The South Pacific region offers a variety of cuisine with plenty of similarity between ingredients. Vikas Gupta writes how a fusion cuisine can break the cultural barriers of island countries
Ocean and rivers present in the South Pacific countries play an important role in affecting the gastronomic culture of its residents. The food culture in these countries involves the use of different types of marine resources on offer. Geographically, South Pacific countries are grouped as — Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia, each region having different food habits due to the cultural influences and availability of food items. But in some way or other the cuisines of all these countries revolve around some common ingredients due to the presence of tropical climate. The food habits of the people of South Pacific countries are an amalgamation of the ethnic and immigrant culture. Use of a lot of seafood is prominent in the cuisine of the islanders with the Pacific Ocean offering more than 300 varieties of fishes alone in Polynesia. The cuisine of South Pacific countries is rich in tropical food items like a variety of fishes and sea foods, coconuts, seaweeds, tropical fruits and vegetables, etc. Agricultural produce especially starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, daalo, taro, cassava, etc are a prominent part of their cuisine as they go well with the flavour of tropical foods.
Mostly, all the South Pacific countries are resided by the immigrants. The immigrant cultures of European and South Asian countries are reflected in food habits of the people of South Pacific. South Pacific food is a blend of the cuisines from around the world. European culture has influenced the cuisine with the use of meat products like beef, pork and mutton. The labourers from India have given an Indian touch to the cuisine of Pacific Islands specially Fiji with the use of a lot of spices to prepare their curries and gravies. Island countries which were French colonies follow the French style of cooking till now with the use of sauces and meat items in their food preparation. But, in all they use some common ingredients which are found in plenty in these countries because of the presence of Pacific Ocean and rivers.
The food culture
The South Pacific cuisine is an amalgamation of cuisines from Kiribati, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii. The food customs, staple diet, local ingredients, cooking traditions, cooking equipment and cooking style of each country is different but somewhat interrelated. The cuisine of each country has a blend of both ethnic and immigrant culture and it is reflected in the way of cooking and presenting a dish. The cuisine is a blend of marine and land resources. Foods rich in fiber and carbohydrates are consumed along with the marine foods.
Treasure trove
Pacific offers large varieties of fish, shell fishes and aquatic plants and animals for consumption. Fishes available in the waters of Pacific and rivers of island countries are classified as salt water and fresh water fishes and both varieties are used by locals. The method of cooking varies from steaming, poaching, grilling, frying or just eating raw. lovo, another way of cooking the food by making holes in the ground, lining it with coconut husks, putting the stones on top and lighting the fire is quite prevalent in countries like Samoa and Fiji. The food to be cooked is tied in between the banana or taro leaves and cooked in the earthen oven. Fishes are used to prepare a variety of salads and soups. The use of coconut is very common along with the fish. Seafood includes crabs, lobsters, scampi, prawns, shrimps, octopus, mussels and oysters. land, coconut and mangrove are the varieties of crabs available in the South Pacific. Pacific lobsters are pinkish blue lobsters, having no claws and are usually cooked whole and served along with their shells and claws. Turtles are domesticated in the villages of many South Pacific countries for flesh and leather.
The use of turtles for food is limited due to the shrinkage of their species due to overfishing but it is still considered a delicacy. Glass weed is a gelatinous seaweed type which is found in the deep lagoons and is used for its gelling properties in making aspic for cold buffet decorations. It is famous for its nutty flavour and smooth texture. A variety of seaweeds are used for making sushi sheets. Sea urchins are eaten raw along with eggs or combined with soufflés in the South Pacific regions. Sea grapes are mostly eaten raw or dressed with some mild dressings and are served with local fishes and coconut milk. Sea cucumber is a famous delicacy found in the markets of Fiji and Tonga. They have a characteristic earthy flavour and usually served as an ingredient in soups. They can also be served dressed with lemon and chilly. Balolo are the tails filled with sperms and ova and are regarded as the caviar of South Pacific. It is served along with scrambled eggs and should always be served fresh. Because of its gelling properties it is used as a gelatin substitute.
Apart from Pacific Island cuisine, it forms an integral part of the Japanese and Philippine cuisines. Coconuts are used in almost all the island dishes being a multifunctional ingredient. It is used for preparing soups, salads, main courses and desserts. Fiddlehead is the shoot cooked by boiling or tossing in a little amount of butter. It goes well with eggs or potatoes and can be made into curries and soups as relish. The tropical food items have become an integral part of South Pacific country cuisine.
Fusion cuisine
As food is an important factor which binds the cultures together, a fusion cuisine can be created to break the cultural barriers of the island countries which reflect the identity of the South Pacific countries as a whole. If a fusion cuisine is created having the combined cultural influence of all the South Pacific countries, in terms of cooking styles, culinary traditions, ethnic beliefs and eating habits, then a common platform can be structured to launch the Pacific cuisine on a global arena. This will in turn help in developing these countries as a whole by attracting tourists to relish the taste of South Pacific and earning foreign currency and global status. The need of the hour is to utilise the common fishes and seafoods found in the diverse ocean into recipes which will be common to all the islands. This cuisine will reflect the combined cultures and traditions of all South Pacific countries as single identity.