Taste of Macau: Portuguese Cuisine on the China Coast (Paperback)

by Annabel Jackson (Author)
Key Phrases: chopped olive oil, check for salt, steamed white rice, Southeast Asian, Lady Ana Rodrigues (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Over 450 years ago, the Portuguese landed in what was to be the first European colony in Asia, Macau, bringing their culture and their cuisine. This lavishly illustrated cookbook is the first to introduce to the English-speaking world one of the oldest "fusion" cuisines in Asia. It includes 62 recipes, most of which are straight from the source--old family recipe collections or the files of influential Macanese chefs.

This book comes at an important time--just after the handover in 1999 of Macau from Portuguese to Chinese rule--a time when most of the Portuguese community is leaving Macau and authentic Macanese culture and way of life seems doomed to rapidly disappear. Thus, this book is much more than a cookbook--it is a project to preserve and share, for the first time, a very important aspect of the Macanese world. The author has spent almost ten years collecting and testing these heritage recipes, getting in touch with the Macanese diaspora, and asking them to reflect back and write about food in Macau. Taste of Macau can be used as a complete reference guide to Macanese cuisine, as it includes information on ingredients and where to buy them, stories and information about the few remaining restaurants in Macau, and a fascinating discussion on the relationship between food and culture through literary excerpts and personal testimonies from important figures in the Macanese community. Complete with dozens of lush color photographs.

About the Author
Annabel Jackson is best known in Asia for her food and wine writing. In addition to authoring Hong Kong, Macau and the Muddy Pearl and co-authoring with Francisco Calderia Cabral and Leong Ka Tai Macau Gardens & Landscape Art, she has published three food/culture books, Macau on a Plate, Vietnam on a Plate and the cookbook Street Café Vietnam. Annabel Jackson was formerly the director of public relations at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong hotel. Currently, she is a wine expert, the owner of The Wine Connection (Asia), consultant to establishments such as the Hong Kong Fringe Club, and lecturer in cuisine and culture at the Institute of European Studies in Macau.

Product Details

• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781810221
• ISBN-13: 978-0781810227
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #566,831 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!!!, February 17, 2005

By	Susan de Medeiros (Montreal Qc) - See all my reviews

What an original idea for a cookbook! Being from a Portuguese background and having been raised on traditional Portuguese cuisine, I am always on the look out for new Portuguese cookbooks to help keep the memory of my cultural background alive and well...and I was surprised, but excited when I came accross this title on the website and had to buy it. I was not dissapointed. Colorfull, Informative and full of interesting (yet Im sure very tasty) recipies combining some traditional portuguese cuisine with an Asian twist. I cant wait to try them all. Obrigado Amazon.com!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Recipe book with history, January 16, 2007

By	Jac (San Francisco, ca) - See all my reviews

The book arrived ontime. This is a great book for those who appreciate Macau cooking or who are up for trying some new recipes, especially seafood recipes. It is difficult to locate Macau recipes so I am glad that this book is readily available in the US. Some of the recipes are familiar to me and some I do not recall ever having. Macau dishes are more on the portuguese side with a bit of influence from indian, thailand, chinese, or some other ethnicity. It contains the history of macau, interviews with various people and over 60 recipes. I haven't tried the recipes yet but I am sure I can adjust the ingredients to my preference if necessary.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Macanese cookbook~!, October 18, 2005

By	Martin Chua (Singapore) - See all my reviews

For more thing on Macau, visit my website : My Olive Tree (www.pretogrosso.com)

Annabel Jackson's Taste of Macau (Portuguese Cuisine on the China Coast) is an exceptional good cookbook and history lesson for those interested in the heritage of Macanese foods. The book does very well to integrate both culinary and cultural history for the reader. And also it contains secret, interesting and closely guarded Macanese recipes!

This book also attempt to preserve and share, for the first time, a very import aspect of the Macanese world. The author has spent almost 10 years collecting and testing these heritages recipes, getting in touch with the Macanese diaspora, and asking them to reflect back and write about food in Macau.

There's even a poem on secret family recipes & 6 interviews with Macanese and their memory of childhood & foods.

Recipes:
a) Soups & Starters:
13 types of dishes including Almondegas (Minced Pork Patties), Pasteis de Bacalhau (Salted Cod Cakes), Rissois (Shrimp Rissoles) etc

b) Fish & Seafood:
12 types of dishes including Bacalhau a Penha (Salt Cod in Penha Hill style), Gambas a Macau (King Prawns with Chilli & Garlic), Lulas Rechedas (Stuffed Squid) etc

c) Meat:
19 types of dishes including Capela (Meat Loaf), Pato Tamarinho (Tamarind Duck), Vaca Estufada I (Rich Beef Stew), etc

d) Vegetables:
5 types of dishes including Amargoso Lorcha (BitterGourd in Coconut Milk) , Sambal de Bringella (Eggplant Sambal) etc

e) Rice & Noodles
4 type of dishes including Arroz Carregado (Pressed Rice), Lacassa (Noodles in Shrimp Broth)

f) Desserts
9 type of dishes including Bagi (Glutinous Rice Cake), Bolo Menino (Nut Cake), Pudim de Sagu (Sago Pudding) etc