The world is a melting pot of flavors and tastes in the kitchen. Fusion cuisine is a big deal in the fine dining scene today.
SOURCE: PhotoA tiny Eurasian community off the southern coast of mainland China believes it was the first to marry two cuisines into one tasty, cross-pollinated plate. And not only that, but Macau can boast of being an entertainment hub with a variety of casino games like those that can be found online, which has led it to be called the “Monte Carlo of the East”.
The special administrative region of Macau is back in the hands of the People’s Republic of China, several centuries after gifting it to the Portuguese as a strategic outpost, designed to help forge closer trade links between Asia and the Mediterranean. During that time, this Portuguese colony developed a proud community of Macanese people, built around their own language of Patua and the original “East meets West” cuisine which is on the verge of extinction in the present day.
There are very few custodians remaining of the Macanese fusion cuisine. The dishes are inspired by the Portuguese settlers who sailed across to live in Macau, bringing many of their favorite ingredients and spices from the Mediterranean and North Africa along the way. These meals date back over 450 year.
Meet the godmother of Macau’s fusion flavors
The Guardian once did a feature on the so-called “unofficial godmother” of Macanese cooking, Aida de Jesus. This woman owned the Riquexo Café for decades, serving up Macanese dishes for the old town community of Macau. The café itself was little to shout about, but its hearty, multi-dimensional flavors more than made up for the basic canteen-style interiors.
Show-stopping Macanese dishes to try
SOURCE: PhotoEven UNESCO recognizes Macanese cuisine as the world’s original fusion fare. The unofficial torchbearer of Macanese food is the dish of minchi. Using ground or minced meat, this tangy dish contains soy sauce and molasses for a rich yet warming bowl of comfort food. It’s served with either egg fried rice – the Chinese influence – or fried cubed potatoes and topped with a fried egg for additional protein.
Braised pork chop buns are another Macanese street food delight. They consist of stewed pork in a tangy, tamarind marinade. Stewing is a technique rarely used in Chinese cooking, but this slow-cooked, melt-in-the-mouth meat is perfect in a soft, fresh bun.
Macau’s influence on the gaming industry
Aside from its Portuguese heritage, the city state of Macau is focused firmly on its gaming industry. Today, its raft of casino resorts and gaming destinations along the Cotai Strip account for approximately 40% of the city’s GDP, so it’s easy to see why it’s been labelled the “Monte Carlo of the East”.
Will Macau lose its roots?
Although the city is thriving as a hub for sport and entertainment, there is the very real threat of Macau losing its Macanese roots. Just 8,000 citizens in the city consider themselves to be Macanese, with as few as 50 citizens now speaking the Macanese Patua language, with UNESCO deeming it to be a “critically endangered” tongue.
It’s only by raising awareness through articles such as these that Macanese traditions can continue to live on through future generations and bring joy to our taste buds around the world.
