Modern
cuisine of Hawaii is a fusion of many cuisines brought by multiethnic immigrants to the
Hawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Excluding Midway, which is an unincorporated territory of the...
, particularly of
AmericanThe cuisine of the United States is a style of food preparation derived from the United States of America. The cuisine has a history dating back before the colonial period when the Native Americans had a rich and diverse cooking style for an equally diverse amount of ingredients...
,
ChineseChinese cuisine originated in China and has become widespread in many other parts of the world — from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa. In recent years, connoisseurs of Chinese cuisine have also sprouted in Eastern Europe and South Asia...
, Filipino,
JapaneseThe modern term "Japanese cuisine" means traditional-style Japanese food, similar to what already existed before the end of national seclusion in 1868...
, Korean,
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
n and
PortuguesePortuguese cuisine is characterised by rich, filling and full-flavored dishes and is closely related to Mediterranean cuisine. The influence of Portugal's former colonial possessions is also noted, especially in the wide variety of spices used. These spices include piri piri and black pepper, as...
origins, including plant and animal food sources imported from around the world for
agriculturalAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
use in Hawaii. Many local restaurants serve the ubiquitous
plate lunchThe plate lunch The plate lunch The plate lunch (Hawaiian: pā mea ai is a syncretic menu item that is a quintessential part of the cuisine of Hawaii, roughly equivalent to a Southern U.S. meat-and-threes plate. However, the inclusion of pan-Asian ingredients makes the plate lunch unique to Hawaii....
featuring the
AsianEast Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. Geographically and geo-politically, it covers about , or about 28 percent of the Asian continent, about 15 percent bigger than the area of Europe, though some categorize Tibet, Xinjiang,...
staple, two scoops of steamed white
riceRice is the seed of a monocot plant Oryza sativa, of the grass family . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East, South, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies...
, a version of American mayonnaise-based
macaroni saladMacaroni salad is a salad made with cooked elbow macaroni pasta served cold and usually prepared with mayonnaise. Much like potato salad in its use, it is often served as an accompaniment to barbecue or other picnic style entrees...
or Japanese mayonnaise-based
potato saladPotato salad is a dish made from potatoes, and varies throughout different regions and countries of the world.With respect to its place among the various individual menu courses served together as one meal, it is better classified as a side dish rather than a salad, as it generally accompanies the...
(or a combination of both) Korean kimchee or other Korean vegetable or Japanese pickled seaweed, and one to three choices of main entrees ranging from the
hamburgerA hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat, usually beef, placed in an open bun or between two slices of bread...
steak & gravy, Chinese charsiu chicken, Chinese cold ginger chicken, Japanese style
tonkatsuTonkatsu , invented in the late 19th century, is a popular dish in Japan. It consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet one to two centimeters thick and sliced into bite-sized pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage and/or miso soup...
or
torikatsuTorikatsu , is a popular Japanese dish in Hawaii. It consists of a breaded, deep-fried Chicken cutlet one to two centimeters thick and sliced into bite-sized pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage and/or miso soup...
, Filipino pork, Chicken or Fish Adobe, Filipino
LumpiaLumpia are pastries of Chinese origin similar to spring rolls popular in the Philippines and Indonesia. The term lumpia derives from lunpia in the Hokkien language...
, Korean Chapchae Filipino Pansit, Korean beef short ribs, Korean and Jaanese-style BBQ beef and chicken, grilled Ahi, Korean Meat Jun, or traditional Hawaiian lu'au favorites,
kaluaKālua is a traditional Hawaiian cooking method that utilizes an imu, or underground oven. The word kālua literally means "to cook in an underground oven" and also describes the flavor of food cooked in this manner - e.g...
pig,
lomiLomi or Pancit Lomi is a Chinese-Filipino dish made with a variety of thick fresh egg noodles of about a quarter of an inch in diameter. Because of its popularity at least in the eastern part of Batangas, there are as many styles of cooking lomi as there are eateries, panciterias or restaurants...
salmon, laulau, and
poiPoi may refer to:* Poi , a 2006 Tamil film* Poi , the Polynesian staple food* Poi , a Māori dance from New Zealand* Poi, Pakistan, a town in the Balochistan province of Pakistan* Poi, the Tibetan name for Tibet...
.
Pre-contact period
When
PolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.-Definition:...
n seafarers arrived on the
Hawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Excluding Midway, which is an unincorporated territory of the...
in 300–500 AD, few edible plants existed in the new land, aside from a few
fernA fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. The group is also referred to as Polypodiophyta, or Polypodiopsida when treated as a subdivision of tracheophyta...
s and fruits that grew at higher elevations. Botanists and archaeologists believe that these voyagers introduced anywhere between 27 and possibly more than 30 plants to the islands, mainly for food. The most important of them was
taroTaro is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is considered a staple in Oceanic cultures. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants...
. For centuries taro, and the
poiPoi is a Hawaiian word for the primary Polynesian staple food made from the corm of the kalo plant . Poi is produced by mashing the cooked corm to a highly viscous fluid...
made from taro, was the main
stapleA staple food is a food that can be stored for use throughout the year and forms the basis of a traditional diet. Staple foods vary from place to place, but are typically inexpensive starchy foods of vegetable origin that are high in food energy and carbohydrate...
of their diet, and it is still much loved today. In addition to taro,
sweet potatoThe sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Amongst the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of this family, only I. batatas is a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable...
es and
yamYam is the common name for some species in the genus Dioscorea . These are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania...
s were planted. The Marquesans, the first settlers from Polynesia, brought
breadfruitBreadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, that is native to the Malay Peninsula and western Pacific islands. It has also been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere.- Description :...
and the
TahitiTahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The island had a population of 178,133 inhabitants according to the August 2007 census. This makes it the most populous island of French Polynesia,...
ans later introduced the baking banana. These settlers from Polynesia also brought
coconutThe Coconut Palm is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only species in the genus Cocos, and is a large palm, growing to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long, pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly leaving the trunk smooth. The term coconut refers to the seed of the...
s and
sugarcaneSugarcane, or sugar cane, is any of six to thirty-seven species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six meters tall...
