Macau cuisine represents a combination of Chinese and Portuguese flavors, in addition to African, Malay, Indian and Brazilian influence. One can say that fusion cuisine was born in Macau when the Portuguese arrived in the 1500’s and brought recipes and spices from around the world.

Macau is famous for its cuisine and for the quality of the food served by the territory's restaurants and hotels. It is hard to find another city with such a concentration of restaurants offering so many different cuisines to suit many tastes at all kinds of budget. In fact, food has always played a major part in Macau society and is a good reflection of the community's long multicultural experience and present cosmopolitan way of life.

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TRADITIONAL FOODS

• African Chicken - Macau’s signature dish
• Caldo Verde - Green vegetable soup
• Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá - Cod fish prepared with egg and onions
• Green wine
• Serradure (dessert)
• Portuguese Egg Tarts
• Dim sum

Typical Macanese Cuisine
Among the most popular dishes are African Chicken (grilled with 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 (fried Macau sole) and Porco balichão (Balichão' pork).

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COOKING STYLE

Macanese cooking style
Macanese food with Portuguese influence tends to be mostly grilled in addition to some healthy Chinese dishes.

Important ingredients for Macanese cuisine
Piri-Piri/Chili pepper, curry, and soy sauce.

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SWEETS & SNACKS

Macanese Sweets
Pastries are very popular in Macau! The most traditional deserts are Portuguese Egg Tarts and almond cookies.

Macanese Snacks
Beef jerky of all flavors, ice cream, and dragon fruit are all popular snacks in Macau.

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FUNKY FOOD FACTOIDS

Vinho Verde is actually one of the many imports from Portugal. The name, which literally means “Green Wine,” comes from the freshness of the taste, almost sparkling, and not due to its color. Another major delicacy from Chinese influence are moon cakes which are traditional eaten during the Mid-Autumn festival.

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VEGETARIAN CUISINE

Macau offers plenty of dining options for vegetarians as well as vegans. Below are some top vegetarian restaurants in Maca.
• Fung Shing Hin
• New Ching Chun Vegetarian
• Miu Heung Lam Vegetarian
• Tin Hung Vegetarian
• Kit Yuen Vegetarian
 

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FOOD FESTIVAL

Feast of the Drunken Dragon
May / 8th day of the Fourth Moon
Dating back to the Kangxi Kingdom of the Qing Dynasty, the Feast of the Drunken Dragon celebrates the slaying of a dragon and the end of a massive plague. Every year the fishermen associations organize this festival, which start in the morning in the Kuan Tai Temple near S. Domingos Market (near Senado Square), where men perform a drunken dance with wooden heads and tails of a dragon. Then, they proceed to the Inner Harbour and pay a visit to some shops and piers on the waterfront. At each stop they drink wine until they are not able to go on. All the participants and observers end the day with a great dinner.


Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival
September / October
This celebration centers around the moon on the 15th day of the 8th month (August) where people make special lunar cakes which are offered to visiting friends and family. At night everybody goes out to observe the new moon and to worship the gods with colorful and exquisite lanterns.

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RECIPES

AFRICAN CHICKEN
Sauce:
 4 Tablespoons butter
3 fresh red chili peppers, chopped (seeded if you don't like it too spicy)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1-1/2 cups coconut milk (fresh if possible)
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup grated coconut (fresh if -possible)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
 
One whole chicken, cut up into pieces
For sauce:  Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the chili peppers, garlic, and shallot.  Saute until softened.  Stir in lemon rind, coconut milk, wine, evaporated milk, coconut, tarragon, and paprika.  Bring to a boil; then turn down heat and simmer for about 30-45 minutes.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and other seasonings; let cool.
 
Place the cut-up chicken in a container and pour on some of the sauce to marinate.  Marinate for at least 1-2 hours.  To cook, place marinated chicken pieces on a broiler pan, spread with more sauce and broil until cooked, turning and basting often.  (You could probably also bake the chicken at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, or even grill it).  Serve chicken with more sauce, a big salad, and french fries.

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TOP RESTAURANTS

Six restaurants in Macau recently received Michellin stars: Robuchon a Galera at Hotel Lisboa (www.hotelisboa.com/htmlindex2.htm) won top honors, with three Michelin stars. Tim’s Kitchen, also at Hotel Lisboa won two stars. The Imperial Court at the MGM Grand Macau (www.mgmgrandmacau.com), the Eight at Grand Lisboa Macau, Tung Yee Heen at Mandarin Oriental Macau (www.mandarinoriental.com) and Ying at Crown Macau (www.crown-macau.com) were each awarded one star. Robuchon a Galera is a French restaurant, while the others specialize in Chinese cuisine.

Other top restaurants include:
• Litoral - www.yp.com.mo/litoral
• Antonio - www.antoniomacau.com
• A L’orcha
• Porto Interior
• Espaco Lisboa
• Wing Li

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE MACAU GOVERNMENT TOURISM OFFICE