
Oct 10, 20212 min read
908 views
0 comments


The Codex Casanatense: first example of intellectual fusion between Asia and Europe?
The Codex Casanatense, or Códice Casanatense in Portuguese, is a set of 16th century Portuguese illustrations. Likely the work of an...
Spencer Low
Aug 17, 20212 min read
1,445 views
0 comments


When the Portuguese first arrived in India...
Vasco da Gama led the first Portuguese expedition to India, setting sail from Lisbon on July 8, 1497 and arriving in Calicut only on May...
Spencer Low
Aug 15, 20212 min read
787 views
0 comments


Not all Portuguese were excited about the Discoveries
Why pass so many storms, and life and times so sore, forever at death's door? I'd give up pepper without qualms. Par passar tanta...
Spencer Low
Aug 7, 20211 min read
69 views
0 comments


Portuguese influence on Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine should perhaps be more accurately referred to in the plural: there are so many regional differences, from seafood-heavy...
Spencer Low
Jan 1, 20212 min read
1,235 views
1 comment


Portuguese influence on Southeast Asian cuisines
The Portuguese introduced ingredients to the Asia palate that some would consider to be fundamental today. What would Thai food be like...
Spencer Low
Dec 26, 20201 min read
1,244 views
0 comments


Japanese words of Portuguese origin
Although the Japanese became more deeply familiar with the Dutch language (Western knowledge was called 蘭学 rangaku or "Dutch studies"),...
Spencer Low
Dec 11, 20202 min read
8,267 views
4 comments


Thai words of Portuguese origin
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to make contact with the Kingdom of Siam more than 500 years ago in 1511. In 1518 was signed the...
Spencer Low
Nov 28, 20201 min read
1,295 views
0 comments


So what? Why this history still matters today
Interesting as it may be, the influence that the Portuguese exerted in Asia so many centuries ago is often relegated to the introductory...
Spencer Low
Nov 7, 20201 min read
64 views
0 comments


Decline & displacement
Portugal was united with Spain in 1580 by virtue of sharing the same king in the person of Philip (Filipe I in Portuguese). The Spanish...
Spencer Low
Nov 7, 20201 min read
86 views
3 comments


The Portuguese in Southeast Asia
Starting with the conquest of Malacca, the Portuguese finally found in Southeast Asia the source of the spices they were looking for.
Spencer Low
Nov 3, 20201 min read
130 views
1 comment


Why the Portuguese went East
I intend to explore this topic through four perspectives: What were the political drivers for what was a costly national undertaking? Was...
Spencer Low
Nov 1, 20201 min read
90 views
0 comments
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