. They found plenty of fish, shellfish, and
limuIn the Polynesian mythology of Tonga, Limu is the primeval Tongan god of creation, whose union with the goddess Kele produced the goddess Touiafutuna, from whom all creation descends....
in the new land.
Flightless birdFlightless birds are birds which lack the ability to fly, relying instead on their ability to run or swim, and are thought to have evolved from their flying ancestors. There are about forty species in existence today, the best known being the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, kiwi, and penguins...
s were easy to catch and nests were full of eggs for the taking. Most
Pacific IslandsThe Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.-Oceania:...
had no meat animals except bats and lizards, so ancient Polynesians sailed the Pacific with pigs, chickens and dogs as cargo. Pigs were raised for
religious sacrificeAnimal sacrifice is the ritual killing of an animal as part of a religion. It is practiced by many religions as a means of appeasing a god or gods or changing the course of nature...
, and the meat was offered at altars, some of which was consumed by priests and the rest eaten in a mass celebration. The early Hawaiian diet was diverse, and may have included as many as 130 different types of seafood and 230 types of sweet potatoes. Some species of land and sea birds were consumed into extinction.
Sea saltSea salt, obtained by the evaporation of seawater, is used in cooking and cosmetics. Historically called bay salt, its mineral content gives it a different taste from table salt, which is pure sodium chloride, usually refined from mined rock salt or from sea salt...
was a common condiment in ancient Hawaii, and
Inamona, a
relishA relish is a cooked pickled, chopped vegetable or fruit food item which is typically used as a condiment.-Description and ingredients:The item generally consists of discernible vegetable or fruit pieces in a sauce, although the sauce is subordinate in character to the vegetable or fruit pieces. ...
made of roasted, mashed
kukui nutmeats, sea salt and sometimes mixed with
seaweedSeaweedSeaweed has antioxidents. Is a loose colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
s, often accompanied the meals. At important occasions, a traditional feast,
‘aha‘aina, was held. When a woman was to have her first child, her husband started raising a pig for the
‘Aha‘aina Mawaewae feast that was celebrated for the birth of a child. Besides the pig,
mulletGoatfishes are tropical marine perciform fish of the family Mullidae. Seldom found in brackish waters, goatfish are most associated with the reefs of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans...
, shrimp, crab, seaweeds and taro leaves were required for the feast. The modern name for such feasts,
lū‘au, was not used until 1856, replacing the Hawaiian words
‘aha‘aina and
pā‘ina. The name
lū‘au came from the name of a food always served at a
‘aha‘aina — young taro tops baked with
coconut milkCoconut milk is a sweet, milky white cooking base derived from the meat of a mature coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high oil content and sugars. In Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia coconut milk is called santan and in the Philippines it is called gata. In...
and chicken or
octopusThe octopus is a cephalopod of the order Octopoda. The octopus inhabits many diverse regions of the ocean, especially coral reefs. The term may also be used to refer only to those creatures in the genus Octopus...
.
Prior to cooking, pigs and dogs were killed by strangulation or by holding their nostrils shut, in order to conserve the animal's blood. Meat was prepared by flattening out the whole eviscerated animal and broiling it over hot coals, or it was spitted on sticks. Large pieces of meat, such as fowl, pigs and dogs, would be typically cooked in
earth ovenAn earth oven or cooking pit is one of the most simple and long-used cooking structures. At its simplest, an earth oven is simply a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food...
s, or spitted over a fire during ceremonial feasts. Hawaiian earth ovens, known as an
imuIMU may refer to:*Inertial measurement unit*Initial markup*Interactive Member Universal*Interactive Marketing Unit*International Mathematical Union*International Medical University*Interurban Multiple Units used by Citytrain...
, combine
roastingRoasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization or Maillard browning of the surface of the food, which is considered a flavour enhancement. Meats and most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted...
and
steamingSteaming is a method of cooking using steam. Steaming is considered a healthy cooking technique and capable of cooking almost all kinds of food.- Method :...
in a method called
kāluaKālua is a traditional Hawaiian cooking method that utilizes an imu, or underground oven. The word kālua literally means "to cook in an underground oven" and also describes the flavor of food cooked in this manner - e.g...
. A pit is dug into earth and lined with
volcanic rockVolcanic rock is an igneous rock of volcanic origin.- Texture :Volcanic rocks are usually fine-grained or aphanitic to glassy in texture. They often contain clasts of other rocks and phenocrysts. Phenocrysts are crystals that are larger than the matrix and are identifiable with the unaided eye...
s and other rocks that do not split when heated to a high temperature, such as
graniteGranite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as porphyry. Granites can be pink to dark gray or even black, depending on their...
. A fire is built with
emberFor the book series by Jeanne DuPrau, see The City of Ember.For the wireless networking chip company, see Ember .For specific fasting days within Western Christian churches, see Ember days....
s, and when the rocks are glowing hot, the embers are removed and the foods wrapped in
ti, ginger or banana leaves are put into the pit, covered with wet leaves, mats and a layer of earth. Water may be added through a
bambooThe bamboos are a group of woody perennial evergreen plants in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Some are giant bamboos, the largest members of the grass family. Bamboos are the fastest growing woody plants in the world...
tube to create steam. The intense heat from the hot rocks cooked food thoroughly — the quantity of food for several days could be cooked at once, taken out and eaten as needed, and the cover replaced to keep the remainder warm. Sweet potatoes, taro, breadfruit and other vegetables were cooked in the
imu, as well as fish. Saltwater eel was salted and dried before being put into the
imu. Chickens, pigs and
dogsDog meat is eaten in some countries and certain breeds of dogs are raised on farms and slaughtered for their meat. Dog meat may be consumed as an alternative source of meat or for specific medicinal benefits attributed to various parts of a dog. Cultural attitudes, legal treatment, and history...
were put into the
imu with hot rocks inserted in the abdominal cavities. Men did all of the cooking, and food for women was cooked in a separate
imu; afterwards men and women ate meals separately. The ancient practice of cooking with the
imu continues to this day.
