Marshall Islands

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Banana Kāļāel

Binana Kāļāel

Banana kaelael is ripe banana and tapioca formed into balls and simmered in coconut milk until the starch thickens into a soft pudding.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Barramundi Cod

Whole fresh barramundi cod seasoned, wrapped in banana leaves, and baked; considered a national dish of Marshall Islands; one of the dishes TasteAtlas lists for Marshall Islands; the banana leaf wrapping keeps the fish moist and imparts a subtle flavor; a centerpiece dish for feasts and celebrations.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Bwiro

Bwiro is breadfruit fermented with saltwater, kneaded, baked in an earth oven, and stored as a tart preservation paste that can last through lean seasons.

🇬🇺Guam

Chamorro Flatbread

Titiyas

A Chamorro flatbread derived from the Spanish 'tortilla'; made from corn, wheat flour, or other starchy plants; common forms include harina (flour, sweetened), mai'es (corn), and faddang (pandanus nut); cooked on a flat iron pan (kommat); an essential item on the fiesta table; used like a chip to scoop up kelaguen.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Chukuchuk

Chukuchuk is cooked rice rolled into balls and coated with freshly grated coconut, making a soft, lightly sweet Marshallese side dish.

🇳🇨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.

🇰🇮Kiribati

Coconut Crab Soup

Coconut crab soup is a broth made with coconut crab meat, coconut milk, aromatics, and island vegetables; the crab gives the soup a sweet, rich seafood flavour.

🇫🇯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.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Iakwe Stew

Chicken, potatoes, and carrots simmer in coconut milk with onion, garlic, and ginger for a gentle Marshallese stew.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Jebijeb

Grated coconut meat mixed with flour, sugar, and yeast, shaped into balls, and baked; a Marshallese coconut bread; a simple, sweet bread that showcases the abundance of coconut; often served snack and breakfast item; the grated coconut gives a chewy, moist texture.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Jebta

Coconut crab pieces cooked in coconut milk with onion, garlic, and ginger; a rare Marshallese delicacy for special occasions; the coconut crab is the world's largest land arthropod, with sweet meat that has a coconut flavor from its diet; now rare due to conservation concerns.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Jekaka

Jekaka is pandanus fruit cut into thin pieces and dried or crisped into a portable snack with a sweet, nutty aroma.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Jekaro

Fresh sweet sap extracted from the coconut flowering stalk; known as toddy or tuba elsewhere in the Pacific; used as a natural sweetener, drunk fresh, boiled into syrup (jekmai), or fermented into alcohol (jimaun); a fundamental part of Marshallese food culture; collected daily by climbing coconut trees.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Jimañūñ

Fermented coconut sap; an alcoholic beverage produced after 3 days of fermentation of jekaro (fresh coconut sap); a traditional Marshallese drink; similar to fermented toddy/tuba in other Pacific islands; the most important traditional alcoholic beverage before imported beer.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Jããnkun

Mokwan

Jaankun is pandanus fruit cooked into a paste, dried, and wrapped for storage; the concentrated preserve is chewy, fragrant, and suited to long canoe journeys.

🇸🇧Solomon Islands

Lolo

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

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Mafa

Boiled mashed breadfruit blended with eggs, sugar, butter, coconut milk, raisins, and spices, then baked; a Marshallese breadfruit pudding; a modern adaptation of traditional breadfruit that combines it with imported ingredients; often served dessert and side dish at gatherings.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands Macadamia Nut Pie

Shredded coconut pressed into a pie shell, filled with macadamia nuts, corn syrup, sugar, and vanilla; topped with coconut whipped cream; one of the dishes TasteAtlas lists for Marshall Islands; a fusion dessert that combines local coconut with macadamia nuts; served at special occasions.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Marshallese Curry

Mild curry using a coconut milk base with local fish, chicken, or pork; includes breadfruit, taro, and pumpkin; a Marshallese adaptation of curry that reflects the island's colonial influences; the coconut milk gives richness and the local vegetables give substance; often served everyday dish.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Marshallese Poke

Tuna, wahoo, or reef fish cubed, marinated in lime or coconut-sap vinegar, folded with coconut milk, onion, and cucumber or green papaya; a Marshallese raw fish dish; similar to poke in Hawaii and ika mata in other Pacific islands; showcases the abundance of fresh fish in Marshallese waters.

🇫🇯Fiji

Palusami

Taro leaves wrapped into a parcel around coconut cream, onion and often corned beef, then baked in the lovo or steamed until the leaves collapse.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Pisar

Mashed taro mixed with coconut cream; served as breakfast or snack; a simple, traditional Marshallese dish that combines two essential staples; the taro gives a dense, starchy base and the coconut cream adds richness; a comforting everyday food.

🇬🇺Guam

Red Rice

Hineksa' Aga'ga'

The most important dish on the Chamorro fiesta table; white rice cooked with achote (annatto) seeds giving it a deep orange-red color; achote was introduced by Spanish settlers likely from the Philippines or Mexico; the annatto releases a dye when soaked in water; other ingredients like bacon, onion, garlic, and peas are often added; an icon of Chamorro culture.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Rice-banke

Diced pumpkin and rice boiled together, optionally with coconut milk; served warm as a side dish; one of the dishes TasteAtlas lists for Marshall Islands; a simple, comforting dish that combines imported rice with local pumpkin; the coconut milk adds richness when used.

🇬🇺Guam

Spam Musubi

Spam musubi pairs grilled luncheon meat with seasoned rice and a nori band, making a compact hand-held snack.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Sweet Potatoes & Fried Bananas

Boiled sweet potatoes fried with unripe bananas in butter or coconut oil; served as a side dish; one of the dishes TasteAtlas lists for Marshall Islands; a simple, comforting side that combines two important starchy staples; the contrast between sweet potato and green banana is distinctive.