How Macau's rich history shaped its fusion flavours

South China Morning Post

2 days ago

Long before Portuguese merchants arrived in China, spices were among the world's most coveted treasures – traded in bustling markets and desired by empires centuries before they came to be simmering in the coconut-infused depths of
galinha à Africana – African chicken – in kitchens across Macau.
During the Age of Discovery, pepper was so sought after that 'no amount of imperial prohibitions could lessen the demand in China', according to historian John Villiers. And when Manuel I of Portugal authorised Vasco da Gama's voyage to establish a sea route to India in 1497, the explorer set sail 'in search of Christians and spices'. By 1570, Europe was importing around six million pounds of black pepper each year, in addition to large quantities of many other spices.
Vasco da Gama was the first European to reach India by sea.
The city may not have been a producer of spices, but historically Macau served as a vital hub for trade, linking China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India with Europe. Its culinary scene is a living tapestry of tradition and innovation, and Macanese cuisine was officially celebrated by Unesco in 2023 as the world's first fusion cuisine.
But this blending of flavours was never deliberate. It was born out of conquest and trade, and the simple human desire to make a foreign land taste like home. Herbs and spices didn't just travel – they transformed, weaving new culinary identities along the way.
The spice trade's strategic heart
Macau's modern history begins with this trade in spices. Shortly after Portuguese traders arrived in East Asia in the 16th century they learned, according to Villiers, that there was 'as great a profit in taking spices to China as in taking them to Portugal'. This was because trading in spices allowed the Portuguese to establish control over the Maritime Silk Road, an oceanic trading network stretching from the Mediterranean as far as Japan.