 | |
| Country or region | Samoa |
|---|---|
| National dishes | Panipopo |
| National drink | Kava, Koko |
| See also | Polynesian Chinese cuisine |
{{Culture of Samoa}}
Samoan cuisine (Samoan: Meaʻai Samoa) is the culinary traditions and practices of Samoa. The cuisine has mostly been influenced by the indigenous Samoan people, with colonialism of the islands in the early 20th century introducing German and later, British influences as well as Chinese who came as indentured labourers to work in the plantations. It shares many overlaps with American Samoan cuisine.
History
The Samoan islands were first settled 3500 years ago by Austronesian seafarers known as the Lapita, the historic ancestors of the Polynesians and modern day Samoans. The Lapita introduced several varieties of plants and animals to Samoa.
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Ingredients
Starches and staples
Starches make up one of the cornerstones of Samoan food. Historically, the Samoans cultivated numerous fruit and root crops that formed the basis of their meals, the most common being taro (talo), breadfruit (ʻulu) and plantains (faʻi). Other starches that were eaten include yams (ufi), sweet potato (ʻumala), arrowroot (masoa) and giant taro (taʻamu) with giant swamp taro (pulaʻa), elephant foot yam (teve) and kudzu (aʻa) being eaten in times of famine.[1][2]
Fruits, nuts and vegetables
In contrast to western perception, fruits weren’t an important component of the Samoan diet; they were eaten on a more casual basis.
Seafood
Meat
While not eaten as much as fish, meat still made up an important part of the Samoan diet. Pork had the highest prestige of all foods and was served in great quantities at feasts.[3][4]
Seasonings
Samoans traditionally used very few seasonings in their food. The ones used primarily was salt water, sugar collected from the root of ti and sap from sugarcane and fermented coconut juice. Certain leaves like noni and ginger were also wrapped around food to impart flavour during cooking. The root turmeric was used in traditional cooking, but it’s preparation was limited to certain puddings.[5]
Dishes
Main courses
- Chop suey (Sapasui) – .
- Chow mein (Siaumegi) - Chinese noodle dish.
- Coconut rice (Alaisa faʻapopo) – Rice cooked in coconut milk.
- Egg foo young (Falai fuamoa) – A Chinese omelette dish.
- Lū'au - Taro leaf stew.
- Moa fa'asaina – A Chinese influenced chicken dish, often served on coconut rice.
- Oka i'a – A raw fish dish.
- Palusami – Parcels made from taro leaves containing fillings, usually coconut cream.
- Umu – An Earth oven that cooks food underground on hot rocks, found throughout Oceania.
- Vaisalo - Coconut porridge thickened with starch.
Breads and pastries
- Cha siu bao (Keke puaʻa) – A steam bun containing a meat filling.
- Fa'apapa – A dense bread made with coconut.
- German bun – A deep-fried doughnut containing jam filling.
- Keke saina – A savoury Chinese influenced biscuit.
- Masi saina – Coconut shortbread biscuit.
- Paifala – Pastry filled with pineapple custard.
- Panipopo – Sweet bread rolls covered in coconut sauce.
Desserts
- Koko alaisa – Chocolate rice pudding.
- Piasua – A jelly-like dessert that involves cooking coconut water and starch together and leaving to set.
- Poi – Mashed bananas served with coconut milk.
- Puligi – A Polynesian pudding, based on British steam puddings.
- Vātia - Pudding made from coconut cream and arrowroot.
Drinks
- Kava (ʻava) – A traditional soporific beverage. Kava is consumed as part of a social activity throughout many cultures of the Pacific and forms the basis of the ʻAva ceremony.
- Koko – A block of solidified Cacao nibs , usually prepared as a hot drink.
- Otai – A fruit-based coconut drink found in other parts of Western Polynesia. In Samoa, Otai refers specifically to the drink made from ambarella fruit. Otherwise, it is commonly known as Vai.
