Cha Gordo

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Cha Gordo (literally Fat Tea [1] ) is a culinary tradition amongst the Macanese community in Macau that is likened to high tea. [1]

Contents

History

Historically, families with Portuguese heritage in Macau would host a Cha Gordo for a number of occasions, including Catholic holidays, christening, or birthdays, but it can be held for any reason. [2] Some families, historically, would even host one on a weekly basis. [1]

A Cha Gordo would take place following a Macanese wedding, instead of the elaborate banquet seen in Chinese weddings. [3]

Composition

Cha Gordos are noted to be elaborate, [4] consisting of 12 dishes or more. [1] Cha Gordos typically start in the mid-afternoon, in order to allow the children to eat, and allow the adults to continue on with the entertainment, as the children go to bed. [2]

Some of the dishes included in a Cha Gordo include Bolinhos de bacalhau, Minchi, Sopa de lacassá, and Tacho. [1] [2] [5]

Present day

Due to cramped living conditions in modern-day Macau, Cha Gordo has become a much rarer affair, [6] but they have been held as community events on a regular basis (such as on Christmas), in an effort to preserve Macanese culture. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cummings-Yeates, Rosalind (18 August 2015). "Feasting on Fat Tea in Macau". TravelPulse .
  2. 1 2 3 Loh, Juliana (10 April 2015). "Cha Gordo: Macau's ' fat tea' a celebration of Macanese cuisine and culture". South China Morning Post . Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  3. Daniels, Maggie; Loveless, Carrie (2014). Wedding Planning and Management: Consultancy for Diverse Clients (Second ed.). Routledge. p. 29. ISBN   978-1-136-16055-4 . Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  4. Templer, Robert (4 June 1999). "As It Exits Macau, Portugal Will Leave a Legacy to Savor". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  5. Albala, Ken, ed. (25 May 2011). Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia. Abc-Clio. p. 232. ISBN   978-0-313-37627-6 . Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  6. 1 2 Cabral, Carlos (1 January 2018). "節日的盛筵肥茶 (A holiday feast: Cha Gordo)". Macao Daily News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.