Australia and Oceania. All the islands included
When you think about far away land of Australia and Oceania, a few things immediately come to mind. Sidney, opera building, kangaroos, kiwi birds and Koala bears… we will also think about ana unbelievable nature of New Zealand, and of course so exotic, at least for most of us, indigenous tribes of Papua New Guinea. But I said it before, there is so much more, over there … lots more. Multiple islands, with breathtaking scenery, amazing cultures and even more delightful variety of fresh food.
Oceania is a region made up of thousands of islands throughout the Central, Indian and South Pacific Ocean, with Australia, which dominated the region, and being the smallest continent. The other two major landmasses of Oceania are the microcontinent of Zealandia, which includes the country of New Zealand, and the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, made up of the nation of Papua New Guinea. Oceania also includes three island regions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia (including the U.S. state of Hawaii).
There are 14 independent countries and 12 dependent overseas territories. The largest sovereign state is Australia, occupying about 86% of the region’s total area. The smallest independent country is Nauru, which is so tiny that you need less than an hour to drive around it.
The greatest attraction in that part of the world is undoubtedly nature. You can see here equatorial forests, deserts, savannas, the largest monolith in the world Ayers Rock, the largest park in the world Kings Park and many species of animals, including koala bears, kangaroos, crocodiles, platypus, emu and kiwi birds. There are also areas that are difficult to reach for humans, called red center outback. Characterized by a desert landscape, lack of vegetation and the red color of the earth, with temperatures reaching 50 ° Celsius, it is a paradise for lovers of nature and mountains, as well as active tourism and extreme sports enthusiasts looking for peace and rest. This island is the real end of the world – it is the southernmost archipelago of Oceania and one of the most recently discovered islands by man. These are breathtaking landscapes: snow-capped mountain ranges, evergreen forests, rushing rivers, hot springs, geysers and glacial lakes. Papua New Guinea to is still an undiscovered country that awakens the imagination with its inaccessibility. Visiting this exotic region, everyone can feel as if they have come to the end of the world. They are attracted by virgin lands abundant with exotic animals and over 500 species of fabulously colorful birds, and enchanting with its beauty, paradise landscapes and active volcanoes.
But since, the main theme of our journey is food, so let us focus on it. The abundance of fresh ingredients, locally grown and appreciated by the generations. The amount of fresh seafood, available everywhere, the richness of see when it comes to fish, the most tasty and colorful fruits and vegetables, and finally the coconuts, that as we know, goes great with everything.
The Great Barrier Reef is home to 30 types of whales, dolphins, and porpoises (mammals like dolphins); 6 types of sea turtles; 215 different types of birds; and more than 1,500 different kinds of fish. The New Caledonia Barrier Reef is home to 600 types of sponges, 5,500 varieties of mollusks, 5,000 species of shellfish, and at minimum 1,000 species of fish. So, the choice is great…
So, after this, little long introduction, let explore and let us eat!!!
The Eastern Indo-Pacific realm surrounds the tropical islands of the central Pacific Ocean, extending from the Marshall Islands through central and southeastern Polynesia. Like the Central Indo-Pacific realm, this realm is also known for its tropical coral formations. A variety of whale, tortoise, and fish species also inhabit this realm.
Australia – Roast lamb
All time Aussie favorite meal, especially for Sunday lunch. Roast Leg of lamb with rosemary, lemon, honey and mustard. Remarkably simple recipe, that is brings so much flavor to the table. Traditionally served with roast vegetables and au jus gravy.
Fiji – Kokoda
Fijian coconut ceviche. This dish would have traditionally been made with ‘walu’ – Spanish Mackerel – marinated in a mixture of lime juice and chilies. Adding coconut milk to the dish has become a staple, a vital adjustment to the original recipe. Nowadays the most used fish is Mahi Mahi, and when it comes to vegetable addition all is allowed, according to personal taste: onions, shallots, cucumbers, cilantro, hot peppers.
Kiribati – Palu Sami
Local specialty – coconut cream with onions and curry powder, seaweed and wrapped in taro leaves. The cooking process takes place in ovens, which are holed gig up in the ground, lined with hot stones. packed with seaweed. Usually is served plain, as it is, but many people (especially tourists) will eat it with addition of chicken or pork.