Post-contact period
In 1778, Captain
James CookCaptain James Cook, FRS RN , was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer, ultimately rising to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy...
visited the island of
NiihauNiihau or Niihau is the smallest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the US state of Hawaii, having an area of . Known as the "Forbidden Isle," Niihau lies across the Kaulakahi Channel, southwest of Kauai. The United States Census Bureau defines Niihau as Census Tract 410 of Kauai County,...
, leaving a ram goat, ewes, a boar, an English sow, and seeds for melons, pumpkins, and onions. In 1793, Captain
George VancouverCaptain George Vancouver RN was an officer in the British Royal Navy, best known for his exploration of the North-West Coast of North America, including the shores of the modern day Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
brought the first cattle to the islands;
longhornsLonghorn cattle are a long-horned brown and white breed of beef cattle originating from Craven in the north of England. They have a white patch along the line of their spine and under their bellies....
from California were presented to King
Kamehameha IKamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
. With no natural predators, the new cattle multiplied out of control; the king hired an American man named John Parker to capture and domesticate cattle. Many of the cattle were butchered and beef was introduced to Hawaiian cuisine.
In 1813,
pineapplePineapple is the common name for an edible tropical plant and also its fruit. It is native to the southern part of Brazil, and Paraguay. Pineapple is eaten fresh or canned and is available as a juice or in juice combinations. It is used in desserts, salads, as a complement to meat dishes and in...
was first cultivated in Honolulu by
Don Francisco de Paula MarinDon Francisco de Paula y Marin was a confidant of Hawaiian King Kamehameha I. Marin, known as "Manini", was a jack of all trades, sometimes acting as a physician. As a botanist, Marin was notable for his planting of fruits and vegetables and for establishing the first vineyard in Hawaii...
, a Spanish botanist and advisor to King Kamehameha I. Although grape vines were introduced by Captain Vancouver around 1792, Marin is credited with the first Hawaiian
vineyardA vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture....
in 1815 and planting the now rare
Mission grapeMission grapes are a variety of Vitis vinifera introduced from Spain to the western coasts of North and South America in the 1500s by Catholic missionaries for use in making sacramental wine, table and fortified wine...
variety. Marin also brewed the first beer in 1812, and planted the first coffee crop in 1817, but his plantings failed. Marin, called "Manini" by the Hawaiians, experimented with planting oranges, limes, beans, cabbages, potatoes, peaches, melons, maize and lettuce. He was the first to boil potatoes for the king.
By the late 19th century, pineapple and
sugarcane plantationsSugarcane was introduced to Hawaii by its first inhabitants in approximately 600 AD and was observed by Captain Cook upon arrival in the islands in 1778. Sugar quickly turned into a big business and generated rapid population growth in the islands with 337,000 people immigrating over the span of a...
owned and run by American settlers took over much of Hawaii's land, and these two crops became the most important sources of revenues for the Hawaiian economy.
Ethnic foods
As the plantations expanded the demand for labor grew, so the plantation owners hired immigrant workers, which included
ChineseThe Chinese in Hawaii constitute about 4.7% of the state's population, most of whom have ancestors from Zhongshan in Guangdong. This number does not include people of mixed Chinese and Hawaiian descent. If all people with Chinese ancestry in Hawaii are included, they form about 1/3 of Hawaii's...
, Koreans,
JapaneseThe Japanese in Hawaii are one of the major and most influential ethnic groups in Hawaii. At their height in 1920, they constituted 43% of Hawaii's population. They now number about 16.7% of the islands' population, according to the 2000 U.S. Census....
, Filipinos, and Portuguese. Each ethnic group wanted its own food in workplaces, and farms and grocery markets were established. The Chinese immigrants brought
Cantonese cuisineCantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong in southern China. Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is renowned both inside and outside China. Its prominence outside China is due to its palatability to Westerners and the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong...
, cooking the first stir fry,
sweet and sourSweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. It has long been popular in North America and Europe, where it is stereotypically considered a component of standard Chinese cuisine...
, and
dim sumDim sum is the name for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of light dishes served alongside Chinese tea. Yum cha is the term used to describe the entire dining experience, especially in contemporary Cantonese...
dishes in the Islands, and replaced poi with rice, adding their own herbs and spices. Chinese rice growers imported familiar fish varieties from Asia to stock local streams and irrigation ditches.
Korean immigration to HawaiiTwo distinct waves of Korean immigration to Hawaii have occurred in the last century. The first cohort arrived in Hawaii between 1903 and 1924; the second wave began in 1965. On January 13, 2003, President George W...
brought
kimchiKimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is any one of numerous traditional Korean pickled dishes made of vegetables with varied seasonings. Its most common manifestation is the spicy baechu variety. Kimchi is the most common banchan, or side dish...
and built barbecue pits to cook marinated meats. Korean style
bulgogiBulgogi is a Korean dish that usually consists of marinated barbecued beef, although chicken or pork may also be used. -Overview:Bulgogi is made from thin slices of prime rib, sirloin or other prime cuts of beef...
or boneless meat with moderately-sweet garlic sauce and
galbiGalbi or kalbi generally refers to a variety of gui or grilled dishes in Korean cuisine that is made with marinated beef short ribs in a ganjang-based sauce . In the Korean language, galbi literally means "rib" and can often indicate uncooked ribs...
or meat with bones and moderately-sweet garlic sauce as well, and another Korean favorite bibimbab or mixed rice with seasoned vegetables,
kimchiKimchi , also spelled gimchi, kimchee, or kim chee, is any one of numerous traditional Korean pickled dishes made of vegetables with varied seasonings. Its most common manifestation is the spicy baechu variety. Kimchi is the most common banchan, or side dish...
,
namulNamul is a general term for a Korean seasoned vegetable dish. The name of the dish may vary slightly depending on what vegetables are used and how they are prepared, but they will nonetheless still be a type of namul....
