What is Macau's "Curry Oden"? A Journey to Trace Its Roots in Asia

How did curry spread from India to the world?

There is a saying that "all roads lead to Rome."

This originated from the fact that during the heyday of the ancient Roman Empire, roads from all over the world led to Rome. If we were to apply this to the world of curry, perhaps it would be that "all curries lead to India."

Curry originated in India and has traveled with people for hundreds of years, changing shape and form to become popular all over the world.

Few records remain, so trying to work out what journeys they took to get to each city is like endlessly puzzling over a difficult math problem with no solution.

But I find it so much fun.

What is "Curry Oden" that suddenly appeared in Macau?

When I heard the rumor that there was something called "curry oden" in Macau, I found it difficult to understand what the information meant.

Why the Japanese dish "Oden"? And why curry?! And why Macau in the first place?

I had no clear idea of what kind of food it was, so I immediately bought a plane ticket to go and see it for myself.

If you tell someone you're going to Macau, the first thing they'll say is, "Are you going to the casinos?" The only other reaction you'll get is, "Are you on your way to Hong Kong?" That's how uniform the impression of Macau is.

It is well known that Hong Kong was a British colony, but few people know that Macau was under Portuguese rule for over 100 years until 1999.

We discovered a ton of curry oden restaurants in the city center!

After landing at Macau International Airport, I headed to the city center where my hotel was located.

A short walk from Senado Square (in front of the Parliament Building), which is surrounded by historical architecture and beautiful cobblestones and still retains strong vestiges of the Portuguese colonial era, we came across a bustling street thronged with tourists.

More than 10 restaurants are crowded together along the 50-meter stretch of road, creating a strange atmosphere. Upon approaching, I found that almost all of them were curry and oden restaurants. I was overwhelmed.

Feeling nervous and not knowing what to do, I stood in front of a restaurant called Jinhua Niu Zao (No. 12 Basement, Lane, Avenue No. 12, Macau).

The menu features a wide variety of colorful seafood pastes, as well as a variety of vegetables, stewed beef, and beef offal.

When you order some ingredients, they will boil them, put them in a cup, and pour a light curry sauce on top. Most restaurants seem to let you choose between hot and medium spicy.

When I tried it, the umami of the dashi stock and the flavor of the curry powder were in perfect harmony. I hope this is available in Japanese convenience stores. It's an excellent fast food that you'll want to eat again and again.

A hybrid of Japanese oden and Portuguese curry?

Leaving the curry oden town behind, I walked and thought.

"Why is there oden in Macau?"

After some research, I found out that "curry oden" is actually a Japanese word, and is simply a nickname used by Japanese people who visit the place.

The official local name is "curry beef soup" or "curry fish egg." The name changes depending on whether you choose beef, beef tripe, or fish paste. Of course, you can also combine the two.

Even after researching, the origins of this curry oden remain unclear.

This dish first appeared in Macau in the 1980s, so it does not have a long history.

One theory is that it has its roots in an original dish created by a local motsunabe restaurant, while another is that it was introduced from Japan and developed independently locally.

"So why is there curry in that oden (or something like it)?"

Could curry powder, invented by British people who brought curry back from India, have been introduced to China via China when it was a semi-colony of Britain? Or was it influenced by Portuguese curry?

In fact, Portugal also has a curry culture. The curry culture was introduced to India as a former colony. In the Indian state of Goa, you can still enjoy curry, such as pork vindaloo, which was influenced by Portuguese cuisine.

The curry situation in Portugal is a bit complicated

Portuguese curry is called "Caril" in Portuguese.

I once had "Caril" in Lisbon, but the taste was simple, like curry powder mixed with cream, and I couldn't taste the essence of Indian cuisine.

If you go to an African restaurant in Portugal, you may find curry that is a little spicy.

At Roda Viva (Beco do Mexias, 11 R/C Alfama, Lisboa, Portugal), shrimp curry and crab curry were on the menu.

