Macau’s status as the home of Macanese cuisine – the world’s first “fusion food”, which reflects Portugal’s rich maritime trading history by combining culinary influences and ingredients sourced from Europe, Asia and Africa – led to it being recognised by Unesco as a Creative City of Gastronomy in 2017.
Last month, the city strengthened its ties with its fellow Creative Cities of Gastronomy by welcoming chefs, content creators, academics and tourism leaders from around the world to the International Gastronomy Forum, Macao.
The event – which examined how food can intersect with design, digital media, youth culture and sustainable tourism to shape the cities of tomorrow, under the theme “Creative Fusion: Reimagining Gastronomy Beyond the Plate” – was held at Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre and was organised by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), with the South China Morning Post (SCMP) as the collaborative partner.
In her welcome remarks, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of MGTO, said the forum formed part of Macau’s diverse range of gastronomic initiatives introduced since being named as a Creative City of Gastronomy “in active support of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, [while] garnering a lot of positive feedback along the way”.
The forum, as one of these major initiatives, was held in tandem with the International Cities of Gastronomy Fest, which brought together delegates from 38 Unesco Creative Cities of Gastronomy and 10 Creative Cities of other fields “to navigate creative paths towards gastronomic preservation, innovation and exchange”, she said.
As next year will mark the 10th anniversary of Macau’s Creative City of Gastronomy designation, “there will be active participation on the way to demonstrate our fruitful development and also our diverse capabilities to the world”, she added.
The forum included a “Chinese Creative Showcase” for seven cities from mainland China that are members of the Unesco Creative Cities Network (UCCN). They are Jingdezhen, Suzhou and Weifang, Creative Cities of Crafts and Folk Art, Changsha, Creative City of Media Arts, Qingdao, Creative City of Film, Wuhan, Creative City of Design, and Wuxi, Creative City of Music.
In another speech, Denise Bax, secretary of the UCCN, praised Macau’s efforts since joining the network – created in 2004 and comprising 408 member cities across eight creative fields – which supports “cities that recognise culture and creativity as strategic drivers for sustainable urban development”.
She said: “Since joining the UCCN, Macau has been an active and committed member, consistently demonstrating how gastronomy can serve as a powerful enabler of sustainable urban development at both the local and international levels.
“The [forum’s] theme shines a spotlight on opportunities arising from cross‑disciplinary collaborations between gastronomy and other creative fields. Indeed, it encourages us to rethink gastronomy beyond the plate.”
