polynesia
Explore 30 foods connected to Tuvalu, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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The local shortlist
10 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
30 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
Outer Islands (Nanumea / Nanumaga / Niutao / Nui / Vaitupu / Nukufetau / Nukulaelae / Niulakita), Tuvalu
Tuvaluan banana fudge uses grated green bananas combined with toddy or yeast and flour, wrapped in leaves, and baked into a dense fermented sweet.
Tuvalu
Tuvaluan coconut-banana fritters combine mashed banana, flour, cornstarch, shredded coconut, and sugar, then fry into crisp-edged snacks.
Samoa
Fa'ausi
Samoan fa'ausi is baked taro or breadfruit covered with dark caramel and coconut cream, creating a sticky, rich dessert served warm.
New Caledonia
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.
American Samoa
Faikakai
Samoan coconut dumpling dessert; dough dumplings boiled or steamed and drenched in coconut caramel sauce; sweet, sticky, and coconut-rich; similar to kopai but with a different texture; a traditional celebration dessert; served warm; the dumpling dessert of Samoa.
Tuvalu
Fakapapa is beaten cooked pulaka, pounded until smooth and served as a soft Tuvaluan root preparation alongside coconut or fish.
Outer Islands (Nanumea / Nanumaga / Niutao / Nui / Vaitupu / Nukufetau / Nukulaelae / Niulakita), Tuvalu
Tuvaluan fakapulu is a dense bread made from flour, toddy, and coconut, wrapped in pandanus leaves and cooked for portable storage.
Tuvalu
Octopus simmered in creamy coconut milk with aromatic spices (onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin); a Tuvaluan dish that combines local octopus with introduced spices; the coconut milk gives richness and the spices add depth; often served dish at feasts and local eateries.
Tuvalu
Tuvaluan fekei is grated pulaka mixed with coconut cream, wrapped in leaves, and steamed into a dense starchy parcel shared across the islands.
Outer Islands (Nanumea / Nanumaga / Niutao / Nui / Vaitupu / Nukufetau / Nukulaelae / Niulakita), Tuvalu
Fekei utanu combines mashed coconut sprout with flour and toddy syrup, wraps the mixture in leaves, and cooks it with coconut cream.
Fiji
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
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.
Funafuti, Tuvalu
Kafalu is a soft sweet bread or bun sold at Funafuti markets, made from flour with coconut or sugar and baked until lightly browned.
Tuvalu
Kakai is a banana-and-coconut pudding cooked until thick and spoon-soft, with the ripe fruit giving the Tuvaluan sweet its natural flavour.
Tuvalu
Sweet sap collected from coconut flower spathe; used as a sweetener in cooking or drunk fresh; described as tasting 'like honey'; a crucial traditional sweetener before imported sugar; collected daily by climbing coconut trees and tying a coconut shell cup to the cut flower stalk.
Outer Islands (Nanumea / Nanumaga / Niutao / Nui / Vaitupu / Nukufetau / Nukulaelae / Niulakita), Tuvalu
Kao is fermented coconut toddy made by leaving fresh kaleve to ferment into a cloudy, mildly alcoholic Tuvaluan drink.
Fiji
Raw white fish cured in lime juice until opaque, then dressed in thick coconut cream with tomato, onion and chilli and served in a coconut shell.
Solomon Islands
Coconut cream squeezed by hand from freshly grated flesh, the fat that carries almost every Fijian dish.
Fiji
Meat, fish and root crops wrapped in banana leaf and buried over fire-heated stones for several hours, then dug out and unwrapped at the table.
Tuvalu
Flying fish caught at night with lights; a traditional Tuvaluan fishing method; used in ika mata and other dishes; the fish are attracted to lights and caught with nets; a prized catch that is eaten fresh or dried; an important protein source across all islands.
Fiji
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.
Funafuti, Tuvalu
Tuvaluan papa is a dense coconut cake made from grated coconut and sugar, then steamed or baked into a moist snack or dessert.
Solomon Islands
Coconut cream custard thickened with cocoyam starch (or cornflour), cooled and served in chunks; a traditional Solomon Islander dessert; the cocoyam gives a smooth, silky texture distinct from gelatin-based custards.
Tuvalu
Kofuga Pulaka
Pulaka is giant swamp taro (Cyrtosperma merkusii) grown in composted pits below an atoll's freshwater lens; the cooked corm is a starchy food-security crop that may be carried or served in a woven basket.
Tuvalu
Solomei is a Tuvaluan breadfruit preparation, cooked and mashed or pounded with coconut into a soft, starchy vegetable dish.
Tuvalu
Talo tokotokoi is baked taro mashed and covered with sweetened coconut cream, producing a soft starchy dish for Tuvaluan community gatherings.
Tuvalu
Tulolo is beaten pulaka or breadfruit covered with thick coconut cream, a rich Tuvaluan preparation associated with outer-island tables.
Tuvalu
Tuvaluan coconut tuna is fresh tuna cooked with coconut milk, onion, and island aromatics until just tender; the sauce is rich but the fish stays in flakes.
Tuvalu
Fausi
Local bread made from flour, toddy (as sugar substitute), and coconut; a traditional Tuvaluan bread that uses toddy instead of imported sugar; the toddy gives a distinctive caramel-like sweetness; a practical bread that uses local ingredients; also a Samoan dish name for a banana-coconut dessert.
Tuvalu
Ika Mata
Tuvaluan ika mata is fresh tuna or flying fish cured in citrus and mixed with coconut cream, cucumber, onion, and bell pepper before serving chilled.