Balichão (

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

: , ''haam⁴ haa¹ zoeng³'', "salt shrimp sauce") is an ingredient that is used in a number of dishes in

Macanese cuisine Macanese cuisine ( zh, 澳門土生葡菜, pt, culinária macaense) is mainly influenced by Chinese cuisine, especially Cantonese cuisine and European cuisine, especially Portuguese cuisine and influences from Southeast Asia and the Lusophone wor ...

. It is made with shrimp,

aguardente (Spanish), or (Portuguese) ( eu, pattar; ca, aiguardent; gl, augardente), is a generic term for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It originates in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and in I ...

, salt, pepper,

bay leaves The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. It may come from several species of tr ...

and malagueta chillies.

Characteristics

Despite being commonly described as a shrimp paste, some sources state balichão is actually made with

krill Krill are small crustaceans of the order Euphausiacea, and are found in all the world's oceans. The name "krill" comes from the Norwegian word ', meaning "small fry of fish", which is also often attributed to species of fish. Krill are consi ...

. Some describe Balichão as a

fish sauce Fish sauce is a liquid condiment made from fish or krill that have been coated in salt and fermented for up to two years. It is used as a staple seasoning in East Asian cuisine and Southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao ...

. Balichão is noted for having a distinct odor that some find foul. Some, however, find balichão's smell and taste milder and mellower than shrimp pastes from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

History

There are at least two theories on where the word ''balichão'' originated. One theory states the word is believed to have evolved from the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

word for

Whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

(wiktionary:baleia, baleia). Another theory states the word is a corruption of the word ''belachang'', which is one of a number of Malay language, Malay words for shrimp paste. Balichão is noted as originating from shrimp pastes that were brought to Macao by Portuguese sailors who discovered it during their voyage to the city, and later developed by locals as a special variant. Balichãos are noted to have a tradition of being home made, and can take up to a month to mature. In 2009, Balichão is described as an almost extinct condiment, as people look for its substitute among other, more readily available ingredients.

Ingredients

Besides krill, Balichão contains bay leaves, chili pepper, chili, clove, lime (fruit), lime, peppercorn, and is laced with fortified wine.

Culture

Balichão is noted to be so central to Macanese culture, that Macanese people call themselves ''balichung'' as an affectionate demonym. There is also a street named after balichão in Macau, Macao, named ''Travessa do Balichão'' ( zh, t=鹹蝦巷).

References

{{Macanese cuisine Macanese cuisine Sauces