HistoriaSG: Far from Extinct? A History of the “Milo Dinosaur” in Singapore

HistoriaSG: Far from Extinct? A History of the “Milo Dinosaur” in Singapore

What can a malted milk beverage tell us about a nation’s history? We can learn a surprising amount about popular notions of belonging, childhood, well-being and pleasure from the rise of Singapore’s most iconic malted drink, Milo, and the now-commonplace “Milo Dinosaur” beverage.

Today’s heritage food offerings are often portrayed as having charted a path from humble domestic beginnings to large outward-looking enterprises. In contrast, the Milo Dinosaur has its origins in the localisation of a multinational beverage brand, involving consumers and cooks from all walks of life.

Join historian Geoffrey Pakiam as he recounts the earth-shaking drink’s unusual popularity, and asks whether it should be considered part of Singapore’s heritage landscape.

About the Speaker
Dr Geoffrey Pakiam is a Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, where he researches and writes about food, farming and commodities in Southeast Asia. He is the Principal Investigator for Culinary Biographies: Charting Singapore’s History Through Cooking and Consumption, a two-year research project funded by the National Heritage Board. He is the author of several articles and book chapters on agriculture and food history, including a forthcoming article in the Journal of Global History on palm oil’s culinary journey in Southeast Asia.

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