ICM wants Macanese Culinary Recipes
Dra. Beatriz Basto da Silva, a renowned historian of Macau, is now developing a study for Macau’s Cultural Affairs Bureau about Macanese Culinary Recipes. She requests information about traditional Macanese recipes, including if possible copies of old manuscript recipes that can be sent as digital images.
The gathering of this information is particularly important for preserving the memory of the Macanese Culture, within a context that is directly linked to relevant research of food and gastronomy as a central part of Macao’s intangible heritage. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2014.
You don’t have to include the complete integral version of the recipes, but please indicate the title of particular recipes and a list (even partial) of the respective ingredients and culinary methods.
At the same time, it is important to indicate the name of the person who wrote the manuscript old recipe, including indication of where the author was from (Macao?), when they lived (even estimated date), also indicating what was the family connection or friendship link they had with the person that is now providing access to the material.
It is also of great interest to include information about culinary habits relating to the different festive seasons of the year, including Christmas, the Lenten Easter season, Carnival, and other festive gatherings such as recipes associated with birthdays, weddings, baptisms, graduations, etc. Also please indicate the name of the person who wrote the old recipe, where the author was from (Macao?), when they lived (even estimated date), what was the family connection or friendship link they had with the person providing access to the material.
The study is also very interested not only in traditional food recipes, but also in old-fashion medical homemade recipes, which are particularly important to be shared in their entire format, because they are difficult to find and can provide very good insight into the historical background of the Macanese community.
To make it easier, Dra. da Silva would very much appreciate if you include answers to the following questions:
1 – What are the dishes (and respective spices) that they recognize as being part of the common Macanese food traditions, and the ones that were reserved for more special occasions?
2 – Is there any particular Macanese recipe that you and your family still regularly use in your household? Which recipe is it? Please indicate where you originally learned it from? What are the ingredients that make it special?
3 – Your ancestral family members are all from Macao, or also from other places (and where)?
(This question is intended solely to determine the origins of certain flavors and food traditions.)
4 – Can you please share a copy of any old manuscript recipe that you may still keep in your family? Do you know who wrote it originally, when and where they learned it from?
5 – Which examples of sweet and salty dishes do you believe are the most typical of Macanese Cuisine?
6 – Which traditional Macanese dishes do you consider to be the most typical respectively for:
(Birthdays / Weddings / Births / Baptisms / Christmas / New Year / Carnival / Easter Lent ?)
7 – What are the Chinese food influences that you recognize in Macanese Cuisine?
Please differentiate the influences that you recognize respectively in terms of mixture of methods of cooking, utensils, ingredients?
Any relevant stronger influences that you can recognize in traditional Macanese Food, for example to celebrate the Chinese New Year?
8 – Do you have family in other countries? Do you know if they continue to cook Macanese food?
Are there family gathering festivities where you’ve witnessed and tasted different interpretations of family Macanese recipes?
Thank you in advance on behalf of Dra. Beatriz Basto da Silva for your very kind help in communicating these questions to interested parties. We look forward to receiving all possible information (especially photos of old manuscript Macanese recipes) by the 15th April 2014.
Please send all communications to:
Carla Figueiredo (carlaf
Cultural Heritage Department
Cultural Affairs Bureau