, sweet and spicy
gochujangGochujang is a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment. Traditionally, it has been naturally fermented over years in large earthen pots outdoors, more often on an elevated stone platform, called jangdokdae in the backyard.-History:...
and bulgogi topping also became an integral part of Hawaiian cuisine.
The Portuguese immigrants came to Hawaii from the
AzoresThe Azores is a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about from Lisbon and about from the east coast of North America. The two westernmost Azorean islands actually lie on the North American plate...
in the late 19th century, introducing their foods with an emphasis on pork, tomatoes and
chili pepperChili pepper is the vegetable of the plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. Botanically speaking, the fruit of capsicums are berries...
s, and built
forno, their traditional
beehive oven-References:*The History of Beehive Ovens in West Blocton, AL...
, to make
Pão Doce, the
Portuguese sweet breadPortuguese sweet bread is a bread made with milk, sugar and/or honey to produce a subtly sweet lightly textured loaf...
and
malasadaA malasada is a Portuguese confection. They were first made by inhabitants of São Miguel Island, part of the Azores. Malasadas are made of egg-sized balls of yeast dough that are deep-fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. A popular variation is where they are hand dropped into the oil...
.
WhalerA whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
s brought in salted fish, which ultimately became lomi-lomi salmon. The Japanese brought
bentois a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and one or more pickled or cooked vegetables as a side dish. Containers range from disposable mass produced to hand crafted lacquerware...
and
sashimiSashimi is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces about 2.5cm wide by 4cm long by 0.5cm thick, but dimensions vary depending on the type of item and chef, and served with only a dipping sauce , depending on the fish, and...
, and, although many of their vegetable seeds would not grow in the climate of the Islands, they succeeded in making
tofuor called toufu, bean curd is a soft white food made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. It is of Chinese origin, and part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and others. There are many different varieties...
and
soy sauceSoy sauce , soya sauce or is produced by fermenting soybeans with the molds Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus soyae along with roasted grain, water, and salt. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years...
. The homes of Japanese immigrants lacked ovens, so their cooking relied on frying, steaming, broiling, and
simmeringSimmering is a cooking technique in which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept at or just barely below the boiling point of water , 100°C and higher than poaching. To keep a pot simmering, one brings it to a boil and then adjusts the heat downward until just before the formation of steam bubbles...
, leading to the popularization of
tempura, which may be of Portuguese origin, is a popular Japanese dish of deep fried battered meats, seafood, or vegetables.- Batter :A light batter is made of cold water and soft wheat flour. Eggs, baking soda or baking powder, starch, oil, and/or spices may also be added...
and
noodle soupNoodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is an East and Southeast Asian staple. Less well known, a form of fresh noodle is used in soup in certain parts of Europe , and in northern China; usually, it is served for breakfast...
s in Hawaii. By the early 20th century, the Japanese were the largest ethnic group and rice became the third largest crop in the Islands.
Puerto Rican immigration to HawaiiPuerto Rican immigration to Hawaii began when Puerto Rico's sugar industry was devastated by two hurricanes in 1899. The devastation caused a world wide shortage in sugar and a huge demand for the product from Hawaii...
began in 1900, contributing spicy, Spanish-seasoned thick soups,
casseroleA casserole, from the French for "saucepan," is a large, deep pot used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word casserole is also used for the food cooked and served in such a vessel, with the cookware itself called a "casserole dish"...
s, and meat turnovers. Filipinos reached Hawaii in 1909, bringing peas and beans, the adobo style of vinegar and garlic dishes, choosing to boil, stew, broil, and fry food instead of baking, and eating sweet potatoes as a staple instead of rice.
SamoansSamoans are a Polynesian ethnic group of the Samoan Islands. Due to colonialism, the home islands are politically and geographically divided between the country of Samoa, official name Independent State of Samoa ; and American Samoa an unincorporated territory of the United States.The Samoan...
arrived in 1919, building their earth ovens above ground instead of below like the
imu, and made poi from fruit instead of taro. After the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
ended in 1975, Vietnamese immigrants arrived, and Thai and Vietnamese cuisine was added to the menu, featuring Southeast Asian lemongrass,
fish sauceFish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, and Cambodian cuisine and is used in other Southeast Asian countries...
and
galangalThe Galangal plant is a rhizome with culinary and medicinal uses...
.
Late 19th – 20th century
The first restaurant in Honolulu was opened in 1849 by a Portuguese man named Peter Fernandez. Situated behind the Bishop & Co. bank, the establishment was known as the "eating house" and was followed by other restaurants, such as Leon Dejean's "Parisian Restaurant" at the corner of Hotel and Fort Streets. In 1872, the
Royal Hawaiian HotelRoyal Hawaiian Hotel, also known as the Pink Palace of the Pacific, is a hotel located at 2259 Kalākaua Avenue in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. One of the first hotels established in Waikiki, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is considered one of the flagship hotels in Hawaii tourism...
opened on Hotel Street, and as one of the most refined hotels in the Pacific, it catered to wealthy clients. The Royal Hawaiian dining room served dishes on par with the best restaurants in Europe, with an 1874 menu offering dishes such as mullet, spring lamb, chicken with tomatoes, and Cabinet Pudding.
The massive pineapple industry of Hawaii was born when the "Pineapple King",
James DoleJames Drummond Dole , also known as the Pineapple King, was a United States industrialist who developed the pineapple industry in Hawaii and established the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. Hawaiian Pineapple Company, or HAPCO, was later reorganized to become the present-day Dole Food Company, which...
, planted pineapples on the island of
OahuOahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the State of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
in 1901. In 1922, Dole purchased the island of
LanaiLānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....
for a large-scale pineapple production. By 1950, his Hawaiian Pineapple Company was the largest pineapple company in the world.
In 1905,
George R. CarterGeorge Robert Carter was the second Territorial Governor of Hawai'i, serving from 1903 to 1907.Born in Honolulu, Carter was educated at Fort Street School in Honolulu , Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and Yale University. He married Helen Strong, daughter of Eastman Kodak president...
