Singaporean Mandarin Database

This database contains a collection of Mandarin terms which have cultural, historical or sentimental value unique to Singapore. These terms may be used by Singaporeans in the past or at present. Some of the terms are read in print while others are used in our everyday conversations.

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乌

wū

达

dá

otah (derived from otak-otak)

食物、植物

Food / Plants

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otah (derived from otak-otak)

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食物、植物

Food / Plants

释义

名词

一种具有马来风味并由各种香料和鱼肉烹煮而成的小吃。

DEFINITION

Noun

A Malay snack made of fish cooked with various spices.

由来

马来语otak-otak的音译。
乌达源自于马来西亚和印度尼西亚，传到新加坡后，便成为熟食中心的热门小吃。马来语为 otak-otak，指的是脑浆的意思，可能是因为使用的主要食材是白色的鱼肉，但也可形容乌达绵密的口感。
尤其在1950与1960年代，这道香辣的美食常与椰浆饭一起售卖，成为许多新加坡人喜爱的美味早点。
乌达的煮法相当繁琐，传统的食材是使用鲭鱼肉，加入各类香料做成膏状，再由香蕉叶包裹并炭烤或烘烤而成。娘惹的乌达则是蒸煮而成，口感也较湿润。

ETYMOLOGY

The term “乌达” is the transliteration of the Malay term otak-otak.
Otah originated from Malaysia and Indonesia and has become a popular snack in hawker centres since its introduction to Singapore. It is known as otak-otak in Malay (literally, “brain matter”) probably because white fish meat is used as the main ingredient. The name could also refer to otah’s soft texture.
In the 1950s and 1960s, this spicy delicacy was often sold together with nasi lemak and became a favourite breakfast choice for many Singaporeans.
Otah-making is fairly laborious. Traditionally, mackerel is used as the main ingredient, with various spices added to form a paste. This paste is then wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over charcoal or baked. Nyonya otah is often steamed, giving it a moist texture.

例句

乌达（Otak）原本是印度尼西亚的民间小吃，用一种白色鱼肉为主要原料。灰白色的肉，乍看像人类的脑浆，印尼文又称“脑袋”为otak，广传开去，遂成小食名字。《联合早报》，15/7/2019）

SAMPLE SENTENCE

Otah (or otak) was originally a common snack in Indonesia that used a type of white fish meat as its main ingredient. At first glance, the greyish-white meat resembled human brain, or otak in Indonesian, which soon spread and became the name for this snack. (Lianhe Zaobao, 15/7/2019)