Macanese Cuisine

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Overview of Macanese Cuisine History
Macau is a place where people take food very seriously, and similarly to other Asian cuisine they consider cuisine as being an art form. Macau cuisine is has as a main feature the balance between flavors and textures. The characteristic of this cuisine is the fortunate blending of sweet and sour, sharp and blends, hot and cool and sometimes even crunchy and smooth. Macau is a place where many cultures came together; thus it’s only normal that its cuisine mirrors all of these cultures. Being a coast country, one of the most popular foods in Macau has always been seafood. There is a whole culture around seafood, and some dishes can only be found here. Fish is one of the main food ingredients; being usually served steamed and garnished with vegetables and rice. The Macau cuisine is quite spicy and savored, combining a lot of exotic ingredients. The Macau cuisine has developed in the Chinese style, but it has it’s own unique flavors.

Cuisines of Macau


Macau cuisine is a branch of the Chinese umbrella cuisine. The Macau people are very specific about the freshness of every ingredient they use especially because their cuisine uses a lot of raw ingredients be they meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit. Because Macau is a place where many cultures met, the cuisine is quite colorful combining a lot of spices in a unique manner. Like all the Chinese cuisine varieties Macau too is based on four main styles, such as the Chiu Chow, the Shanghainese, the Peck and the Szechuan. All these cuisine are bringing something special to the Macau specific cuisine. For example, the Shanghainese cuisine is adding its rich and sweet flavors, while the Peck cuisine gives the Macau dishes that well known and appreciated style.

Preparation Methods for Macanese Cooking
Macau cuisine is unique especially because it is a blending of varoius other cooking traditions. There are many food traditions combined with the original Macau dishes, which have eventually gave birth to new more exotic dishes. While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for Macau cooking, we should point out that attention to detail is important in the Macau cuisine. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential – either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. The diversity of vegetables and cereals found in Macau is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportion differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Macau’s regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Macau dishes and cured and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes.

Special Equipment for Macanese Cooking
The Macau cuisine is based like every other cuisine on essential utensils, such as spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs. However, the Macau cuisine definitely needs a diverse cooking equipment set in order to provide the famous sophisticated Macau dishes. Thus, utensils like cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishers & portioners, food pans & food containers to other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets & accessories are a must. You should consider insulated food carriers if you are transporting the food and a full set of kitchen linens and uniforms if you wish to look like a pro. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Macau food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slicers, kitchen thermometers, measuring cups & measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers & strainers. Essential utensils like serving spoons; spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking "arsenal".

Macanese Food Traditions and Festivals
Macau is also known as the “Monte Carlo of the Orient” because gaming has always been a major part of the country’s culture. Macau is one of the best places where you can try the famous Chinese traditional foods and the famous festivals. There are a lot of festivals here, such as the Jazz fest, the youth festival, the Art festival and many other. All these festival give the Macau people the occasion to “show off” with their traditional dishes as there are many international tourists visiting. There is a very interesting combination of ancient and modern during these festivals. Many of these festivals celebrate the changing of seasons, the gods or even legends.

People in Macanese Food

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Many Macau food specialties have developed because of Macau people’s strong passion for eating over the centuries. There are many chefs who creatively use the basic ingredients and cooking method for traditional Macau dishes and create original and delicious food variations. Macau chefs are passionate about their traditional dishes and they enjoy presenting them to foreigners who has never tasted them before. Whether they are cooking dishes that go back in time for centuries or brand new, modern dishes, Macau chefs take pride in what they do, and this is readily noticeable in the unforgettable taste of their cooking.