This week I present the second edition in my series looking at the Cook Islands. In volume 8 I discussed the location and origins of the Cook Islands people.
This week I will talk about a topic most people love, the food of the Cook Islands.
VOYAGES AND FOOD
Anyone that has ever met a person of Pacific Island origin can attest to their love and passion for food. Islanders are big eaters and if you ever met them they are usually very big people. A diet that for thousands of years consisted of natural vegetables, fruits, and fish that allowed them to be relatively healthy has gradually been replaced by a diet highly processed and loaded with sugar. The effects can be seen across the Pacific today with increasing rates of heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol. These days it is easy to forget the foods of the past. What are the traditional foods of Pacific Islanders and in particular the people of the Cook Islands? How did some of these foods reach the islands?
Today I will look into some of these questions.
All across the Pacific, the concept of food is crucial. Living in the middle of the Pacific Ocean the search for and maintenance of food is crucial for survival. Without it, it’s game over. Around one to two thousand years ago after long journeys across the Pacific, the voyagers must have been relieved to see not only land but also abundant fishing resources and land untouched and ripe for cultivation.
Some common questions raised are
What did they eat on these voyages? What kind of food was available?
The Polynesians preserved most of the meals they would need for a long canoe voyage by drying or fermenting either raw or cooked food. Compact, light, nutritious, and almost spoilage-free, the voyagers' diet would have consisted of fish and other marine organisms, bananas, sweet potatoes, yams, breadfruit, taro, pandanus flour, and other regional favorites. For the beginning of the voyage, there would have been a number of fresh food items-sweet potatoes, yams, taro, breadfruit, drinking coconuts, bananas and sugar cane.1
It seems the voyagers had an abundance of supplies but there must have been times when due to mishaps or extended periods desperation would set in amongst the people due to lack of food or water. During my research for this newsletter, some historians believe they even managed to cook at sea.
A hearth lined with stone, coral and sand and fueled by coconut husk and shell enabled the voyagers to cook at sea. Water was carried in gourds and sections of bamboo and stored along with drinking coconuts wherever space or ballast needs dictated. If a canoe encountered or could seek out a rain squall, water supplies could be supplemented by collecting water as it ran off the sail; if water was critically short people could temporarily subsist on the moisture found in the flesh of freshly caught fish, turtles, sharks2
A very creative idea especially while spending extended periods of time at sea. Although panic might set in if there was an accident on board. All my years of learning about the voyages of the Pacific it’s my first time to learn they had some kind of heat/cooking system aboard. Quite astounding!
Taking these trips across the extensive ocean it must have been quite the preparation and logistics operation getting ready for these trips. How did they supplement meat sources other than fish? There must have been a hunger for poultry and fresh meat?
Floating zoos, Polynesian voyaging canoes carried pigs, chickens, and dogs which were intended as breeding stock for a new settlement, though they could also be eaten if stores dipped perilously low. Rats were sometimes uninvited passengers and may have occasionally provided an emergency meal.3
An image from the Polynesian Voyaging Society. This group recreated a trip from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976 and 1980 following ancient routes using vessels and materials as close as possible to their ancestors.
It’s hard to imagine these floating zoos and the stocks and provisions available as they crossed the vast ocean looking for a new home. Somehow it seemed to work.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TARO
Like many islands across the Pacific, Cook Islanders have a large emphasis on starchy vegetables such as Taro, Kumara ( sweet potato), Coconuts, Breadfruit, Papayas, and many more. Any mealtime in the Pacific has these core foods. Similar in importance to rice in Asia or beans in other countries. After so many years in South Korea, it still surprises me when I see Taro plants that look exactly like the ones I’ve seen in the Cook Islands. It makes me always wonder why are they here? Did they come from here? What was the process that allowed them to be transported across the ocean?
Taro plants near my house in South Korea.
All across the Pacific islands, you are bound to see endless plantations of Taro growing in the swampland. Without it, I wonder if survival would be possible. It’s such an essential element of daily life I can only compare it to the necessity of rice in Asia or Cassava in Central and South America. Although these days the younger generations are finding it more convenient to buy bread or other products rather than put the effort into planting more Taro. It has and always will remain a part of life.
