5 Portuguese Goodies that Made Their Marks in Asia

If you would ask a person on the street if they like Portuguese food, they would probably give you a blank stare. After all, what is Portuguese food? Well, for starters, this list will feature three delicious bakery items and two somewhat similar main course items. Noted that some of these items have equivalent forms in other European nations and may be even derived from their counterparts. Nonetheless, the Portuguese were kings of the sea, and deserve credit for introducing these items to Asia, where further variations take form.

(1) Tempura

Flour-battered, deep-fried vegetables and seafood items are marvelous parts of a bento box. Battered frying came to Japan via Portuguese Jesuits in the 16th century, and this technique can virtually be applied to anything and it would taste pretty good. Eggplants, beans, shrimp and oysters are just a few that comes to mind.

(2) Katsu

Chicken and Pork Katsu are such a well-received part of modern Japanese cuisine that Japanese-Hawaiians even adapted them into their own cuisine. So what do you do if you want to bread meat instead of vegetables and seafood? Well, you slice and pound the meat so it is thin, and then use panko powder to make it even crispier. Katsu arrived in Japan at about the same time as tempura, and was derived from the Portuguese version of the Wiener Schnitzel.

(3) Empanada

Whether this delightful little snack is Spanish or Portuguese in origin, it made its way to Indonesia via Portuguese merchants, although the Spanish played their part in bringing it to the Philippines. Many variations and incarnations of the empanada ensue, including the Chinese pastry curry beef triangle.

(4) Castella

The Nagasaki sponge cake is derived from the Portuguese Pao de Castela, which literally means "Bread of Castile". When you look at a map of the historic kingdom of Castile, you certainly can say it is really the heart of Spain. In fact, in many European countries, the confection can be simply translated as "Bread of Spain". Who would thought that sponge cake would taste so good with a brown sugar coating? To get an idea of what it tastes like, think Sara Lee pound cakes. The Japanese further added different flavors to Castella, including the classic red bean and green tea flavors.

(5) Portuguese-Style Egg Tart

This is a favorite among the Chinese. If you have been to Dim Sum restaurants, you can find the Hong Kong style egg tarts, with a smooth untamed custard surface and ornate edges adorning the tart. There have been competing theories about how the egg tart made its way into Hong Kong. One theory is Chinese-style cafes introduced the miniature version of British custard tarts to compete with snacks from Western-themed bakeries. Another theory is that the egg tart is derived from a snack found in Hong Kong's neighbor Macau, called pastels de nata, which is of course, the Portuguese version of the egg tart pictured above. I tend to think that the Hong Kong egg tart inherited the British look and the Portuguese size. Today, the Portuguese-style egg tart is immensely popular in the Chinese community, thanks in part to people's familiarity with its cousin. Besides the appearance of the burnt mark, I tend to prefer the pastels de nata because of its richer and creamier taste.