How Macau gave birth to the world’s first fusion cuisine, mixing Portuguese and Chinese traditions

In the mid-16th century, China’s Ming Dynasty leased Macau as a trading post to Portugal. In doing so, it sowed the seeds that would germinate into one of the world’s first and most compelling fusion cuisines.

Today, among the millions of visitors who travel to Macau each year, many locals do not miss out on trying local dishes, such as pastel de nata, a must-try pastry, in its original form, unlike this pastry so popular in Asia that even KFC offers its own version of the local egg tart. Or minchi, a dish made with minced pork or beef, which is even heard in Hong Kong to describe a dish that resembles nasi lemak, a Malaysian dish.

“(Macanese cuisine) is a fusion of dishes and culinary traditions from Malacca, China and Portugal,” says Manuel António de Jesus, owner of the recently closed Macanese restaurant Cozinha Aida and son of the late Aida de Jesus, the famed “godmother of Macanese cuisine” who owned and operated the popular Riquexó restaurant.

Vintage engraving from 1851 showing a view of Macau. Photo: Getty Images

Culinary historian Dr. Janet Boileau confirms that Macau’s distinctive local cuisine owes much to the city’s unique history.

“It’s closely tied to a cultural heritage and a way of life,” she says. “Cuisine changes as access to ingredients changes and the cultural context changes.”

Visit any authentic Macanese restaurant and a glance at the menu clearly shows how local dishes blend different culinary traditions.

Tacho, a popular European-style stew, makes good use of pork offal and scraps—ingredients not unlike the innards you might see served with fondue or in regional street food.

Galinha a Africana is another local favorite. The dish consists of chicken coated in piri-piri sauce, either as a base or marinated during the grilling process, which is then topped with a thick sauce made from mixed chili, coconut cream and peanuts.

Manuel Antonio de Jesus, owner of the recently closed Cozinha Aida, which served authentic Macanese cuisine. Photo: Handout

The marinade’s origins are anything but ordinary – it’s associated with African cuisines but was only developed after being introduced to the continent by Portuguese traders – and it now covers a local East Asian dish.

According to Boileau, Macanese cuisine was shaped by the experiences of Portuguese explorers and settlers, and their ability and willingness to adapt to new geographic and social landscapes.

“Macanese cuisine can be considered a Creole cuisine, influenced by several contributing cultures but which has developed a unique and cohesive identity,” she says.

It is this use of unusual combinations of ingredients from Chinese, Portuguese, Malay, African, Indian and other culinary traditions – as well as the combination of different cooking techniques such as stir-frying and slow cooking – that defines Macanese cuisine.

And then there is the sense of ceremony, evident in the Portuguese and Macanese tradition of big cat – “fat tea” – which dominates afternoons in the territory. “It is a festive meal, which generally includes a wide variety of dishes and is closely linked to cultural notions of hospitality,” explains Boileau.

Tacho at Cafe Litoral in Macau. Photo: Juliana Loh

Celebratory meals for Catholic holidays and group snacks were also essential elements in the development of Macau’s culinary traditions. It is for these reasons that de Jesus describes Macau cuisine as “home cooking, prepared by housewives.”

Boileau agrees and reveals: “Macanese cuisine is generally made up of traditionally home-cooked dishes, so it should be considered more of a comfort food rather than a fancy restaurant dish.

“This recipe comes from the peasant cuisine of Portugal, where simple ingredients were transformed by skillful cooking,” she continues. “The Chinese are familiar with the nose-to-tail method, and it’s also how early Europeans ate, out of necessity.”

Such an approach may require a certain open-mindedness from visitors.

“Modern diners aren’t always comfortable with offal or other modest ingredients. Flavors also tend to be bold, complex or involve interesting combinations,” adds Boileau.

Sonia Palmer (left) with her mother in Macau. Photo: Mario Chui

Despite – and arguably because of – its rich and warm heritage, there are reasons why Macanese cuisine is not more celebrated and ubiquitous.

“There aren’t many chefs who can do it properly,” de Jesus says. “It’s hard to learn and there’s not much money at the moment. There hasn’t been enough promotion either – it’s only now that the cuisine is being recognised around the world. I hope the government can do more to promote it.”

The cuisine’s reputation received a boost in 2017 when Macau was recognized as a Creative City of Gastronomy by Unesco.

While the (hopefully temporary) closure of Cozinha Aida and the March 2021 death of Aida de Jesus herself come as a blow to the local scene, major efforts are being made to preserve Macanese cuisine in the city.

“Macanese cuisine is one of the enduring links to a time and place that cannot be recaptured and to a culture that is inevitably eroding,” Boileau explains. “So in a sense, it embodies to some extent the nostalgic feeling, or saudade, expressed in Portuguese fado music.”

“The fact that Macanese gastronomy has been recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage will hopefully help ensure its survival.”

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