The Fading Oyster-sauce Production Industry

Oyster sauce was a famous native product of Macao in the old days. There were over 10 production plants of it across the city during the 1960s to 80s, with the majority of them located along the coastal areas to facilitate transport of raw materials and finished products.

The oyster sauce produced in Macao used to be handcrafted. But over the years, many manual processing involved have been replaced by machinery in the wake of technological advancement and social progress. Nowadays, Veng Sang Oyster Sauce Shop is the only place where handmade oyster sauce is still available for sale.

Besides substitution of manual labor by mechanical means, raw materials for oyster sauce production are nowadays imported from abroad other than through local supply since the handful of oyster farms in Macao had closed down in succession due to changes in the environment and land development.