Food glossary

Alua A firm confection made with condensed milk, butter and coconut. Arroz gordo Literally meaning ‘fat rice,’ this tomato flavoured rice is usually topped with a combination of pork, chicken, sausage and eggs. Bakkwa Macanese beef jerky sold in large flat sheets.

Camarões suados ‘Sauna prawns’ – fresh prawns marinated in rice wine, then steamed over hot rocks.

Caril de caranguejo Fresh crab cooked in curry sauce, often containing onions and peppers.

Chamuças Triangular deep-fried pastries containing curried pork. Chilicote Deep-fried spiced meat pies.

Feijoada A Portuguese dish combining beans, beef, pork and sausage.

Galinha à Africana Fried chicken topped with a rich spicy sauce. Galinha à Portuguesa A mildly spiced, slightly sweet chicken curry made with coconut sauce.

Minchi Minced meat cooked with onions and soy sauce, typically served with diced fried potatoes and often with a fried egg on top. This is the unofficial national dish of Macao.

Pastéis de bacalhau Salt cod fritters with parsley and potatoes. Pastéis de nata Portuguese egg tart with flaky pastry and custard filling.

Porco tamarinho A rich dish of slow-cooked pork flavoured with a sweet-sour sauce made from shrimp paste and tamarind. Serradura Also known as ‘sawdust pudding’ or ‘Macao pudding,’ this is a popular layered dessert made with thick cream and crumbled Maria biscuits. A ‘must-try’ for those with a sweet tooth.

CLOCKWISE (FROM TOP LEFT) Coffee and the daily newspaper at António’s; the opulent interior of Macao’s MGM Macau hotel; old tiles in the former senate building; achieving a perfect balance in a traditional Chinese herbal medicine shop; the 1928 built Chapel of St. Francis Xavier in Coloane village.