Enjoying Hawaiian cuisine is part of the island experience for tourists.
Visitors to Hawaii often take home a taste from the islands, such as fresh pineapple or boxes of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. Yet, there is more to Hawaiian flavors than traditional souvenir foods. Other foods regularly show up on dining room tables in Hawaiian homes, or featured at the traditional Hawaiian luau. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Hawaiian Sweet Bread
Popular in Hawaii, Hawaiian sweet bread, also known as Portuguese sweet bread, has made it to the mainland, available in many grocery stores. According to Hawaii's Punalu`u Bake Shop, 19th century Portuguese sugar workers first introduced their bread to the islands. Hawaiian sweet bread, formed into round loafs, is fluffy and lightly sweet, with a color similar to egg bread.
Poi
When Captain Cook first arrived in the Hawaiian Islands during the 18th century, the primary staple of the Hawaiian people was poi, a pasty substance made from cooked and mashed corm of a taro plant. An acquired taste, the customary way to eat poi is to dip two or three fingers into the substance and scoop up. Although poi is no longer the primary stable of the Hawaiian people, it continues to be a featured food at traditional Hawaiian luaus. Its appearance is somewhat unappealing, being a brownish gray, wet looking paste-like substance. Poi's distinctive flavor might compare to the taste of unsweetened plain yogurt, a flavor which requires time to acquire.
Kalua Pig
The centerpiece of the traditional Hawaiian luau is the Kalua pig, which is typically a whole salted pig cooked in a pit or underground oven called an imu with lava rocks, and wrapped in banana or ti leaves. Sometimes Hawaiians cook whole chickens in the pit with the pig.
Rice
If you have friends visiting from Hawaii and you want them to feel at home, serve short grain white rice with your meal, a familiar side dish served in many Hawaiian homes, often with every meal. It's not unusual for a fast food restaurant in Hawaii to offer short grain white rice as a side dish to its customers. The common way of preparing white rice in Hawaii is by cooking it in a rice cooker. It is customary in many Hawaiian homes to serve dishes like chili and stew on a bed of white rice. A commonly used seasoning for the rice in Hawaii is soy sauce.
Spam
Spam, a canned precooked pork product, initially debuted in 1937. While it was often seen as an economical meat product and convenient for military troops, many in Hawaii embraced Spam, making it a popular food on the islands. Islanders have found many creative uses for Spam, including a sushi-like dish called Spam musubi.
Tags: white rice, Hawaiian homes, traditional Hawaiian, grain white, grain white rice, Hawaiian luau