Marshall Islands – Barramundi cod
Barramundi Cod fish is a local specialty on the islands. The whole fish, freshly catch, clean and seasoned. Wrapped in banana leaves and cook till tender. The banana leaves retain the moisture inside cooking fish, they also give it that specific sweet and buttery flavor and extremely appetizing aroma. Traditionally served with chukuchuk (rice balls), sweet potatoes, and a fresh salad.
Micronesia – Pihlohlo mwehng
Traditional Micronesian dish that is made of taro root coated with coconut sap syrup. The making process is quite easy. The mixture of boiled and ground taro root, starch, and sugar is formed into oblong-shaped pieces that are added to a pot of caramelized coconut sap syrup and thoroughly coated with it. Typical the taro root, for this dish, is traditionally harvested only by women.
Nauru – Coconut crusted fish
This small island off the Australian coast, how one of the most appetizing national dishes made with white fish fillets, grated fresh coconut, lime juice, flour, and eggs. The fish fillets are dipped in lime juice mixed with salt and pepper, then rolled in flour, eggs, and grated coconut before being fried until the coconut becomes crusted. Coconut fish is traditionally served warm with a couple of lime slices on the side.
New Zealand – Hangi
The hangi has been around for more than 2000 years and was a popular cooking method for Maori. Various foods like chicken, pork, mutton, and vegetables are roasted inside a closed fire pits, dig up underground. These days, hangis are saved for special occasions.
Palau – Tinola
Traditional chicken soup served as an appetizer or a main entrée with white rice. This dish is cooked with chicken, wedges of green papaya, and leaves of the siling labuyo chili pepper in broth flavored with ginger, onions and fish sauce. Variants of the dish can substitute chicken with fish, seafood, or pork. Chayote or calabash can also be substituted for green papaya. Instead of pepper leaves, other leafy vegetables can also be used like pechay, spinach, moringa leaves, and mustard greens, among others. Additional ingredients like potatoes and tomatoes can also be added, strictly according to taste.
Papua New Guinea – Mumu
Mumu is in fact, a traditional way of cooking, and the tradition continues today. The typical Mumu is an underground pit with hot coals on the bottom. Layer of Banana leaves are next and then comes the food. Root vegetables and starches like plantains on the bottom, next the meat then the fruit, finally at the end the leafy greens. The whole thing is wrapped up, even more, in banana leaf to make a steamer, so the all the foods can cook inside the package.
Samoa – Faiai Eleni – fish in coconut cream
This is a most famous main course, here on the island. Traditionally raw mackerel is used for it. Cooked in coconut shells with diced cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes, the vegetables add greatly to already flavorful dish. What can be better than fresh fish, fresh veggies and exotic coconut flavor
Solomon Islands – Poi
Staple dish made with fermented taro roots; served during any Solomonian celebration. This dish can be served with chicken or fish or made like a porridge. Also used a lot during holidays is tapioca or pearl cassava, generally served like a pudding
Tonga – Ota ika
This is a local Tongan take on the traditional ceviche. Made of fresh raw fish, marinated in coconut milk and citrus juice until the fish is visibly cooked. Typically combined with vegetables such as tomatoes, green onions, cucumbers, and hot peppers. Dish like this, should be served and eat right away.
Tuvalu- Pulaka
“Marsh taro or swamp crop”, is a crop grown in Tuvalu and an important source of carbohydrates. like taro, but “with larger leaves and larger, thicker roots”. Pulaka roots need to be boiled for long time to reduce toxicity in the bulbs, but they are extremely rich in nutrients, especially calcium. They are mushed, into creamy consistency, and eaten with all kind of foods as a side dish.
Vanuatu- laplap
Spelled sometimes as Lap lap is the national dish of Vanuatu. Its preparation is quite simple. Grated breadfruit, bananas, taro or yam roots into a smooth vegetable paste. Then the purée is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in an underground stone oven, with fresh coconut cream. pork, beef, chicken or flying fox can be added.
American Samoa (USA) – Panipopo
Pani Popo, or coconut buns, comes from Samoa. They made from yeast bread and sweetened coconut milk. Many people find it tastes closer to glazed donuts than to regular buns, thank to use of the co but milk
Cook Islands (New Zealand) – Ika mata
Another from the island ceviche variations. This time the star of the dish is yellow fin tuna. Cooked in freshly squeezed lime juice. With an addition of chopped tomatoes, scallions, green bell peppers, onions and coriander, and finally tipped with freshly grated coconut, mixed with its milk and with spicy chili, gives the dish an amazing sweet and spicy taste.