An example of a Taro plantation in the Pacific.
Taro is very versatile in that we can eat the root, stalk, and leaves. This plant is very rich in fiber, vitamins (A, C, E), and minerals (calcium, iron). However, it must be cooked very well to remove needle-like crystals of oxalate that can burn your throat or give you an itchy feeling. There are two main parts that are eaten. The root is boiled and is a supplement that replaces potatoes or bread. With a grey color, it has a plain taste and is almost unnoticeable. Although, a friend once mentioned to me, “sweeter than a potato but not as sweet as a sweet potato.”
In South Korea, the only time I have seen Taro being eaten is throughTaro bubble tea that is served at cafes. It’s quite tasty but I wonder how they use the Taro plants? Where is the rest of the Taro? A few years ago I even saw an advert from Mcdonald’s promoting Taro Pie similar to the famous hot Apple Pie. I have to admit the idea didn’t work it had a dense texture and was overloaded with sugar.
An example of cooked Taro.
The second option is cooked leaves that resemble a kind of spinach in appearance. Called Rukau (Roo ko) in the Cook Islands it’s mixed with Coconut cream and sometimes onions this is a delicacy amongst the locals. In Samoa, there is a dish called Palusami (PAW-loo-SAW-mee) which seems to be Taro leaves in Coconut cream that might be similar.
WHAT ARE POPULAR DISHES IN THE COOK ISLANDS?
In the Cooks Islands, there are numerous dishes to try. In fact, so many that I won’t be able to cover them in this edition. However, I can choose 3-4 of my favorite dishes and hopefully, someday you can give them a try.
The dishes I will briefly cover today are
Rukau: (Roo Ko) = Coconut cream, salt, and onions are mixed together with mashed taro leaves.
Ika Mata:(eeka ma-ta) = Raw fish salad.
Umukai: (ooo moo kai) = “food from the oven” and as such, the meal is cooked in an oven that has been dug out of the earth called an umu.
Mayonnaise: Famous pink potato salad from the Cook Islands.
1)Rukau: (Roo Ko) = Coconut cream, salt, and onions are mixed together with mashed Taro leaves.
Earlier I mentioned Rukau: (Roo Ko) which is a kind of mashed Taro leaves with coconut cream, onions, etc. Quite enjoyable!
Next on the list is my favorite dish and if you get a chance I recommend giving it a try.
2) Ika Mata:(eeka ma-ta) = Raw fish salad.
This dish is made up of raw fish that has been marinated in lemon juice (or a mix of vinegar, oil, and salt) and is served with onion and coconut cream. The choice of fish can be any but many people like to use Tuna. It might be similar in appearance and texture to Ceviche. At first appearance, it seems a bit strange to be eating this raw fish concept but the secret is the usage of lime/lemon juice that seems to “cook” the fish. Another secret of this dish is to let the cubes of fish marinate in the lime juice in your refrigerator for a period of 30 minutes or longer. You won’t regret it!
You can find this dish throughout the Pacific.
This brief video describes the process.
3) Umukai: (ooo moo kai) = “food from the oven”, cooked in an oven that has been dug out of the earth.
This is a traditional feast held on special occasions. Umukai literally means “food from the oven” and as such, the meal is cooked in an oven that has been dug out of the earth. Sometimes simply called “Umu” for short. The oven is filled with firewood and basalt rocks and a grill made of banana wood is placed over the hot stones. Meat, fish, and vegetables are then wrapped in banana leaves and put in the oven. The oven is covered and is left to cook for around three hours. This method of cooking is very elaborate and time-consuming, but well worth the wait.4
The length of time in the oven is of utmost importance. It’s possible to leave it a bit longer than three hours but too long will result in burning your family lunch and major headaches with relatives.
4) Mayonnaise (Mainaise) = Famous pink potato salad from the Cook Islands.
For those of you looking for a calorie bump and tasty goodness, this salad is definitely a winner.
A combination of Potatoes, eggs, beetroot, mixed veggies, and of course a lot of Mayonaise. This dish is a favorite at mealtimes and events. Just be prepared for the food coma.