, Territorial Governor of Hawai'i, promoted increasing local agricultural production saying that "there was a time when Hawaii supplied California with flour, also potatoes and other vegetables. Now California produces her own and sends part of the surplus here." Newspaper editorials of the time also questioned why locally-grown
guavaGuavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium, which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America...
s were rotting on the ground while agribusiness were planting non-native pineapples in Hawaii. These concerns were not addressed until almost a century later, when the regional cuisine movement began encouraging the food industry to "grow local, buy local, and eat local." Since the 1970s, pineapples were grown more cheaply in
Southeast AsiaManila
Bangkok
Ho Chi Minh City
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Yangon
Bandung
Hanoi
Surabaya
Taichung
Kaohsiung
Medan|-|}...
, so the Hawaiian agriculture has taken a diverse approach, producing a variety of crops including squash, tomatoes, chili peppers and
lettuceLettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. In many countries, it is typically eaten cold, raw, in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and in many other dishes...
. From 1978-1988, chefs who came to Hawaii would avoid Hawaii-grown ingredients like their European counterparts, preferring to ship everything in from the U.S. mainland, or as far away as Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
In August 1991, a group of chefs in Hawaii came together to form an organization to create a new American regional cuisine, highlighting Hawaii's locally grown ingredients and diverse ethnic styles. In 1992, twelve chefs including
Sam ChoySam Choy is a chef, restaurateur, and television personality known as a founding contributor of "Pacific rim cuisine". Choy is an alumnus of the Kapiolani Community College Culinary Arts program. One of his first jobs as a chef was at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City...
,
George MavrothalassitisGeorge Mavrothalassitis is a chef and restaurateur known as one of the cofounders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine in the early 1990s. Mavrothalassitis is particularly known for exquisite individual pairings of wines with each dish in a multicourse meal....
,
Alan WongAlan Wong is a chef and restaurateur known as one of 12 cofounders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. They came together to form an organization to create a new American regional cuisine, highlighting Hawaii's locally grown ingredients and diverse ethnic styles...
, and
Roy Yamaguchi-Biography:Yamaguchi was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan but now lives in the U.S. State of Hawaii.After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, he spent time in Los Angeles in apprenticeships at L'Escoffier and L'Ermitage under the late master chef Jean Bertanou....
, came together to sponsor a cookbook to be sold for charity. The goal of this new group of chefs was to link local agriculture with the restaurant industry, making Hawaii Regional Cuisine a reflection of the community. For this, they took an uninspired international hotel cuisine based on imported products and replaced it with a cuisine based on locally grown foods.
Japanese-American baker
Robert TairaRobert Taira was the founder of King's Hawaiian bakery. Taira created a Portuguese sweet bread recipe in Hawaii and was one of the first businessmen to bring Hawaiian food to the mainland United States.Taira opened his first bakery in Hilo, Hawaii, where his Portuguese bread became extremely...
, came up with a recipe for the Hawaiian version of Portuguese sweet bread in the 1950s. Taira began to commercially produce the bread in Hawaii, and it became successful in Honolulu bakeries and coffee shops, with plant production expanding to
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
and
South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a U.S. state that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was...
. By the 1980s, Taira's company, King's Hawaiian Bakery, was grossing US$20 million annually.
Don the BeachcomberDonn Beach , born Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, is the acknowledged founding father of tiki restaurants, bars and nightclubs. The many so-called "Polynesian" restaurants and pubs that enjoyed great popularity are directly descended from what he created...
, a former
bootleggerProhibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is a sumptuary law which prohibits alcohol. Typically, the manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted or illegal. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries...
, opened what is acknowledged to be the first of Tiki restaurants, and claims the creation of the
mai taiThe Mai Tai is a well-known alcoholic cocktail purportedly invented at the Trader Vic's "Polynesian-style" restaurant in Oakland, California in 1944. Trader Vic's amicable rival, Don the Beachcomber, claimed to have created it first in 1933 at his own newly opened little bar in Hollywood...
. As servicemen and servicewomen from the Pacific theater of World War II began coming home they brought recipes and tastes that could not be satisfied at the Italian, French, and American restaurants of the era. Tiki restaurants soon began appearing that were often accompanied by
tiki barA Tiki Bar is an exotic–themed drinking establishment that serves fancy cocktails, especially rum-based mixed drinks such as the mai tai or the Zombie cocktail. Tiki bars are often defined by their Tiki culture décor which can include "Tiki god" masks and carvings; tapa cloth and tropical fabrics;...
s with tropical drinks. One of these chains that took advantage of this new clientele with a taste for the exotic was run by
Trader VicVictor Jules Bergeron, Jr. was the founder of a chain of Polynesian-themed restaurants that bore his nickname, Trader Vic, and one of two people who claimed to have invented the Mai Tai...
. Of the 26 restaurants which at one time existed, only a few, such as the Emeryville location, remain. Much of the food served at tiki restaurants is considered to be
Cantonese cuisineCantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong in southern China. Of all the regional varieties of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is renowned both inside and outside China. Its prominence outside China is due to its palatability to Westerners and the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong...
, but the fusion of Hawaiian ingredients is what made it tiki.
Vegetables, fruits and nuts
- Taro (Colocasia esculenta): A popular and ancient plant that has been harvested for at least 30,000 years by indigenous people in New Guinea
New Guinea, located north of Australia, is the world's second largest island. It became separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period. The name Papua has long been associated with the island...
. There are hundreds of varieties of taro, and the cormA corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat . A corm consists of one or more internodes with at least one growing point, with protective leaves modified...
of the wetlandA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs, among others. The water found in wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater,...
variety makes the best poiPoi is a Hawaiian word for the primary Polynesian staple food made from the corm of the kalo plant . Poi is produced by mashing the cooked corm to a highly viscous fluid...
, as well as taro starch or flour. The dry-land variety has a crispy texture and used for making taro chips. The smaller Japanese variety is used for stewed dishesA stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy.Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, poultry, sausages and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are...
.
- Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
- Candle Nut (Aleurites moluccana) or Kukui: Roasted kernels traditionally used as candles; main ingredient in the ancient Hawaiian condiment, 'inamona
- Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
- Polynesian Arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides) or pia plant: Primary thickener. Cooked arrowroot is mixed with papaya, banana, or pumpkin in baked deserts. Haupia, a Hawaiian coconut cream pudding, uses pia as a thickener.
- Ki (also Ti) (Cordyline fruticosa): After distillation technique came to Hawaii, the root of the ti was turned into liquor called 'okolehao'
- Winged Beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)
- Jicama
Jícama , also Yam and Mexican Turnip, is the name of a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. Jícama is one species in the genus Pachyrhizus that is commonly called yam bean, although the "yam bean" sometimes is another name for jícama...
Pork
Spam
The
HormelHormel Foods Corporation is a food company based in southeastern Minnesota , perhaps best known as the producer of Spam luncheon meat. The company was founded as George A. Hormel & Company in Austin, Minnesota, U.S., by George A. Hormel in 1891. The company changed its name to Hormel Foods...
company's canned meat product
SpamSpam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added, salt, water, sugar, and sodium nitrite to help keep its color. Spam's gelatinous glaze, or aspic, forms from the...
has been highly popular in Hawaii for decades. Hawaiians are the second largest consumers of Spam in the world, right behind
GuamGuam is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. The island's capital is Hagåtña...
. Originally brought to Hawaii by American servicemen in their rations, Spam became an important source of protein for locals after fishing around the Islands was prohibited during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 2005, Hawaiians consumed more than five million cans of Spam.
Spam is used in local dishes in a variety of ways, most commonly fried and served with rice. In breakfast, fried eggs are often served together. Spam can also be wrapped in
ti and roasted, skewered and
deep friedDeep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used....
, or stir-fried with cabbage. It is added to saimin or
fried riceFried rice is a popular component of Chinese food and other forms of Asian cuisine. It is made from rice fried in a wok, typically with additional ingredients left over from other dishes. It is sometimes served as the penultimate dish in Chinese banquets .There are dozens of varieties of fried...
, mashed with tofu, or served with cold
sōmenare very thin, white Japanese noodles made of wheat flour. The noodles are usually served cold and are less than 1.3 mm in diameter. The distinction between sōmen and the next thicker wheat noodles hiyamugi and even thicker Japanese wheat noodles udon is that sōmen is stretched while hiyamugi...
or baked
macaroni and cheeseMacaroni and cheese was created to be a common casserole, similar to the British dish cauliflower cheese....
. It is also used in
chutneyChutney is an Anglo-Indian loan word derived from , a term for a class of spicy preparations used as an accompaniment for a main dish. Chutneys usually contain idiosyncratic spice and vegetable mix that complement one another....
for pupu, in sandwich with
mayonnaiseMayonnaise is a thick condiment. White or yellowish-white in color, it is a stable emulsion of oil, salt and vinegar, or lemon juice which uses egg yolks as an emulsifier...
, or baked with guava jelly.
Spam musubiSpam musubi is a very popular snack and lunch food in Hawaii made in the tradition of Japanese onigiri, also known as a musubi. Spam musubi is composed of a block of salted rice with a slice of Spam on top and typically nori surrounding it to keep its shape.- Preparation :A slice of Spam is...
, a slice of sweet and salty marinated Spam tied to a cake of rice with a strip of
noriis the Japanese name for various edible seaweed species of the red alga Porphyra including most notably P. yezoensis and P. tenera, sometimes called laver . The term nori is also commonly used to refer to the food products created from these "sea vegetables", similar to the Korean gim...
, is very popular as a snack in Hawaii. Spam musubi is served in sushi restaurants in Hawaii, having become popular in the 1980s.
Beef
In the 19th century, John Parker brought over Mexican cowboys to train the Hawaiians in cattle ranching. The Hawaiian cowboys of Kamuela and
Kula-Geographic locations:* Kula, Bulgaria, a town and municipality in Vidin Province* Kula, Ethiopia, a town in Ethiopia* Kula, Hawaii, a district of East Maui in Hawaii* Kula, Manisa, a town in Western Anatolia...
came to be called
paniolos. Cattle ranching grew rapidly for the next one hundred years. In 1960, half of the land in Hawaii was devoted to ranching for beef export, but by 1990 the number had shrunk to 25 percent. The
paniolos chewed
pipikaula ("beef rope"), a salted and dried beef that resembles beef jerky.
Pipikaula would usually be broiled before serving. With the influence of Asian cooking, beef strips are commonly marinated in
soy sauceSoy sauce , soya sauce or is produced by fermenting soybeans with the molds Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus soyae along with roasted grain, water, and salt. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years...
. When beef is dried in the sun, a screened box is traditionally used to keep the meat from dust and flies. Dried meat could often be found as a relish or appetizer at a
lū‘au.
Fish and seafood
TunaTuna are ocean-dwelling carnivorous fish in the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers—they have been clocked at —and include several warm-blooded species...
is the most important fish in Hawaiian cuisine. Varieties include the
skipjack tunaThe skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis, is a medium-sized perciform fish in the tuna family, Scombridae. It is otherwise known as the aku, arctic bonito, mushmouth, oceanic bonito, striped tuna, or victor fish...
(
aku), the
yellowfin tunaThe yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.The yellowfin tuna is often marketed as ahi tuna, from its Hawaiian name ahi although the name ahi in Hawaiian also refers to the closely related bigeye tuna...
(
ahi), and the albacore tuna (
tombo). Ahi in particular has a long history, since ancient Hawaiians used it on long ocean voyages because it is well preserved when salted and dried. A large portion of the local tuna fishery goes to Japan to be sold for
sashimiSashimi is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces about 2.5cm wide by 4cm long by 0.5cm thick, but dimensions vary depending on the type of item and chef, and served with only a dipping sauce , depending on the fish, and...
. Tuna is eaten as sashimi in Hawaii as well, but is also grilled or sautéed, or made into poke.
The
Pacific blue marlinMarlin, Istiophoridae, is a "billfish" and is closely linked to freshwater trout. A marlin has an elongated body, a spear-like snout or bill, and a long rigid dorsal fin, which extends forward to form a crest. Its common name is thought to derive from its resemblance to a sailor's marlinspike...
