MALACCA, Malaysia — About the fastest moving force these days in the old Portuguese Settlement of Malacca is the sweat trickling down the torsos of the underemployed.

In the stifling heat — it’s always hot in Malacca — a group of such shirtless men were sprawled under the shade of a tree, hoping to catch the slightest sea breeze, but the winds weren’t cooperating. A few nearby dinghies had no oars, but it didn’t matter. The fish weren’t biting anyway.

This place wasn’t always so lethargic. In fact, in the 16th century, this port on the strategic Malacca Strait was positioned at the fulcrum of the world, linking the Pacific and Indian Oceans at the height of the global spice trade.

Centuries before Asian Fusion became a culinary trope, Malacca developed its own intricately multicultural heritage, influenced by the crowds of Chinese, Arabs, Indians, Persians, Turks, Portuguese, Dutch and Siamese, along with the local Malays, who all did business in its shops, ate in its food stalls and fell in love on its streets.