• The dish is usually written in Chinese as “叻沙” in Singapore. It is the transliteration of the word “laksa”. 
• Laksa is said to be a dish that combines Chinese and Melakan culture. It existed as early as the 19th century and was later introduced into Singapore.
• There are different beliefs about the origins of laksa. Some believe that the word “laksa” comes from the Persian word lakhsha, which means “rice noodle”. Others believe that it comes from the Sanskrit word laksha, which means “ten thousand”, referring to the large number of ingredients used in making the dish, including turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, candlenut, dried shrimps, red chilli paste, coconut milk and laksa leaves.
• There is also another belief that the name originated from the dialect term “辣沙”. This is not only a reference to the fragrance and spiciness of the dish (as “辣” means spicy), but also describes the ground shrimp used in the thick soup, which imparts a slightly grainy texture (“沙”means sand).

Two local restaurants were nominated for the World Restaurant Award, including Sungei Road Laksa at Jalan Berseh. In an interview, the stall owner said that being nominated was already a form of recognition. (Shin Min Daily News, 17/12/2018)

• Although laksa can be found across Singapore, the Katong area is particularly famous for this dish. It is said that the oldest laksa stall in the area has been selling laksa since the 1950s, which gave rise to the term “Katong Laksa”. 
• Laksa’s fame has also spread to other countries. It is believed to have first spread to Hong Kong in the 1960s.