Crab curry (Caril de Caranguejo) is an easy-to-eat coconut milk-based curry that can be adjusted to your desired spiciness by mixing in a unique chili oil similar to chili oil.

This was a restaurant serving cuisine from the Republic of Mozambique, a country that was once a Portuguese colony.

Since Portugal is located in East Africa across the Indian Ocean from India, curry may have been transported from India to Portugal via Mozambique.

Uncovering the secret flavour of Macau crab curry

However, the more I think about the origins of "curry oden," the more confused I become. I also visited the Macanese restaurant "Restaurant Solmar (512 Avenue de Mar, South Bay, Macau)."

When I opened the menu, there was curry as expected. And there were many of them. Crab curry, shrimp curry, fish curry, beef curry, mutton curry, oxtail curry, chicken curry, pork chop curry... Wow. I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

It is interesting that the menu in Macau is written in Chinese, English and Portuguese. For example, crab curry is called (咖哩瓦 / Crab Curry / Caril de Caranguejo). Yes, the "Caril" I encountered in Portugal is also found here.

I was a little confused when I saw the Today's Price written on the wall, but when I ordered, the waiter came over to show me a beautiful crab. He told me that this would be nearly 600 pakat (about 8,400 yen).

Other curries cost around 150 pakata (about 2,100 yen), so this is a fairly high-priced restaurant, but this is still an extremely expensive curry.

Soon after, the crab curry was brought out. The presentation was rather haphazard but it looked delicious. Moreover, the portion was enough for two people.

It looked like the whole crab was stewed together with its shell, so I picked out the easiest part to eat with my spoon and put it in my mouth.

Suddenly, a strong umami flavor surged from my tongue to my brain. I continued eating with excitement, and ended up ordering an additional pork chop curry.

The aroma of spices is not very strong, nor is it distinctive. I guess they used a commercially available curry powder. It's only natural that the umami flavor is strong because of the crustacean stock.

But that doesn't explain the flavor. Maybe they use a stock made in a separate pot, like chicken bouillon.

I decided to ask the store clerk.

"This curry is really delicious, but does it take a long time to make?"

"No, not at all. It will only take about 15 to 20 minutes."

"It certainly arrived quickly. Are you stewing it in some kind of bouillon or soup?"

"We don't use any of that stuff. We just stir-fry some vegetables and crab with curry powder."

"And fermented condiments like soy sauce?"

"Not in use."

That's a lie. Well, I don't know if it's a lie or not. But in my experience, just frying ingredients in oil and curry powder doesn't create that kind of strong umami flavor.

Then I suddenly realized, it contains a seasoning similar to chicken powder that is often used in Chinese cuisine.

I took another bite of the crab curry. The taste that remained in my mouth after swallowing it was an intense umami that went beyond the flavor of the ingredients themselves. It was most likely the chicken powder.

If that's the case, then Macau cuisine must have been influenced by Chinese cuisine. It's a type of deliciousness that I didn't get from the curry I had in Portugal.

The journey of curry oden continues endlessly

It is said that the Portuguese arrived in Macau in 1513. At the time, Portugal, which had colonial control over Goa on the west coast of India and Southeast Asia, used Macau as a base for trading with China's Ming Dynasty.

As a result of these trades, spices traveled between various bases, and it can be assumed that Macau developed its own unique curry, a hybrid of Chinese, Portuguese, and Indian cuisine.

And then, for some reason, oden (or something like it) was added to the mix, and "curry oden" was born. This must have been the result of the ingenuity and ingenuity of the people of Macau.

"All roads lead to Rome" is an expression used to mean that there are many means or ways to reach a goal, but only one truth.

It's extremely difficult to pinpoint the route by which the unidentified curry oden I ate in Macau spread.

Dishes bearing the name "curry" exist in various forms all over the world. Before they were created in each region, they must have undergone an fusion and adaptation of so many different food cultures that it would be impossible to keep track of them all.

In order to uncover the full truth about curry and grasp the truth in my hands, I must continue my journey.