French Polynesia (France) – Poisson cru
Literally translated as “raw fish”. It is like but distinctly different from Latin ceviche or Hawaiian poke. Commonly made with raw fresh tuna it can also be prepared with numerous other fish such as crab, eel, lobster, mussels, octopus/squid, prawns, and sea urchin. If none of those are available you can make it with jack fish, halibut, salmon or snapper. Cooked with large quantities of lime juice, and mixed with scallions, cucumbers and bell peppers. Coconut milk poured over, just before serving.
Guam (USA) – Kelaguen
Com only eaten as a side dish or as a main course. Like ceviche. Lime juice, fresh coconut, green onions, salt and spicy hot peppers or donni’ is used to marinate cooked chicken, raw shrimp, fish or beef meat/liver. Except for the cooked chicken, the acids in the marinade “cook” the raw shrimp, fish or beef instead of heat. It is served cold or at room temperature and eaten as is, over rice, or wrapped in a warm corn or flour tortilla.
New Caledonia (France) – Bougna
The name can be translated as “bundle or pack”, and it gives you right away a clue, to the look of this dish. When prepared in the most traditional sense, bougna combines many of the key staples of the island local cuisine: the banana leaf, root vegetables, and the “earth oven.” Often, there will also be arelated protein like fish or chicken added to the bougna. The whole dish is cooked in traditional earth oven, a dig up hole in the ground, lined with hot stones on the bottom. On large banana leaves, first you place yams and other root vegetables as you like taro or sweet potato. Next layer you can create by adding other ingredients like onions, garlic, tomatoes and sometimes even bananas. These tend to go on top of your bed of root vegetables followed by grated coconut and your protein of choice. Chicken and/or fish are the most common proteins used for bougna, but again you can really use anything you prefer. Next step is to pour lime juice, and coconut cream on top. Allow all the juice to collect around main ingredients, and then the parcel, is ready to be wrapped and put into oven.
Niue (New Zealand) – Takihi
A dish involving only three ingredients: papaya, taro and coconut cream. Sounds extremally simple. The two ingredients are slices, and put on baking sheet, and then generously covered with coconut cream, and baked. In fact, it is supposed to be a savory side dish rather than a dessert, so you should not expect overly sweet dish.
Norfolk Island (Australia) –Kumara Pilhi with Yam and Coconut
Dish, made from grated kumara (sweet potato), yams and coconut cream, mixed, and baked in the oven, until desired solid, caky consistency. Fairly simple dish, in fact brings up ana amazing taste.
Northern Mariana Islands (USA) – Fruit bat soup
Fruit bat soup is made from animal that known as Mariana fruit bat. In Guam, Mariana fruit bat are considered as delicacy and a flying fox bat species was made extinct due to being hunted there. According to island inhabitants, the bat meat, taste like chicken, just with some fur…
Pitcairn Islands (UK) – Mudda
Its nothing else than green banana dumplings. Extremely simple recipe. Only 4 ingredients: green banana, flour, salt and water. Mix it well and form small round dumplings. They can be boiled or fried. Boiled dumplings taste great with stews, curries, steamed vegetables and added to soups.
Tokelau (New Zealand) – Ota
Another dish from ceviche family, so popular on so many islands, where the fresh fish is in abundance. consisting of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and coconut milk. The fish is then mixed with coconut milk and diced vegetables (most commonly cucumber, tomato, onion, green onion, and spicy peppers. Served on a lettuce cup, or in a bowl.
Wake Island (USA) – palu sami
Palu Sami is an extremely popular Island dish. It is made of wrapped bundles of taro leaves with a coconut and onion filling. Sometimes made with chicken, …fish or corned beef, along with the coconut. Remarkably like the Hawaiian lau lau.”
Wallis and Futuna (France) – Ika
Fish, popularly called Ika, across Polynesian islands, so abundant in island surrounding waters. The name itself, describe absolutely what you can make with the fish. It can be pan seared, fried, made French way with sauce, or traditional Polynesian style( with lots of fresh fruits, taro root and coconut cream) all you can imagine, the Ika fish is here, to make it reality.
we have only one more stop left.. and we are coming back to the homeland. North And South America, here we come… stay tuned !!
what are your thoughts, on today’s past of the food journey around the glob.please feel free, to comment ..
