American Samoa

🇺🇸United States

American Samoa Lomi Salmon

Lomi-Lomi Salmon

A Hawaiian-style side of salted salmon rubbed with tomatoes and onions, then chilled; served with taro or breadfruit at American Samoan gatherings and luaus.

🇦🇸American Samoa

American Samoa Oka

Oka i'a

Raw fish (tuna, snapper, or mahi-mahi) cubed and marinated in lime or lemon juice, then mixed with coconut cream, onion, cucumber, tomato, and chili; served cold with taro or breadfruit; the Samoan-style ceviche enjoyed throughout American Samoa.

🇦🇸American Samoa

American Samoa Pua'a

Pua'a

Whole pig slow-roasted in the umu until the skin is crisp and the meat is tender; the centerpiece of American Samoan fiafia feasts, weddings, funerals, and other celebrations.

🇼🇸Samoa

Banana Coconut Dessert

Suafa'i

Samoan suafa'i cooks ripe bananas with water, sago or tapioca, and coconut cream into a thick, gently sweet breakfast or dessert.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Canned Corned Beef

Pisupo

Samoan pisupo is preserved or canned corned beef cooked with onion, greens, or root vegetables into a savoury communal meal.

🇼🇸Samoa

Coconut Bread

Fa'apapa

Thick slab of sweet, fluffy coconut bread; flour, sugar, coconut flakes, and coconut milk mixed into a dough and baked until golden; found in most Samoan households and on breakfast tables; also used to make fa'ausi; simple, sweet, and coconut-rich; a Samoan staple bread.

🇼🇸Samoa

Coconut Buns

Panipopo

The national sweet of Samoa; buns baked in a sweet and sticky coconut cream sauce; served in shallow bowls spooned over with more sauce; accompanied by a hot beverage, preferably Samoan cocoa; can be reheated the next day; soft, sweet, and coconut-rich; a TasteAtlas-listed listed preparation dessert.

🇼🇸Samoa

Coconut Caramel Taro

Fa'ausi

Samoan fa'ausi is baked taro or breadfruit covered with dark caramel and coconut cream, creating a sticky, rich dessert served warm.

🇼🇸Samoa

Coconut Dumpling Soup

Kopai

Samoan sweet dumpling soup; dense, doughy dumplings called puka drenched in a gooey, soup-like sauce of coconut cream and brown sugar; a sweet version of dumpling soup; comforting and rich; served warm; the dessert that turns dumplings into a treat; a Samoan comfort food.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Coconut Dumplings

Faikakai

Samoan coconut dumpling dessert; dough dumplings boiled or steamed and drenched in coconut caramel sauce; sweet, sticky, and coconut-rich; similar to kopai but with a different texture; a traditional celebration dessert; served warm; the dumpling dessert of Samoa.

🇼🇸Samoa

Fish Soup

Sua i'a

Samoan fish soup; fresh fish simmered in a clear broth with onions, tomatoes, and sometimes coconut cream; a comforting dish using the daily catch; tuna, snapper, and other reef fish are common; served with taro or breadfruit; a TasteAtlas-listed dish; the soup that showcases Samoa's ocean bounty.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Fried Lamb

Falai Mamoe

Samoan-style stir-fried lamb; lamb pieces cut small and stir-fried with vegetables and aromatics; lamb is often served meat in Samoa, imported from New Zealand; a hearty, savory dish; served with taro or rice; a reflection of Samoa's connection to New Zealand; a common family meal.

🇼🇸Samoa

Giant Taro

Ta'amu

Ta'amu is giant taro cooked by boiling, roasting, or steaming until dense and starchy, then served as a Samoan staple.

🇫🇯Pohnpei State (Capital FSM), Fiji

Kava

Suhka

Kava is a ceremonial Pacific root beverage prepared by pounding Piper methysticum roots, mixing them with water, and straining the earthy drink for communal sharing.

🇼🇸Samoa

Koko Alaisa

Kokoaraisa

Samoan cocoa rice; rice cooked with Samoan cocoa, coconut cream, and sugar; a breakfast staple; sweet, rich, and chocolatey; served warm; the breakfast that combines Samoa's love of cocoa and coconut; eaten with panipopo or alone; a uniquely Samoan morning dish.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Lemon Juice

Vai tīpolo

Samoan juice derived from a local citrus fruit; called vai tīpolo; tart, sweet, and refreshing; made from local lemons or limes; served cold with sugar; a common everyday drink; the citrus refreshment of Samoa; served with meals and on hot days.

🇼🇸Samoa

Mackerel Coconut Bake

Faiai Eleni

Samoan fish bake with fresh or tinned mackerel, taro leaves, sliced onions, spices, and coconut milk; baked in the oven until crispy on top; traditionally served in a coconut shell; a hearty, creamy fish dish; uses the daily catch or tinned mackerel; served with taro.

