A wok over a roaring fire, a splash of soy sauce, and Chinese rice wine create an unmistakable aroma. These elements come together to form minchi, Macau’s beloved comfort food: fried minced meat with diced potatoes, topped with a sunny-side-up egg. At Restaurante Litoral, Manuela Sales da Silva Ferreira ensures this iconic dish and other traditional Macanese recipes are not forgotten.
In the 25 years since Portugal handed Macau back to China, the city has transformed into a hub of glittering casinos and modern nightlife. Yet, this evolution raises concerns that authentic Macanese cuisine – a unique fusion of Portuguese and Chinese flavors enriched by ingredients from Brazil, Mozambique, Goa, and East Timor – may vanish.
UNESCO has described Macau as the “home of the first fusion food,” where East meets West on a plate. Ferreira, whose paternal ancestors arrived from Portugal over 400 years ago, left Macau in 1995. But the fear of losing Macanese culinary heritage pulled her back.
“If I don’t do anything, Macanese cooking will be lost,” Ferreira says, recalling her decision to open her restaurant. She preserves her family’s recipes, which were shaped by Portuguese wives adapting to local Chinese ingredients and Chinese wives recreating Portuguese dishes for their families.
Her favorite dish is baked crabmeat, passed down from her mother. Originally a cold Portuguese dish with cream and pickles, it has evolved into a warm, savory version baked in crab shells, reflecting the generational and cultural journey of Macanese cuisine.
Macau, located on China’s southern coast, has a population of around 684,000, with ethnic Chinese making up nearly 90 percent. Those of Portuguese and mixed Portuguese-Chinese descent account for only 1.9 percent, according to the 2021 census. Despite their small numbers, the Macanese people have long served as cultural bridges between Portuguese and Chinese communities.
Miguel de Senna Fernandes, head of a Macanese heritage association, traces his Portuguese ancestry in Macau back to 1750. He stresses the need for the Macanese to embrace their identity to preserve their culture, including its cuisine.
“We are from Macau,” Fernandes says. “We are different from the Chinese, but we should embrace the differences.”
Through cherished dishes like minchi and baked crabmeat, and efforts by individuals like Ferreira, Macanese cuisine stands as a testament to Macau’s rich, multicultural history.
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