Through Macau, a window to understand Portugal, let’s take a look at Portuguese cuisine that combines oriental flavors.

Walking in the bustling streets of Macau, you can see all kinds of restaurant signs, including Cantonese food, Indian food, Malay food, Japanese food, Macau local delicacies... almost the top food from all over the world is gathered here. Of course, you can’t come to Macau without tasting the unique “Portuguese cuisine”. The charm of Macau is reflected in many aspects, such as its Chinese and Western architectural art, its various museums, its cross-sea bridges that fly side by side... Of course, the most closely related thing to tourists is its various cuisines. Walking in the downtown area of ??Macau, you can see the signs of various restaurants and restaurants, including Portuguese, Guangdong, Shanghai, Chaozhou, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Malaysian and Macau local delicacies... there are countless, among which, the most popular The most eye-catching ones are of course the various “Portuguese dishes”.

Authentic Portuguese cuisine

There are restaurants in Macau that specialize in authentic Portuguese cuisine. Most of them are elegantly decorated and have an elegant environment. For example, the "Macau Army Club" located on Avenida Nanwan and the "Jingfeng Hotel" in Saiwan are all converted from ancient Portuguese buildings. Most of the diners are Portuguese or Macanese. .

Macau Portuguese Cuisine

When the Portuguese colonists came to Macau, they were eager to eat dishes from their hometown. However, the preservation technology was backward at that time. If the raw materials were shipped to Macau by sea, they would spoil halfway. . In order to solve this problem, the chef tried to use substitutes, such as coconut milk instead of fresh milk, local sausage instead of Portuguese sausage, etc., and combined the essence of Portuguese, Indian, Malaysian and Chinese Cantonese cuisine cooking techniques to create a unique "Macau Portuguese Cuisine" and continues to develop and innovate. Because Macanese Portuguese food is delicious and reasonably priced, many Portuguese restaurants in Macau are doing a prosperous business. In addition to locals, many of the diners are tourists from other places. Eating Portuguese food is very particular. It is divided into four courses: appetizer, main course, staple food and dessert. When eating Portuguese food, you must drink Macau wine. Food is only as good as wine.

Classic Portuguese dishes

The most famous Portuguese dishes are: horseradish, red bean pork knuckle, braised oxtail, braised beef intestine, vegetable soup, baked Portuguese chicken, curry crab There are also barbecued foods such as beef ribs, chicken legs, suckling pig, sardines, quail, etc. The dessert is Portuguese tarts. Below we will introduce several to you.

The eight words "remove the bad and retain the good, and clean up the pot" can not only summarize the characteristics of Macao culture in the 400 years of collision between Chinese and Western cultures, but Macao's food seems to be unable to escape these eight words. The word "shroud".

Wu Yun There are hundreds of restaurants on the streets and deep alleys of Macau, and the only unique food is "Portuguese Chicken". After years of development, innovation, and integration, "Macau Portuguese Cuisine" is unique in the world. This is how the dishes are passed down. Macau’s Portuguese cuisine is famous for being unauthentic

In the mid-16th century, the Portuguese set foot on Macau. Like many people who live far away from home, they long for local food. Unfortunately, due to factors such as transportation and preservation conditions, it is impossible to obtain authentic Portuguese raw materials. But the lack of raw materials cannot offset the temptation to eat hometown dishes. Therefore, the chefs tried to use substitutes, such as using coconut water instead of fresh milk, using local sausages instead of Portuguese sausages, etc., and adding local products such as chili barbecue, curry, spices, and shrimp paste brought from Africa, India, and Malaysia. Vegetables, meats, seafood, and poultry, the chef uses ancient Portuguese cooking and unique oriental cooking methods to create authentic "Macau Portuguese cuisine" that is world-famous for its unauthenticity.

"Macao Portuguese Cuisine" is a combination of Chinese and Portuguese

After years of development, innovation and integration, "Macao Portuguese Cuisine", a unique dish in the world, has been passed down like this. Nowadays, most of the Portuguese dishes in Macau restaurants are not the original Portuguese, but "Macau Portuguese cuisine" that combines Chinese tastes in terms of cooking methods and ingredients, and is a combination of China and Portugal.