🇼🇸Samoa

Mango Pudding

Poi mago

Refreshing Samoan mango pudding; mangoes blended with lime juice, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla; chilled until ready to serve; recommended over ice; sweet, tangy, and creamy; a TasteAtlas-listed dessert; the tropical fruit pudding of Samoa.

🇼🇸Samoa

Octopus in Coconut Cream

Faiai Fe'e

Faiai feke is octopus baked or simmered in coconut cream with onion and chilli; the seafood becomes tender inside a rich Samoan sauce.

🇼🇸Samoa

Oka I'a

Oka

Samoan oka is raw fish cured briefly in lime or lemon juice, mixed with coconut cream, onion, and chili, and served chilled.

🇼🇸Samoa

Palolo Marine Worms

Palolo

Palolo is the seasonal edible marine polychaete worm gathered from coral reefs and eaten fresh or lightly prepared in Samoa; it is a marine worm, not shellfish.

🇼🇸Samoa

Palusami

Iconic Samoan dish of young taro leaves bundled into parcels filled with coconut cream and onions; baked in the umu earth oven until the leaves are tender and the cream is thick and set; sometimes enriched with corned beef; the quintessential Samoan dish; rich, creamy, and earthy; a TasteAtlas-listed listed preparation.

🇼🇸Samoa

Panikeke

Samoan deep-fried pancake balls; plain or banana-flavored; round and golden; sold by street vendors all over the islands; often served sweet treat; crispy outside, doughy inside; the grab-and-go snack of Samoa; a TasteAtlas-listed snack.

🇼🇸Samoa

Papaya Cocoa Dessert

Kokoesi

Kokoesi is a Samoan coconut-and-taro dessert cooked into a soft pudding with a gentle cocoa or toasted coconut depth.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Papaya Soup

Supoesi

Samoan supoesi is a creamy soup of ripe papaya, tapioca pearls, coconut milk, and sugar, served as a sweet dish.

🇼🇸Samoa

Pineapple Pie

Paifala

Samoan pineapple half-moon pie; pastry filled with pineapple and coconut cream; baked until golden; sweet, tangy, and creamy; often served dessert and bakery item; pineapple is grown locally in Samoa; a TasteAtlas-listed dessert; the pie that combines Samoa's tropical fruits.

🇼🇸Samoa

Pork Buns

Keke Pua'a

Samoan pork buns; dough filled with spiced pork and onions; baked or steamed; often served snack and street food; influenced by Chinese bun traditions; found at bakeries and markets across Samoa; soft, savory, and filling; a TasteAtlas-listed snack.

🇼🇸Samoa

Pounded Breadfruit Dessert

Taufolo

Taufolo is roasted breadfruit pounded with coconut caramel into a dense, sweet Samoan pudding with a smoky fruit base.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Samilolo

Samilolo is a Samoan coconut-based sauce cooked with aromatics and seasoning, spooned over fish, roots, or other communal dishes.

🇼🇸Samoa

Samoan Cocoa

Koko Samoa

Traditional Samoan cocoa drink; made from locally grown cacao beans; beans are roasted, ground, and mixed with hot water; rich, dark, and slightly grainy; served with sugar or coconut cream; the hot beverage of choice in Samoa; drunk with panipopo; a TasteAtlas-listed drink; the cocoa that fuels Samoan mornings.

🇼🇸Samoa

Samoan Coconut Cookies

Masi Samoa

Samoan coconut cookies; flour, sugar, and coconut baked into crisp, golden rounds; often served snack and gift; found at markets and bakeries; simple, sweet, and coconutty; a TasteAtlas-listed snack; the cookie that travels well across the islands.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Samoan Poi

Poi

Samoan poi is ripe banana mashed with coconut cream into a smooth, spoonable pudding served as a cool side or dessert.

🇼🇸Samoa

Sapasui

Samoan chop suey; noodles stir-fried with meat, vegetables, ginger, and garlic; a Chinese-influenced dish tracing to laborers who came to work Apia's copra trade in the early 1900s; served at every family gathering; Samoa absorbed this import and made it its own; hearty, savory, and filling; a TasteAtlas-listed dish.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Tapioca Dessert

Pisua

Pisua is a Samoan coconut-and-starch pudding cooked until thick and smooth, served warm or cool as a communal sweet.

🇹🇴Tonga

Umu

Samoan umu is a communal above-ground earth-oven feast in which food is wrapped in leaves and cooked over heated stones.

🇦🇸American Samoa

Vaisalo

Vaisalo is a Samoan coconut-and-starch pudding or porridge cooked until soft, lightly sweet, and fragrant with fresh coconut.