Staple foods like fish were an important part of the Hawaiian Marquesan diet
The traditional foods that are often served at a Hawaiian luau are derived from a culture known as the Marquesans. It's probable the Marquesans travelled to Hawaii, taking with them their customs and foods. The foods they brought were the taro, sweet potato, sugarcane and other plants such as the breadfruit. The Tahitians later came and overran the Marquesans. They were followed by the Polynesian race known as the Take. While the Marquesan settlers didn't last, their staple foods had an important influence on Hawaii.
Breadfruit
The breadfruit was very important to the Marquesans; every child inherited a breadfruit tree has his very own. The breadfruit was knocked off the stem and pierced with a stick or piece of bamboo to speed up the ripening process. Once tender, the fruit was peeled and laid on a bed of hibiscus leaves and covered with more leaves to further speed up the ripening process. The ripened breadfruit was squeezed off its core and known as "mei." The mei was put in a pit to ferment, where it became known as "ma." The fermented ma became the base for popoi, a pounded breadfruit paste similar to poi.
Taro (Poi)
Poi is made from taro root, a staple food of many Hawaiians. The starchy taro root is cooked for hours in an underground oven and then pounded into a smooth, sticky paste. Water is then added to the paste to make poi. Poi was traditionally enjoyed with fresh fish, breadfruit and sweet potato. Hawaiians traditionally eat poi with their fingers, determining the thickness by using one, two or three fingers to scoop out the pudding-like food. Two-finger poi was considered the best. Some Hawaiians even enjoyed their poi fermented, which gave it a slightly sour taste. Poi was considered sacred to Hawaiians and it was believed the spirit of Haloa, the ancestor of the Hawaiian people, was present whenever it was served.
Seafood
Seafood was an important part of the Hawaii Marquesan diet as fish were plentiful near the islands. Seafood was part of the luau and seaweed was often included in the meals. Guests were served poke, which is raw fish gutted and sliced across the backbone. These slices still had skin and bone which had to be spit out after the flesh had been eaten. The poke was served with condiments like salt, seaweed and crushed roasted kukui nuts. Lomi lomi salmon was a raw salmon that was worked or massaged with the fingers and mixed with diced tomatoes and onions and seasoned with sea salt. It is named after the word "massage."
Pork and Chicken
Pigs were an important part of the Marquesan diet and are a staple of Hawaii luaus today. The kalua pig was cooked in an underground or pit oven. The entire pig was salted, wrapped and lowered into the ground oven and covered. It was unearthed hours later to enjoy during the luau. Chickens were also used, wrapped in taro leaves and baked in coconut milk.
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