Macao’s characteristic “Macanese cuisine”

Among the more than 200 kinds of “Macao Portuguese cuisine” dishes, the “Portuguese chicken” that can only be eaten in Macao is famous. This is a "local dish" with Macau characteristics. "Did you know? There is no Portuguese chicken dish in Portugal."

The ingredients are all from Macau

The preparation of "Portuguese chicken" is not complicated, the cooking methods and ingredients They are all Portuguese-style, consisting of chicken, potatoes, onions, eggs, and tomatoes stewed with curry powder. The ingredients are all local from Macao, and the cooking methods and ingredients retain the characteristics of Portuguese food culture. This inadvertent mix of Chinese and Western cultures made “Portuguese Chicken” famous. “Portuguese chicken” has become the first word that foreign tourists have when they think of Macau. Olive oil is a must-have condiment

Olive oil is a must-have condiment for authentic Portuguese cuisine. In Portugal, ‘TACHO’ (chowder) is eaten during the Chinese New Year, which is fried or stir-fried pork rinds, chicken, and Portuguese sausage. The Macanese people eat 'MINJI', which is made by stewing potatoes, pork, and onions with curry powder.

Eating Ingredients of Portuguese Cuisine

Portuguese chicken is the main dish of Portuguese cuisine, and the flavor is generally better when paired with table wine. It uses Portuguese cooking methods, and is made with olive oil, coconut milk, olive oil, turmeric powder, potatoes and other ingredients. The process requires a lot of skill, and it is a truly authentic Macau cuisine that combines China and Portugal.

In addition to Portuguese chicken, famous and classic Portuguese dishes include horseradish, red bean pork knuckles, braised oxtail, braised beef intestines, vegetable soup, Portuguese chicken, curry crab; and barbecue foods such as Beef ribs, chicken legs, suckling pig, sardines, quail, etc., and dessert is Portuguese tart. Ma Jiexiu is marinated cod and is the main ingredient in many Macau Portuguese cuisine. It can be fried, stir-fried, braised or grilled, and can be used to make more than a thousand dishes.

Eating Portuguese food is very particular. It is divided into four courses: appetizer, main course, staple food and dessert. You must drink wine when eating Portuguese food. Food paired with wine has a unique flavor.

Specialty restaurants in Macau

Speciality restaurants in Macau are generally small and scattered in Macau Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane. Some are located in secluded places, which are not suitable for outsiders. It's really not easy to find. For those who are new to Macau, the best way is to follow a tour group, so that you can taste the unique Macau cuisine without having to worry about it yourself.

Macau-style Portuguese cuisine is the crystallization of cooking techniques from Portugal, India, Malaysia and China (Guangdong). Fried Ma Jiexiu fish balls, etc. It is said that this dish is unique to Macau, and even Portuguese people who want to eat it have to come to Macau to get their wish. Of course, authentic Portuguese cuisine is also a must-try. Its specialty dishes include pork knuckles with red beans, horseradish (a type of salted cod fish that Portuguese people like to eat), Portuguese grilled chicken, and Portuguese-style stir-fried clams.

In addition, the business methods of some Macau restaurants seem to be very "backward", but they are able to achieve a large number of customers, which is very surprising. According to Wu Bin, general manager of Shenzhen CITS, when he came to discuss business at a restaurant on Coloane Island in Macau that sells authentic Portuguese-style dishes, the restaurant named Frando did not give the group what he expected. discount. Moreover, no matter how good the business is, this restaurant insists on not engaging in luxurious decoration and still maintains a simple and leisurely dining environment.

Someone once suggested that the Portuguese boss go to the city to open more branches, but the answer he got was that he no longer needed to make so much money. If you want to eat their Portuguese food, I'm sorry, please go there yourself and don't discount it to anyone. When we came to dine at Frando's Restaurant, if we didn't pay attention, we could hardly find its signboard, but the restaurant was filled with diners of all colors, and it was indeed well-deserved. Dining in such a specialty restaurant tastes really special.

In addition, Macau’s local flavor is also a must-try. At Lee Hong Kee Seafood Restaurant, located near the downtown area of ??Macau Peninsula, its unique shark fin seafood meal is an eye-opener. The first thing served is a large pot of shark fin soup per person. The portion is generous, and those with small appetites will be full in no time. Then there are abalone, sea cucumber, grouper, etc., which make people eat heartily and satisfy their appetite.