00:00 (speaking in foreign language)
00:03 When you visit Macau,
00:09 you know you've signed up to taste food
00:11 that cannot be compared to anything else
00:13 in Cantonese kitchens.
00:15 (speaking in foreign language)
00:19 Apart from its landline glamor,
00:24 the city's also a paradise for fusion food,
00:26 thanks to its rich multicultural heritage.
00:30 We're curious to find out what's really on the daily menus
00:32 for local folks,
00:33 beyond the long list of recommended dishes
00:35 found on travel blogs.
00:37 Welcome to City Bites, Macau edition.
00:58 Traces of Portuguese influence are everywhere in Macau.
01:01 These are the remnants of the more than 400 years
01:06 it spent as a Portuguese trading post.
01:09 This chapter of the city's history
01:10 also gave birth to Macanese cuisine.
01:12 (speaking in foreign language)
01:18 Meet Chef Anna, the owner of a Macanese diner
01:23 on a century-old commercial street
01:26 next to the ruins of St. Paul's.
01:28 (gentle music)
01:31 (speaking in foreign language)
01:40 When Portuguese sailors came and settled down,
01:48 they missed home-cooked food from back in Portugal,
01:51 so their Chinese partners would try to cook something close,
01:55 using the ingredients available in local markets.
01:58 This was the beginning of Macanese cuisine.
02:01 We tried some of Anna's home recipes.
02:05 (speaking in foreign language)
02:24 (gentle music)
02:27 (speaking in foreign language)
02:32 - I actually understand why children
02:40 would like to eat this dish,
02:41 because with the pork and potato,
02:44 after they are being stir-fried,
02:45 it's actually quite fragrant,
02:46 and it's just savory, so it's similar to snack.
02:50 At the same time, you have the egg,
02:51 and everyone loves egg, so.
02:54 I like this dish.
02:55 (speaking in foreign language)
03:04 (crackling)
03:22 (speaking in foreign language)
03:26 - This is because the Portuguese sailed
03:31 through many different regions,
03:33 and were influenced by their cultures
03:35 before they reached Macau.
03:36 (speaking in foreign language)
03:44 (gentle music)
03:47 - So in this dish, instead of Portuguese sausage,
04:06 they actually use Chinese sausage.
04:09 (clinking)
04:11 (crunching)
04:13 Mm, my favorite item in this dish
04:19 would be the pork skin, because it's very chewy,
04:23 and it also absorbs the taste of the soup,
04:26 so when you bite into it,
04:27 it just bursts out in your mouth.
04:30 - As authentic Macanese dishes like dà shòu
04:36 took hours to cook, you're more likely
04:38 to see them on special occasions.
04:40 Small diners here adapted these recipes
04:43 to cook them faster.
04:44 They sell them at a lower price
04:47 to serve the local community.
04:49 The Hong Kong-style cafes, also known as tá chánh tháng,
04:54 are common in Macau, but their menus
04:56 are slightly different from in Hong Kong.
04:59 Here you get Macanese flavors, such as mince,
05:03 only in versions that have been simplified
05:05 to cook faster.
05:07 (speaking in foreign language)
05:11 You can also get Macau-style chicken bilau.
05:19 Instead of using the wide range of ingredients,
05:24 which end up in home-style chicken bilau,
05:27 such as Chinese dry-cured ham and pine nuts,
05:30 tá chánh tháng chefs cook with fewer
05:32 and cheaper ingredients, mimicking the flavor
05:34 of this complex dish.
05:36 (speaking in foreign language)
05:40 See the sauce here they use, compared to those
06:01 we order in a Macanese restaurant,
06:03 it's actually quite thick, it's not dry at all.
06:06 Here are some iconic tá chánh tháng dishes
06:08 that are unique to Macau.
06:11 Macaroni with oxtail soup.
06:12 (speaking in foreign language)
06:17 There's also the spicy sardine bun.
06:31 Sardines are a key part of the Portuguese diet.
06:34 Each year, the government hosts the Lusophonia Festival
06:49 to introduce the cultures of Portuguese-speaking
06:51 communities to the public.
06:53 Many Macanese people come together and attend.
06:59 (singing in foreign language)
07:03 (speaking in foreign language)
07:10 (speaking in foreign language)
07:23 (speaking in foreign language)
07:27 We invited Macanese families around the world
07:41 to send us recipes that they can find at home,
07:44 and the response was very, very good.
07:47 Joining forces with the government,
07:49 since 2020, the Macau Institute for Tourism Studies
07:52 has sent out an international open call
07:54 for Macanese recipes.
07:56 They've already got hundreds of recipes in their collection.
07:59 - Couple of years ago, it was very, very difficult
08:03 to collect Macanese cuisine recipes
08:06 because they were kept as a secret within the families.
08:09 But now the mentality is totally different.
08:12 We have these recipes inside our library,
08:15 and they are also available online.
08:17 (gentle music)
08:20 (speaking in foreign language)
08:27 - Anna learned how to cook these dishes
08:33 by helping her mom in the kitchen back in the day,
08:35 and through her own research.
08:37 (speaking in foreign language)
08:47 In 2013, she opened her Macanese restaurant,
08:50 Belus Tempus, meaning Great Times in Portuguese.
08:54 (speaking in foreign language)
09:16 - Hi, everyone.
09:17 I'm from Hong Kong, so it's just one hour away from Macau.
09:21 It's definitely not my first time traveling here,
09:24 but it may be my first time trying Macanese food.
09:27 I remember when I was a kid,
09:28 my parents want me to like Portuguese restaurant,
09:31 so I'm not sure if what I had
09:33 is Portuguese food or Macanese food.
09:35 But after I know more about Macanese food,
09:38 I'm quite impressed because it has a long history.
09:41 It's complicated.
09:42 It's also a family food.
09:44 So basically, when you are eating at a Macanese restaurant,
09:47 you are like being someone's guest at their house,
09:49 and you are eating what their family,
09:52 what their mom used to cook for them.
09:53 So I think that's very meaningful.
09:55 It's very personal.
09:56 Comment down below, is there any food
09:59 that is similar to Macanese food in your home country?
10:02 It's like fusion food, but complicated.
10:05 And one last thing,
10:07 I'm sorry if I look intense during the interview.
10:10 I don't know what's wrong with my face.
10:13 I will do better next time, okay?
10:14 So, see you next time.
10:16 Up next, did you know
10:18 there's a big Burmese Chinese community in Macau?
10:21 Stay tuned.
10:24 (upbeat music)
10:26 (bells chiming)
10:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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