Preserving Macao’s fusion cuisine with recipes passed down generations

MACAO (AP) — A crack of fire under a sprawling wok, a dab of soy sauce and a splash of Chinese rice wine. Bursts of aroma from spices sourced from around the world sizzle as a chef prepares Minchi, a dish of fried minced meat with diced potatoes topped with a sunny-side-up egg. This is one of the most iconic comfort foods for the Macanese.

Restaurateur Manuela Sales da Silva Ferreira’s hopes to ensure her grandmother’s version of dishes like Minchi are not forgotten, using recipes passed down through generations at her eatery, Restaurante Litoral.

In the 25 years since Portugal returned its trading outpost to China, Macau has become known for its glittering, luxurious casinos and nightlife. But as the city evolves, old restaurant owners retire and outlets close and some people fear Macanese traditions and authentic cuisine could disappear.

Macanese food is a mix of Portuguese and Chinese cooking, combined with flavors and ingredients that Portugal imported from its other colonies, from Brazil to Mozambique, Goa to East Timor. UNESCO called Macao “home of the first ‘fusion food,’” blending Western and Eastern cuisine.

Ferreira’s paternal ancestors arrived from Portugal more than 400 years ago. She decided to pack her bags and leave in 1995, just four years before the Portuguese administration would end. But a sudden fear that Macanese cuisine could be lost pulled her back to her home city.

“At that time, I was already married with children and even my children didn’t ask what Macanese cooking is,” she said. “If I don’t do anything, Macanese cooking will be lost.”

That was when she opened her own restaurant.

Ferreira said she believes her family recipes derive from home cooking after centuries of Portuguese wives tried to replicate familiar dishes using local Chinese ingredients, while Chinese wives tried to recreate Portuguese cooking for their interethnic families.

Her own favorite is baked crabmeat, which she learned from her mother. While the original version in Portugal could have been crabmeat mixed with cream and pickles, served cold, the recipe has evolved while being passed down the generations and crossing oceans. Ferreira now serves it hot, baked in crab shells.

The city of Macao on the southeast coast of China has a population of around 684,000. Ethnic Chinese make up 89.4% of the population while Portuguese, Portuguese-Chinese and other mixed Portuguese residents account for just 1.9%, according to the most recent census conducted in 2021.

Miguel de Senna Fernandes, who heads an association representing residents with mixed Portuguese and Chinese heritage, said Macanese people with mixed backgrounds have historically served as a bridge between Portuguese administrators and local Chinese. Fernandes traces his own Portuguese heritage to 1750 when his ancestors arrived in Macao.

As time passes, language, religion and identity are at risk of being lost along with food traditions. To keep Macanese heritage alive, the Macanese need to embrace their uniqueness, Fernandes said.

“We are from Macao,” he said. “We are different from the Chinese, but we should embrace the differences.”