French Polynesia

🇫🇷Paris, France

Baguette

Baguette de tradition

Long thin crusty bread with a soft airy interior, the symbol of French baking.

🇵🇫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.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Chevrettes

Chevrettes; freshwater prawns; a delicacy in Tahitian cuisine; served as a starter in coconut milk perfumed with vanilla, or as a main course in coconut milk and curry sauce; the heads are used to ferment sea water for fafaru; delicious, succulent, and light; a prized island seafood.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Chicken with Spinach and Coconut Milk

Poulet Fafa

Poulet fafa is chicken simmered with coconut milk and fafa, the tender taro leaves used in Tahitian cooking, for a rich savoury dish.

🇫🇷France

Chocolate Croissant

Pain au chocolat

Rectangular laminated pastry filled with dark chocolate batons, also called chocolatine.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Clams in Coconut Sauce

Pahua Taioro

Pahua taioro combines lagoon clams or snails with taioro, a fermented coconut sauce whose savoury richness carries the shellfish.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Coconut Sauce

Taioro

Taioro is a fermented coconut sauce with a deep savoury flavour, used as a condiment or base for shellfish preparations such as pahua taioro.

🇫🇷France

Creme Brulee

Rich custard topped with a caramelized sugar crust that cracks when tapped.

🇫🇷France

Creme Caramel

Crème caramel

Crème caramel is a chilled baked custard turned out over a thin pool of amber caramel.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Crevettes à la Vanille et Coco

Chevrettes à la Vanille

Freshwater prawns are gently cooked in coconut milk scented with Tahitian vanilla, producing a fragrant sauce for a starter or main dish.

🇫🇷Paris, France

Croissant

Crescent-shaped laminated pastry, buttery and flaky, adapted from the Austrian kipferl.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Fermented Coconut Milk

Miti Hue

Miti hue is fermented fish or seafood mixed with coconut and aromatics; the ageing gives the Tahitian preparation a pronounced savoury tang.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Fermented Raw Fish

Fafaru

Fafaru uses raw tuna or marlin fermented for several days in seawater prepared with prawn heads, then served with miti hue or other accompaniments.

🇯🇵Japan

Nigiri Sushi

握り寿司

Hand-pressed vinegared rice topped with a slice of raw fish or seafood, the most iconic form of sushi.

🇵🇫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.

🇵🇫Papeete, French Polynesia

Pua Toro

Punu pua’atoro

Pua Toro is Tahitian canned corned beef cooked with onions and aromatics, then served hot with breadfruit or bread.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Raw Fish Salad

Kato

Kato; a traditional Tahitian raw fish preparation; a variation of the raw fish family that includes poisson cru; fresh fish prepared with local ingredients; a feature of island cuisine; a refreshing, healthy dish; a traditional Polynesian preparation method.

🇯🇵Japan

Sashimi

刺身

Thinly sliced premium raw fish or seafood, served with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger.

🇫🇷France

Steak Frites

Grilled steak served with french fries, the quintessential French bistro dish. The classic bone-in cut is cote-a-l-os, the rib steak of the brasserie canon.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Suckling Pig in Coconut Milk

Pua'a Fānā

Tahitian suckling pig is seasoned pork cooked in an ahima'a earth oven, often wrapped in leaves and served with coconut-rich feast foods.

🇵🇫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.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Tahitian Sandwich

Casse-Croûte

Tahitian casse-croûte is a baguette sandwich filled with meat, fries, and sauce, sold as a quick meal from snack bars and food trucks.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Tahitian Sweet Bread

Fara'oa

Faraoa is the everyday French Polynesian bread form, baked from wheat dough into a crusted loaf or roll for breakfast and to accompany savoury dishes.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Tahitian Vanilla Cake

Gâteau Vanille

Tahitian vanilla cake; a familiar island dessert; made with world-renowned Tahitian vanilla; a feature of island celebrations; a French-influenced cake adapted with local vanilla; a sweet, fragrant treat; often served dessert at gatherings and bakeries.

🇵🇫French Polynesia

Vanille de Tahiti

Vanira Tahiti

Vanille de Tahiti refers to fragrant Tahitian vanilla beans, especially associated with Taha'a, used to perfume desserts, sauces, and other island dishes.