(
kajiki) is
barbecueBarbecue or barbeque is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal or a propane gas grill, and may...
d or grilled, but should not be overcooked due to its very low fat content. The
broadbill swordfishSwordfish , also known as Broadbill in some countries, are large, highly migratory, predatory fish characterized by a long, flat bill. They are a popular sport fish, though elusive. Swordfish are elongated, round-bodied, and lose all teeth and scales by adulthood. They reach a maximum size of 177 in...
(
shutome), popular and shipped all over the mainland United States, is high in fat and its
steakA steak is a cut of meat. Most steaks are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibres, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. In North America, steaks are typically served grilled, though they are also often pan-fried. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry...
s may be grilled, broiled, or used in stir-fries. The
grouperGroupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes.Not all serranids are called groupers; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name grouper is usually given to fish in one of two large genera: Epinephelus...
s (
hapuu) are most often steamed. The
red snapperThe red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, is a reef fish found in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States. The original name in Latin American Spanish is Huachinango or Pargo....
(
onaga) is steamed,
poachedPoaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally water, milk, stock or wine.-Utilization:Poaching is particularly suitable for fragile food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out...
, or baked. The pink snapper (
opakapaka) has a higher fat, and is steamed or baked, served with a light sauce. The
WahooThe wahoo is a dark blue scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. Its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish. In Hawaii, the fish is known as ono...
(
ono) is grilled or sautéed, and the dolphin fish (
mahimahi) is usually cut into steaks and fried or grilled. The
moonfishThe Monodactylidae is a family of fish within the Perciformes commonly referred to as monos, moonyfishes or fingerfishes. All are strongly laterally compressed with an approximately disc-shaped body and tall anal and dorsal fins. Unusually for fish, there are scales on the dorsal fin and sometimes...
(
opah) is used for broiling, smoking, or making sashimi.
Spices
- Teriyaki
Teriyaki is a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade...
, the most popular way of treating meats, including Spam.
- Five spice
Five-spice powder is a mixture of five spices used in Chinese cuisine. One common recipe includes tunghing or "Chinese cinnamon" , powdered cassia buds, powdered star anise and anise seed, ginger root, and ground cloves.Another recipe for the powder consists of huajiao Five-spice powder is a ...
- Char siu
Char Siu , otherwise known as barbecued meat in China or Chinese-flavored barbecued meat outside China, is a popular way to flavor and prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine...
- Wasabi
Wasabi is a member of the Brassicaceae family, which includes cabbages, horseradish and mustard. Known as "Japanese horseradish", its root is used as a spice and has an extremely strong flavour...
- Patis
Patis may refer to:*Paattinen, a Finnish village*A variety of fish sauce from the Philippines*Pâtis, a protection payment made by towns and villages in the Hundred Years War*Pais, a standard abbreviation for the Buddhist Pali Canon's Patisambhidamagga...
and Bagoong, Fish sauceFish sauce is a condiment that is derived from fish that have been allowed to ferment. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai, Lao, and Cambodian cuisine and is used in other Southeast Asian countries...
s
- Shoyu (Soy sauce)
Soy sauce , soya sauce or is produced by fermenting soybeans with the molds Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus soyae along with roasted grain, water, and salt. Soy sauce was invented in China, where it has been used as a condiment for close to 2,500 years...
- Huli-huli sauce
- Chili pepper water
Chili Pepper Water is an indiginous Hawaiian Island condiment. Made in its most basic culinary form from local red chilis, salt, and water, it is used splashed on eggs, rice and other foods to add flavor and spicy heat....
Dishes
- Chicken long rice - Chicken cooked with chicken broth
Chicken soup is a soup made by boiling chicken parts and/or bones in water, with various vegetables and flavorings. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear broth, often served with small pieces of chicken or vegetables, or with noodles or dumplings, or grains such as rice and barley...
, ginger, green onions, and long rice
- Kalua Pig - Pulled pork
Pulled pork is a form of barbecue. It is a method of preparation in which pork, usually shoulder cut or mixed cuts, is cooked using a low-heat, long-cook method. With these extended times at low temperatures, the meat becomes tender enough that its weakened connective tissue allows the meat to be...
with marinated, steamed cabbage
- Crack seed
Crack seed is a category of snacks highly popular in Hawaii and its place of origin, China. Crack seed is basically preserved fruits that have been cracked or split with the seed or kernel partially exposed as a flavor enhancement. Common Chinese terms for this category of snacks is Li hing mui...
- Kona coffee
Kona coffee is the market name for coffee cultivated on the slopes of Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. This coffee has developed a reputation that has made it one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world. Only...
- Lau lau
Laulau is a Hawaiian dish. Traditionally, it consisted of pork wrapped in Luau, or taro leaf.In old Hawaii, laulau was assembled by taking a few luau leaves and placing a few pieces of fish and pork in the center. The ends of the luau leaf are folded and wrapped again in ti leaf. When ready, all...
- Steamed fish and pork wrapped in taroTaro is a tropical plant grown primarily as a vegetable food for its edible corm, and secondarily as a leaf vegetable. It is considered a staple in Oceanic cultures. It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants...
leaves and a tiTi is an alternative spelling of Tiye, the name of the mother of Akhenaten.It might also be an abbreviation - see TI....
leaf, also can include chicken, chicken-only, or pork-only
- Loco Moco
The Loco Moco is a dish unique to Hawaiian cuisine. There are many variations, but the essential loco moco consists of white rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy...
- Hamburger patties served with gravy and topped with two eggs
- Lomi salmon
Lomi salmon is a side dish in Pacific island cuisine. It is a fresh tomato and salmon salad, and was introduced to Hawaiians by early western sailors.. It is typically prepared by mixing raw salted, diced salmon with tomatoes, sweet gentle Maui onions , and occasionally flakes of hot red chili...
