A Cooks Tour of Macau_en

A COOKS TOUR OF MACAU As a world-class international destination, Macau caters for every gastronomic whim imaginable. Whether you are looking for the finest aged beef paired with a vintage French wine, or sea-fresh abalone and fragrant Dragon Well tea, you will find all this and more. It is essential though to seek out the unique local fare, the origins of which are steeped in history and whose flavours are as memorable as the city itself

FRESH SEAFOOD IS SUPERB AND PLENTIFUL IN MACAU (MGTO)

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ortugal’s stupendous epoch of exploration and discovery began in 1419. In the decades that followed, the European explorers set up a strategic chain of fortresses across Asia to protect their trade lines. The first of the forts was built in 1503, at Cochin on the south west coast of India. Numerous settlements followed, including in Goa and Malacca, before they reached the south coast of China. The trade routes between these cities meant the introduction of all kinds of hitherto unknown goods to each. Amongst the items brought to Macau, which included edible birds’ nests from Thailand and cockatoos from Indonesia, were exotic spices and pepper from India, the Middle East and the Spice Islands. It has been claimed that many of the local Macanese dishes resulted from the spice blends which the wives of Portuguese sailors used in an attempt to replicate European dishes. Whatever the origins, the dishes themselves are spectacular.

Macanese food can be found all over Macau, including in restaurants along Rua Almirante Sérgio, on the Praia Grande, in the NAPE and on Taipa. Among the most popular dishes are African Chicken (grilled in piri piri peppers), Tacho (a hearty stew of Chinese vegetables and different meats), Galinha Portuguesa (Chicken cooked in the oven together with potatoes, onions, egg and saffron), Minchi (minced beef with fried potatoes, soy, onions and a fried egg), Linguado Macau (Macau sole fried and usually served with green salad), and Porco Balichão (Balichão pork). Balichão is a traditional Macau sauce made with shrimp, brandy, salt, pepper, bay leaves and chilli. The shrimp is pulverised and layered with salt, then left for many months until it becomes a semi-liquid, lilac-coloured paste. It may not sound very appetising, but Porco Balichão, made with tamarind, ginger, sugar and garlic, is delicious, with the fermented shrimps adding to the unique flavour. 59TH MACAU GRAND PRIX

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FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: MACANESE FOOD IS AS UNIQUE AS IT IS DELICIOUS (MGTO) 1

2 THE MACAU WINE MUSEUMS IS WELL WORTH A VISIT (MGTO) 3 EXQUISITE DISHES FROM ACROSS CHINA CAN ALL BE FOUND IN MACAU (MGTO) 4 BALICHÃO IS A TRADITIONAL MACAU SAUCE 5 PASTEL DE NATA ARE A GREAT MACAU TRADITION (MGTO)

For dessert try Jagra de Ovos (sweet egg tart), Ginger Milk (a warm, soft pudding of ginger, milk and sugar) or the unbelievably-decadent Serradura (‘sawdust’) pudding, made with cream, condensed milk, and biscuit crumbs (the ‘sawdust’ element). The Chinese cuisine in Macau is nothing short of superb. The majority of restaurants serve Cantonese fare, but some specialise in the traditional food of China’s most celebrated culinary cities and provinces. Seafood is fresh and plentiful, and in the restaurants in Rua do Almirante Sérgio and Rua das Lorchas along the Inner Harbour the morning catch is served. Now is the perfect time to try a seasonal favourite, Ta Pin Nou, a Chinese version of fondue with a wide variety of seafood, meat and vegetables boiled in a tureen on the table. Chinese menus are long and varied, but you will find all your favourites: Sweet and sour pork, steamed fish, bean curd, Peking duck and Beggar’s Chicken. For the more adventurous, the restaurants in Rua da Felicidade (parallel to the main street Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro) display their live menus of snakes, frogs, eels and seafood in tanks in the windows. Macau also boasts an array of popular Portuguese restaurants. These are located close to the A-Ma Temple along Rua do Almirante Sérgio, in the city centre on Rua Central and Travessa de S.Domingos, and in the NAPE area near the Kun Iam Statue on the Macau peninsula, and on the islands on Rua do Cunha and Rua Fernando Mendes (in Taipa) and Hac-Sa beach and Coloane Village. Dishes include Caldo Verde (green vegetable soup), ameijoas (clams), chouriço (Portuguese sausage), olives and grilled sardines. All the restaurants serve Portugal’s

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beloved bacalhau (codfish), which can be cooked in hundreds of different ways. Restaurants will be happy to recommend their ‘signature’ bacalhau dish, but some popular choices are Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (prepared with egg and onions), Bacalhau com Natas (with cream) and Bacalhau Assado (grilled). While Macau offers a vast selection of exquisite Chinese teas, and a wide variety of beers, Portuguese wine is of the finest quality and available at an affordable price! If you have the time, visit the fascinating Macau Wine Museum (Rua Luis Gonzaga Gomes 431, basement Tourism Activities Centre-CAT), which has more than 1,000 different wines. Dão, Borba and Ribatejo are popular red wines, and João Pires for white. A superb companion to seafood is the tasty green wine (Vinho Verde) from Minho in the North of Portugal. If you don’t have the time for a leisurely meal, Macau has a fine selection of Portuguese, Italian and American style coffee shops, especially around Travessa de S. Domingos and Rua Pedro José Lobo, in the city centre, and Rua de Nagasaki. Amongst the variety of local pastries not to be missed are Macau’s version of the traditional Portuguese egg tart, or Pastel de Nata, and coconut cake. And if you’re really on the hop, Macau’s most popular snack is the Pork Chop Bun, a freshly baked bun, extremely crispy outside and very soft inside, with a freshly deep-fried or pan-fried pork chop inside it. Pork chop buns are always made to order and come unadorned by garnishes. They are quite simply delicious. Wherever you are, and whatever your schedule and budget, in Macau you will never, ever go hungry!