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

In the mid-16th century, the Chinese Ming dynasty leased Macau to Portugal as a trading post. In doing so, she sowed the seeds that would give rise to one of the world’s first and most fascinating 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 Malacca, Chinese and Portuguese dishes and culinary traditions,” explains Manuel António de Jesus, owner of the recently closed Macanese restaurant Cozinha Aida and son of the late Aida de Jesus, the famous “godmother of Macanese cuisine. cuisine” who owned and operated the famous 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 explains. “Cuisine evolves based on access to ingredients and cultural context.”

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 organ meats you might see served with Chinese fondues 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 chilli, 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 is associated with African cuisines but was only developed after being brought 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, as well as 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 coherent 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 by: Juliana Loh

Meals celebrating Catholic holidays and social snacks were other essential elements in the development of Macanese culinary traditions. It is for these reasons that de Jesus describes Macanese cuisine as “home cooking, prepared by housewives”.

Boileau agrees, revealing: “Macanese cuisine is generally composed of dishes traditionally cooked at home, 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 humble ingredients. Flavors also tend to be bold, complex or involve interesting combinations,” Boileau adds.

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

Despite – and perhaps because of – its rich but warm heritage, there are reasons why Macanese cuisine isn’t more celebrated and ubiquitous.

“There aren’t many cooks who can do it properly,” de Jesus attests. “It’s difficult to learn and there’s not a lot of money at the moment. There hasn’t been enough promotion either – it’s only now that the cuisine is recognized worldwide. I hope the government can do more to promote it.

The reputation of this cuisine was boosted in 2017 when Macau was recognized as a Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO.

Although the (hopefully temporary) closure of Cozinha Aida and the March 2021 death of Aida de Jesus herself are 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 reclaimed and to a culture that inevitably erodes,” says Boileau. “In a certain sense, therefore, 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 an intangible cultural heritage will hopefully help ensure its survival.”

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