Federated States of Micronesia

🇫🇲Chuuk State (Central FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Angarap

Angarap is a Chuukese breadfruit-and-coconut dish in which cooked breadfruit is mashed or pounded with coconut cream into a dense, savoury staple.

🇫🇲Chuuk State (Central FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Apwet

Apwet is Chuukese fermented breadfruit kept for a shorter period than the longest-preserved forms, leaving a tangy, soft paste that can be cooked or served with savoury food.

🇫🇲Yap State (Western FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Cholgoy

Cholgoy is cooked yam pounded into soft balls for young children, sometimes lightly sweetened for an easy-to-chew Pohnpeian preparation.

🇳🇨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.

🇫🇲Kosrae State (Eastern FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Fahfah

Fahfah is made from pounded taro or banana formed into balls and served with caramelized coconut syrup; the dumplings are dense, smooth, and lightly sweet.

🇫🇯Fiji

Green coconut

Bu

A young drinking coconut opened with a machete at the roadside and drunk straight from the shell, then split so the soft flesh can be scooped.

🇵🇬Papua New Guinea

Hibiscus spinach

Bele

Hibiscus spinach (Abelmoschus manihot) is a tender, slightly mucilaginous Pacific leafy green known as bele, aibika, pele, and island cabbage, usually cooked with coconut milk or added to soups and stews.

🇫🇲Pohnpei State (Capital FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Karat Banana

Karat

Karat is a Pohnpei Fe'i banana cultivar with dense orange flesh, eaten ripe and valued locally for its distinctive texture.

🇫🇯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.

🇫🇲Federated States of Micronesia

Kehp Sukusuk

Kehp Sukusuk is pounded wet yam topped with pahia coconut-milk sauce, a Pohnpeian dish served at feasts and celebrations.

🇫🇲Federated States of Micronesia

Koahpnoair Koakih

Koahpnoair Koakih is a Pohnpeian yam dish combining ground yam and small yam pieces cooked in coconut milk in an iron oampwoat pot.

🇫🇲Kosrae State (Eastern FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Kosraen Soup

Sup Usr

Sup Usr combines skipjack, pounded banana, coconut milk, and red pepper in a thick Kosraean soup served at family gatherings.

🇫🇲Chuuk State (Central FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Kón

Kon is breadfruit boiled and pounded into dense paste; plain kon differs from coconut-rich mwatun and the chiefly emesefich form.

🇸🇧Solomon Islands

Lolo

Coconut cream squeezed by hand from freshly grated flesh, the fat that carries almost every Fijian dish.

🇫🇲Federated States of Micronesia

Maar

Mahr

Breadfruit fermented in leaf-lined pits for months to years; reduces to a tart, doughy paste; crucial food security crop that can sustain communities through cyclones and crop failures; eaten at various fermentation stages; one of the most ancient and important preservation technologies in the Pacific.

🇫🇲Pohnpei State (Capital FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Mahi Umw

Mahi Umw is breadfruit roasted over hot stones and coconut husks in an earth oven, producing smoky skin and soft starch.

🇫🇲Federated States of Micronesia

Pandanus Jelly

Pandanus jelly is made from strained pandanus fruit pulp set into a soft, fragrant gel; it has a floral aroma and a gently fibrous, yielding texture.

🇫🇲Pohnpei State (Capital FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Pihlohlo Mwehng

Pihlohlo Mwehng combines ground swamp taro and starch in oblong pieces coated with caramelized coconut-sap syrup from Mwoakilloa.

🇫🇲Pohnpei State (Capital FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Pohnpei Black Pepper

Piper nigrum grown on Pohnpei; distinct flavor and heat with high sugar content and volatile oils; an important cash crop exported internationally; one of the world's premier pepper varieties; grown in the volcanic soil of Pohnpei; a potential GI product.

🇫🇲Pohnpei State (Capital FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Pohnpei Pepper Chicken

Chicken thighs marinated then sautéed with crushed Pohnpei pepper, caramelized onions, and soy sauce; a spicy dish often served with rice or root vegetables; showcases Pohnpei's world-renowned black pepper; often served modern dish that combines local pepper with Asian techniques.

🇫🇲Pohnpei State (Capital FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Pohnpei-Style Octopus Stew

Rich stew with tender octopus simmered in coconut milk with onions, garlic, ginger, taro leaves, breadfruit, and chili; a Pohnpeian specialty that showcases the abundance of octopus in FSM waters; a hearty, flavorful dish.

🇫🇲Yap State (Western FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Pusow

Pusow is Yapese banana boiled after grinding and wrapping in betel-nut frond, yielding a dense unsweetened starch.

🇫🇲Yap State (Western FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Tinono

Tinono is a Yapese reef fish wrapped in coconut leaves and cooked until tender, allowing the leaves to scent the flesh.

🇫🇲Federated States of Micronesia

Tupu

Dessert made from the spongy core of a sprouted coconut; eaten as a sweet treat; can be mixed with coconut milk and frozen as a popsicle; a specialty of Kapingamarangi and other outer islands; a unique use of the coconut's germination process.

🇫🇲Federated States of Micronesia

Uht Kekihn

Uht Kekihn forms grated banana into balls simmered in coconut milk, creating a soft pudding served across FSM.

🇫🇲Federated States of Micronesia

Uter

Uter is a Micronesian dessert of mashed taro balls mixed with grated coconut, with sugar in some modern versions.

🇫🇲Pohnpei State (Capital FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Yam Kap

Yam kap is a named Pohnpei yam preparation served at prestige meals and large gatherings; cooked yam is pounded or arranged into a substantial savoury dish for sharing.

🇫🇲Yap State (Western FSM), Federated States of Micronesia

Yapese Fish and Taro Leaf Rolls

White fish pieces with aromatic herbs wrapped in softened taro leaves with coconut milk, then steamed; a Yapese specialty that combines fresh fish with taro leaves and coconut; the taro leaves keep the fish moist and impart a subtle flavour.