History of Macau’s famous pork chop bun and where to eat the authentic classic
Gaining global fame after being spotlighted by Anthony Bourdain, Macau’s pork chop bun is set to become an Intangible Cultural Heritage item
Often described as the Macanese version of a hamburger, the pork chop bun is a delicious product of the city’s rich cultural blend and colonial history, tracing its origins to the Portuguese bifana, a classic pork sandwich.
A good pork chop bun is defined by a fried or grilled pork chop placed horizontally inside a bread roll. The bun itself is crucial, prized for being extremely crisp on the outside yet supple inside, perfectly complementing the juicy, just-greasy-enough pork.
Tai Lei Loi Kei was established as a small eatery in 1968, selling steamed buns and traditional Chinese pastries.
Its signature creation was born out of cultural fusion: as Portuguese civil servants from a nearby government building became regulars, they suggested tucking a succulent marinated pork chop inside the buns.
This simple tweak gave rise to the now-famous pork chop bun, a snack cherished by locals and the global Macanese diaspora alike.