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Traditional Macanese recipes are disappearing, says food writer Annabel Jackson

Annabel Jackson, who first visited Macau in 1989, was drawn to its three ‘national’ cuisines – Cantonese, Portuguese, Macanese

In her latest book, The Making of Macau’s Fusion Cuisine, Jackson explores culinary and cultural exchange in the former colony

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Former South China Morning Post food writer Annabel Jackson, whose latest book, The Making of Macau’s Fusion Cuisine, looks into the food of the former Portuguese enclave. Photo: Annabel Jackson

Published: 2:45pm, 20 Oct 2020Updated: 2:54pm, 20 Oct 2020

How did your interest in the cuisine of Macau begin? “I first went to Macau in 1989, when it was quite sleepy and such a striking contrast to Hong Kong. I remember the aroma of espresso coffee wafting across the Largo do Senado. This was when you couldn’t get a decent coffee in Hong Kong. But what I became very drawn to was that Macau has three ‘national’ cuisines – Cantonese, Portuguese, Macanese – which is quite unusual.”

Your new book explores fusion in Macau cuisine. What makes it different from other parts of Asia that experienced colonialism and cultural exchange? “The Dutch, the British and the French all had different colonial projects that reveal themselves in culinary interchange. In the Portuguese context, there are striking similarities between the ‘hybrid’ cooking of Goa, Malacca and Macau.

“These cuisines also influenced each other. The Baba-Nyonya cooking of Malacca also influenced these cuisines. We can also see intercultural exchange between colonial-era cuisines and the creolised cuisines of islands in the Indian Ocean.

“The Portuguese were in Japan but we don’t see a hybrid Japanese-Portuguese cuisine. There was culinary exchange in the context of specific dishes, particularly traditional Portuguese cakes and desserts, and in cooking techniques like deep-frying in batter for tempura.”

According to Jackson, porco balichão tamarindo is the dish that best represents Macanese cuisine. Photo: Juliana Loh

When did you last visit Macau and what was your impression of the changes there? “I moved to London in 2013 to do my MA and I’ve been back three times, most recently in November 2019, when I spoke about my research into Macanese cuisine.

“I guess changes began after the 2004 opening of the first Sands casino, and they have continued rapidly ever since. However, the ‘old’ Macau is still there. The aroma of espresso is still there.”