Macanese cuisine is unique. You’ll never find anything like it outside of Macau. It’s fusion cuisine borne out of the efforts of the wives of Macau’s early Portuguese settlers to recreate dishes from home using local ingredients. Thus, the local food you’ll find in Macau speaks strongly of Portuguese and Chinese influences, with a hint of Southeast Asian flair here and there. Find out just how distinctive Macanese cuisine is by trying out these eats in your Macau holiday as a food guide.
Bacalhau
Bacalhau is the Portuguese name for cod. It’s said there are more than a thousand ways to prepare bacalhau in Portugal alone. But, the most popular form you’ll find bacalhau in Macau is rolled in balls and served with rice.
Egg Rolls
Another Macau holiday food guide is egg rolls. Light, fluffy, slightly sweet and slightly crispy, egg rolls are a popular snack sold on the streets of Macau. They’re cooked right before you, and it’s hard to resist eating just one.
Piri-piri Chicken
Piri-piri chicken or also known as African chicken. It is a spicy delight served wrapped or over rice. It’s spicy fare, with the chicken coated in piri-piri sauce, a sauce made with African bird’s eye chilli. After that, it will slow-roasted over coals until tender.
Portuguese Egg Tarts
Egg tarts are probably the most iconic of Macanese cuisine. They’re definitely the ones tourists buy in boxes to take home. It’s easy to see why – these tarts are such delights, with flaky and buttery pastry topped with silky and caramelized egg custards. Thus, you’ll find these everywhere in Macau.
Portuguese Seafood Rice
Portuguese seafood rice is similar to the Spanish paella, except it’s much soupier and creamier. The rice is cooked in seafood broth mixed with tomato sauce. Later it will be cooked long enough for the flavours to seep into the rice. The dish typically contains clams, mussels and giant prawns. However, it’s usually topped with olive oil and Portuguese spices.
Serradura Pudding
Serradura pudding, also known as sawdust pudding, is Macau’s quintessential dessert. It’s made up of vanilla whipped cream mixed with condensed milk layered with crushed tea biscuits. Serradurra is always served chilled, perfect for cooling down after a busy day.
Shrimp Roe Noodles
A Macanese delicacy, shrimp roe noodles is composed of bamboo noodles topped thickly with shrimp roe and green onions and served with shrimp dumplings. The dish is bold-flavoured, one you will slurp through to the last bit.
In conclusion, if this is your first time travelling to Macau, do check out some tips here. Don’t miss eating these wonderful treats when visiting Macau. Book your trip to Macau today.
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