Cook Islands

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Breadfruit

'Uru

Uru is breadfruit served as a starchy fruit food, roasted, boiled, fried, or cooked in an ahima'a until the flesh is soft and potato-like.

🇳🇨New Caledonia

Coconut Crab

Unga

Large land crab prized as a delicacy, especially on the outer islands of the Cook Islands; protected in some areas due to declining populations; a rare and sought-after island food.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Cook Islands Breadfruit Stew

Tiopu Kuru

Breadfruit simmered with pork or chicken, onions, garlic, and coconut cream into a hearty, comforting stew; a familiar way to use ripe breadfruit in the Cook Islands.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Cook Islands Chop Suey

Sapu Soi

A Pacific Islands version of chop suey with chicken, mixed vegetables, vermicelli noodles, and soy sauce; often served weeknight dinner and buffet dish in the Cook Islands.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Cook Islands Coconut Buns

Konati Loloo

Sweet yeast rolls baked in a fragrant coconut cream sauce; often served weekend brunch and special-occasion treat in the Cook Islands; soft, fluffy, and richly coconut-flavored.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Cook Islands Flying Fish

Māroro

Cook Islands flying fish are caught at night with lights, grilled whole, and served with cassava and coconut cream for a simple island meal.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Cook Islands Octopus

Eke

Daytime octopus commonly caught and eaten in the Cook Islands; typically boiled until tender then cooked with coconut cream, onion, garlic, and turmeric, or prepared as Eke Takare curry; a familiar local seafood.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Cook Islands Sea Cucumber

Rori

Cook Islands sea cucumber is a marine invertebrate eaten as subsistence food or processed as dried beche-de-mer; preparation varies by species.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Eke Takare

Octopus boiled until tender, then simmered in a fragrant curry sauce with coconut cream, curry powder, onion, garlic, and soy sauce; a familiar Cook Islands seafood curry often served with rice or taro.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Ika Mata

Raw Fish

The national dish of the Cook Islands; raw white fish (tuna or mahi-mahi) marinated in lime juice, then mixed with fresh coconut cream, diced tomato, red onion, capsicum, spring onion, ginger, and coriander; a refreshing, creamy Polynesian ceviche.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Mahi Mahi in Coconut Cream

Mahi Mahi

Fresh mahi-mahi fillets gently poached in rich coconut cream, often served over rukau (taro leaves in coconut cream); a classic Cook Islands pairing of local fish and coconut.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Matutu Beer

Mai Lager

Local craft beer from Matutu Brewing Company on Rarotonga; includes Mai Lager and Kiva Pale Ale; the best-known locally produced beer in the Cook Islands.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Mitiore

Taioro

A traditional Cook Islands dish of fermented coconut mixed with crushed crustacean juice, onions, and shellfish such as paua or mussels; has a cottage cheese-like consistency and a pungent, umami flavor

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Pink Potato Salad

Mainese

A distinctive Cook Islands potato salad with beetroot, hard-boiled eggs, mixed vegetables, and a homemade mayonnaise dressing; the beetroot gives it a characteristic pink color; often served side dish at island gatherings.

🇵🇫Papeete, French Polynesia

Poisson Cru

I'a Ota

Poisson cru is fresh raw tuna briefly cured in lime, then mixed with coconut milk, onion, and crisp vegetables before being served chilled.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Poke

Po'e

A sweet Cook Islands pudding made from overripe bananas (or pumpkin, taro, or breadfruit) mashed with arrowroot or tapioca flour, baked, and served with coconut cream sauce; a familiar island dessert.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Puaka

Puaka is pork roasted or simmered with onion and coconut, then served as a savoury Cook Islands feast meat; the local name covers the tender pork prepared for communal tables.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Rukau

Taro Leaves

Rukau is young taro leaves cooked down in coconut cream with onion, sometimes enriched with corned beef or lamb as a side dish.

🇵🇫Papeete, French Polynesia

Tahitian Donuts

Firi Firi

Firi firi is a deep-fried yeast doughnut made with flour, coconut milk, and sugar; the Cook Islands form is crisp at the edge and tender inside.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Tahitian Earth Oven

Ahima'a

Ahima'a is the named French Polynesian earth-oven meal: pork, fish, chicken, taro, breadfruit, and bananas are wrapped in leaves and steamed on hot stones.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Tahitian Pudding

Po'e

Tahitian po'e is a baked, starchy fruit pudding made with banana, papaya, pumpkin, or other fruit and served with fresh coconut milk.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Tumunu

Tumunu is a home-brewed fermented fruit drink, commonly made with oranges and shared at gatherings on Atiu and other Cook Islands.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Umu

Umukai

A traditional underground oven feast; food is wrapped in banana leaves, placed on heated volcanic stones, and slow-cooked for hours; typically includes pork, chicken, fish, taro, breadfruit, and kumara; a centerpiece of Cook Islands celebrations.

🇨🇰Cook Islands

Varaoa Karo

Varaoa karo is the named Cook Islands bread form, baked from a simple flour dough until the crust is firm and the crumb stays tender; it is served with tea or savoury island foods.