- Sushi-grade salmon cubed combined with tomatoes, Maui onions, and chili pepper
- Malasada
A malasada is a Portuguese confection. They were first made by inhabitants of São Miguel Island, part of the Azores. Malasadas are made of egg-sized balls of yeast dough that are deep-fried in oil and coated with granulated sugar. A popular variation is where they are hand dropped into the oil...
- Portuguese donut deep fried and coated with sugar
- Manapua - Pidgin
A pidgin language is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common, in situations such as trade, or where both groups speak languages different to the language of the country in which they reside...
for baoBAO may refer to:* Baccalaureus in Arte Obstetricia, Bachelor of Obstetrics, a medical degree unique to Ireland.* Baryon acoustic oscillations, a signature of the early universe observed in galaxy surveys.* Benny Anderssons Orkester* Bullets And Octane...
, usually filled with char siuChar Siu , otherwise known as barbecued meat in China or Chinese-flavored barbecued meat outside China, is a popular way to flavor and prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine...
- Mochi
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki. While also eaten year-round, mochi is a traditional food for the Japanese New Year and is commonly sold and eaten during that time...
- Musubi
Musubi may refer to:*Musubi is the mystical power of becoming or of creation in Shinto*Onigiri, a Japanese snack*Spam musubi, popular in Hawaii....
- Opihi
- Pasteles
Pasteles are a traditional dish of Puerto Rico and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. In Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and also throughout Panama, it is similar to a tamale and said to have originated from Puerto Rico...
- Poi
Poi is a Hawaiian word for the primary Polynesian staple food made from the corm of the kalo plant . Poi is produced by mashing the cooked corm to a highly viscous fluid...
- Mashed taro root
- Portuguese sweet bread
Portuguese sweet bread is a bread made with milk, sugar and/or honey to produce a subtly sweet lightly textured loaf...
- Saimin
Saimin is a noodle soup dish unique to Hawaii. Inspired by Japanese udon, Chinese mein, and Filipino pancit, saimin was developed during Hawaii's plantation era. It is a soup dish of soft wheat egg noodles served in hot dashi garnished with green onions...
- Noodle soupNoodle soup refers to a variety of soups with noodles and other ingredients served in a light broth. Noodle soup is an East and Southeast Asian staple. Less well known, a form of fresh noodle is used in soup in certain parts of Europe , and in northern China; usually, it is served for breakfast...
dish with various meats and/or dumplings
- Squid luau
Poke
Poke is a local cuisine that originally involved preserving raw fish with sea salt and rubbing (
lomi) it with seasonings or cutting it into small pieces. Seasonings made of seaweed, kukui nut, and sea salt were traditionally used for the Hawaiian poke. Since
first contactFirst contact is a term describing the first meeting of two cultures previously unaware of one another. One notable example of first contact is that between the Spanish and the Arawak in 1492....
with Western and Asian cultures,
green onionsGreen Onions is the debut album by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, released on Stax Records in October of 1962. It reached number 33 on the Pop Albums chart in the month of its release...
, chili peppers, and soy sauce have become common additions to it. Poke is different from
sashimiSashimi is a Japanese delicacy primarily consisting of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces about 2.5cm wide by 4cm long by 0.5cm thick, but dimensions vary depending on the type of item and chef, and served with only a dipping sauce , depending on the fish, and...
, since the former is usually rough-cut and piled onto a plate, and can be made with less expensive pieces of fish.
During the early 1970s, poke became an appetizer to have with beer or to bring to a party.
Plate lunch
Usually served during lunch, plate lunch consists of an entreé of meat or seafood, two scoops of rice, and macaroni salad.
Drinks
- Hawaiian tropical tiki
Tiki culture refers to a 20th-century theme used in Polynesian-style restaurants and clubs originally in the United States and then, to a lesser degree, around the world...
cocktails like the Blue HawaiiThe Blue Hawaii is a tropical cocktail made of rum, pineapple juice, blue Curacao, sweet and sour mix, and sometimes vodka as well. It should not be confused with the similarly named Blue Hawaiian cocktail that contains creme of coconut instead of sweet and sour mix, and never includes...
and the Mai-Tai make use of rumRum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other barrels...
. The Mai-Tai uses Barbadian, Jamaican, or Haitian rum. Hana Bay rum used to be produced in Hana, Maui, but is now produced in the Virgin IslandsThe Virgin Islands are an archipelago, part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles, where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean....
and bottled on the U.S. mainland. The rum is blended with a variety of tropical fruit juices and served with a decorative piece of fruit.
- Okolehao is a traditional Hawaiian liquor made from ti plant, which often accompanies lu'au.
- Kava
Kava is an ancient crop of the western Pacific. Other names for kava include awa , 'ava , yaqona , and sakau . The word kava is used to refer both to the plant and the beverage produced from its roots...
(Piper methysticum) (awa) is a traditional beverage of Oceania thought to have originated in VanuatuVanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean...
. In modern times, kava bars have experienced some popularity in Hawaii, with commercial kava plantations on Maui, Molokai, Kauai, and Oahu.
- Hawaii wine
Hawaii wine refers to wine made from the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of Maui is where the bulk of the state's wine is produced though there is some production on the island of Hawaii. The state mainly produces fruit wine such as a pineapple sparkling wine.The Symphony grape is the principal...
is produced mostly on the island of Maui and the island of HawaiiThe Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the U.S. State of Hawaii in the North Pacific Ocean...
. The state mainly produces fruit wineFruit wines are fermented alcoholic beverages made from a variety of ingredients and having a variety of flavours. Fruit wines are usually referred to by their main ingredient fruit , since the word wine alone is often legally defined as a beverage made only from grapes...
such as a pineapple sparkling wine.
- Hawaii beer is represented by the largest brewpub in the state, Kona Brewing Company. From 1901-1998, "Primo" was one of the most popular Hawaiian beers, and as of 2008, has returned to production. Historically, craft beers (microbrews) have been slow to take off in Hawaii due to a restrictive state law on brewpub sales. However, the law changed in 2003, and growlers are now available. Sam Choy's Big Aloha beer is one popular microbrew.
External links