Tonga

🇹🇴Tonga

Banana and Coconut Pudding

Vai siaine

Ripe bananas gently cooked in coconut milk until soft and pudding-like, a simple Tongan dessert that can be served warm after a feast.

🇹🇴Tonga

Coconut Flour Porridge

Heu heu

Tongan heu-heu is a soft porridge made by cooking flour with water and boiled coconut milk, producing a smooth, gently sweet preparation.

🇹🇴Tonga

Cooked Young Coconut

Vei halo

Young coconut cooked with its coconut water, traditionally baked in an umu until the flesh becomes tender and dessert-like.

🇹🇴Tonga

Faikakai Tōpai

Soft flour dumplings boiled until tender and covered with lolo, a dark caramelised sauce made from sugar and coconut cream.

🇼🇸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.

🇬🇵Guadeloupe

Guanábana (Soursop)

Guanábana

A Panamanian tropical soursop fruit, eaten fresh or in juices and desserts

🇺🇸Hawaii, United States

Hawaiian Coconut Pudding

Haupia

A firm coconut pudding thickened with arrowroot or cornstarch, traditionally cut into chilled squares and served at Hawaiian and wider Polynesian gatherings.

🇵🇬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), 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.

🇹🇴Tonga

Papaya in Coconut Milk

Vai lesi

Ripe papaya cooked gently in coconut milk until tender, a warm fruit dessert traditionally served at Tongan celebrations.

🇼🇸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.

🇹🇴Tonga

Puaka Tunu

Puaka tunu is pork roasted or grilled until the outside browns and the centre stays juicy, often served at a Tongan feast with root crops.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan 'Otai

'Otai

A chilled Polynesian fruit drink made in Tonga with grated watermelon or other fruit, shredded coconut, coconut water, and sometimes sugar.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Devilled Clams

Devilled clams

Tongan devilled clams are lagoon clams cooked with onion, chilli, and warm spices, then served hot as a briny, lightly fiery coastal dish.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Elili

Elili

Sea snails gathered from Tonga's reefs and tidal areas, eaten fresh or prepared as a small, briny island delicacy.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Feke

Feke

Tongan feke is octopus or squid grilled or simmered with onion, chili, and coconut cream, then served with yams or green bananas.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Hoi Yam

Hoi

Hoi is a Tongan pudding of cooked root crop and coconut, sweetened and steamed until dense and smooth.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Ika Lolo

Ika lolo

Fish cooked in coconut milk or cream, commonly served with taro, breadfruit, sweet potato, or another starchy Tongan side.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Kapisi

Kapisi

Kapisi is cabbage cooked with coconut, onion, and seasoning, sometimes enclosing a savoury filling; it is a soft Tongan vegetable dish.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Kapisi Pulu

Kapisi pulu

Cabbage leaves hold corned beef, onion, tomato, and coconut cream in a foil or banana-leaf parcel that is baked in an umu or household oven.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Keke

Keke

Round balls of sweet dough mixed with flour, sugar, water, and coconut milk, then deep-fried as a Tongan bakery and market snack.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Kelevi Ika

Kelevi ika

Kelevi ika is fresh fish fried or grilled and served with a savoury coconut gravy containing onion, garlic, and island seasoning.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Limu

Limu

Edible seaweed gathered from Tonga's coastal waters and eaten as a salty relish or side, with Caulerpa among the commonly consumed types.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Lo'i Hoosi

Lo'i hoosi

Shredded or diced horse meat cooked with onion, salt, and coconut cream, a special-occasion dish with roots in Tonga's modern food history.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Lu Ika

Lū ika

Fresh fish mixed with onion and coconut cream, wrapped in taro leaves, and baked in an umu or oven as a delicate seafood lū parcel.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Lu Puaka

Lū puaka

Fresh pork, onion, and coconut cream wrapped in young taro leaves and cooked slowly in an umu, the pork fat enriching the soft leaf parcel.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Lu Pulu

Lū pulu

Corned beef, onion, tomato, and coconut cream wrapped in young taro leaves and slow-baked in an umu or oven until the leaves become silky.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Lu Sipi

Lū sipi

Lamb or mutton wrapped in taro leaves with onion and coconut cream, then slow-cooked in a foil parcel or underground umu until the meat is tender.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Ota Ika

'Ota 'ika

Raw tuna, snapper, or another fresh fish briefly marinated in lemon or lime, then mixed with coconut milk, tomato, cucumber, onion, and chilli.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Sapasui Pulu

Sapasui pulu

Sapasui pulu is Tongan noodles cooked with corned beef, onion, and vegetables, absorbing the savoury juices into a soft, springy dish.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Tukumisi

Tukumisi

Tukumisi is the Tongan name for sea urchin, especially the soft edible roe gathered from reef and shoreline waters.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan U'o

U'o

U'o is the Tongan name for lobster, a reef shellfish valued for firm, sweet flesh in coastal meals.

🇹🇴Tonga

Tongan Whole Roasted Chicken

Moa kakato

Moa kakato is a whole roasted Tongan chicken, seasoned and cooked until tender for family meals, celebrations, or feast tables.

🇹🇴Tonga

Umu

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