Portuguese Settlement, Malacca.

Portuguese Settlement, Malacca.

The Portuguese Settlement (Portuguese Village or Kampung Portugis) is a Melaka Portuguese Village located in Ujong Pasir, Melaka. The Portuguese Settlement serves as a home for the Kristang people. The Kristang people are a Malaysian ethnic group with mixed Portuguese and Malay heritage, originating from the time of the Portuguese rule in Malacca between the 16th to 17th centuries.

In 1933, 11 hectares of land in Melaka were purchased to create a village for the Portuguese community in Melaka. The swampy land was cleared, and 10 wooden houses were built. This Portuguese Settlement, known as Kampung St. John, it started as a fishing village, soon attracting the Portuguese community from another area of Melaka and eventually growing into one of the popular tourist attractions in Melaka, improving the standard of living of its villagers.
Like most Portuguese communities around the world, the Portuguese Settlement holds a yearly “June festival” that opens with Festa de São João (“Feast of Saint John”, June 23) and closes with Festa de São Pedro (“Feast of Saint Peter”, the fishermen’s patron saint, June 29).. The festival was attended by visitors from Malaysia and abroad. One of the important ceremonies in the festival is the blessing ceremony of the fishing boats, which are specially decorated for the occasion to ensure a plentiful catch.

Today the settlement, sometimes called Mini Lisbon, comprises a few streets with names like D’Alberquerque, Sequera, Eredia, D’Aranjo and Texeira. At its heart is the Portuguese Square (Medan Portugis), which comprises a courtyard with several seafood restaurants, a couple of bars and a small museum.

The place is fairly dead during the day, but the restaurants get busier in the evenings and at weekends when cultural shows are staged. Food is the top attraction here for most visitors. Typical dishes include Portuguese-style Ikan Bakar (Grilled Fish), sambal ladies’ fingers, black pepper brinjals, scallops, clams and other seafood.

Christmas is the other main occasion when the residents decorate their houses with coloured lights, Xmas trees and Nativity displays. This draws large numbers of visitors.

Portuguese Seafood Restaurants at Portuguese Settlement

1. Monterios Portuguese Seafood Restaurant
2. Restoran De Lisbon – Traditional Portuguese Seafood Cuisine
3. No 1 – Restoran Seafood Terraces
4. No 2 – Restoran Joan & El’Chio
5. No 3. – Restoran San Juang
6. No 4 – 88 Seafood Restaurant
7. No 5 – Restoran J. Splash Five
8. No 6 – Restoran 668
9. No 7 – Restoran 7 Pescados Fishermans
10. No 8 – Restoran De Cosra’s
11. No 10 – Restoran J & J Corner