MACAO: Long before fusion cuisine became a trend on global menus, Macao was already its home, where centuries of Portuguese presence gave rise to a culinary heritage that spans continents and diverse traditions.
A small city in the Pearl River Delta on China’s southern coast, Macao came under Portuguese colonial administration in 1557. At that time, it was already part of regional maritime trade networks, but its connections expanded as part of the Portuguese Empire, which at its height in the 17th century stretched across four continents.
With this vast intercontinental reach, Macanese cuisine is not just Portuguese food with Chinese ingredients; it blends the cooking practices and techniques of Africa, Europe, South America, and Asia.
“When the Portuguese first came to Macao, they actually set sail from Portugal, passed through Africa, through India, and then went to places like Malacca in Southeast Asia, and eventually Macau,” said Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office.
“They brought some food from Portugal, but they also picked up a lot of spices, different foods along Africa, India. So, by the time they got to Macau, they also had to use local ingredients, and that’s how, eventually, fusion food, Macanese food, was born.”
