Talk:Cuisine of Hawaii/Temp

The following content is paraphrased, not directly quoted, so it can be copied into the article exactly as it appears or altered depending on your preference. —Viriditas | Talk 05:03, 20 November 2007 (UTC)

Traditional Oceanic cuisine

This is not exactly ancient, but more of a general perspective of oceanic cuisine.

Oceanic cuisine is based on starch foods (such as breadfruit, yams, sweet potatoes, taros, etc.) with a side dish of leafy greens or vegetables. Seafood and seaweed are often eaten, and sometimes chicken or another kind of meat. Deserts are eaten only during feasts, and fruit is considered a snack food. Children and adults may nibble on sugar cane for sweets. Coconut milk is used for cooking everything, and coconut meat is used in relishes, entrees, and in deserts. The water of the coconut is a common drink, consumed directly from the nut. Cooking is usually done by women. Food is often boiled in a container filled with coconut milk or sea water. Items may also be steamed in the leaves of the taro, banana, breadfruit, or ti plants. Bivalves may be cooked in their shells, whle smaller fish and other animals cooked in leaves. Larger pieces of meat, such as fowl and pigs, may be cooked in earth ovens, or spitted over a fire, often for ceremonial feasts. Fish can be eaten raw or cooked, and raw fish may often be "cooked" with acidic marination. (Brennan, 2000, 3-5)

Pre-contact diet

(Adams, 2006, p.90-92)

Until contact was established with the West in the 18th century, beef, chiles salt salmon, bean threads, rice, refined sugar, and wheat were unknown to Hawaiians. The word lu'au wasn't even used until 1856, replacing the Hawaiian words for 'aha'aina and pa'ina.

Foods eaten often:

• Kalo (taro, the corms and leaves)
• 'uala (sweet potato)
  • The presence of the sweet potato in the Hawaiian diet is very interesting and may be relevant to further discussion concerning pre-Columbian_trans-oceanic_contact and current research in this area. —Viriditas | Talk 12:45, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
• 'ulu (breadfruit)
• fruits
  • niu (coconut)
  • mai'a (banana)
• seafood

Condiments:

• pa'akai (salt)
• ground kukui nut
• limu (seaweed)
• ko (sugarcane) - as a sweet and medicine

Foods eaten not as often:

• pua'a (pork
• moa (chicken)
• 'ilio (dog)

Pre-contact meat

• Wild pig (Sus scrofa papuensis) (Brennan, 2000, p.283)
  • Most (Pacific) Islands had no meat animals (not including bats and lizards) so Polynesians sailed the Pacific with pigs as cargo, and the role of pigs in Polynesian society became valuable over time, as possessions and symbols of wealth, forming the basis of an inter-tribal currency of exchange. Polynesians in ancient times raised pigs for religious sacrifice, and the meat was offered at altars, some of which was consumed by priests, the rest eaten in a celebration of orgiastic feasting.(Brennan, 2000, p.135-138)
• Hawaiian Goose ( probably Branta sandvicensis but source doesn't specify) (Brennan, 2000, p.139)
• Hawaiian Duck (need exact species) (Brennan, 2000, p.139)
  • Some species of land and sea birds were consumed into extinction. (Brennan, 2000, p.139)

Modern Hawaiian luau

(Brennan, 2000, p. 249)

Oceanian feast - Polynesian Hawaiian style

• Kalua pork
• Laulaus (leaf-wrapped fish and pork bundles)
  • Laulaus are typically leaf-wrapped packets of fish and meat. They may be substituted for kalua pig at a Hawaiian feast or poi dinner. They are similar to Samoan or Fijian palusami, but do not contain coconut milk. In Hawaiian cuisine, laulaus are double wrapped, first in taro, then ti leaves. Traditionally, laulaus are filled with a mixture of different kinds of meat such as Boston pork butt, beef chuck, salted salmon, and salted butter-fish.(Brennan, 2000, p. 116)
• Kamano lomi (Lomi salmon)
• Haupia (Coconut lu'au desert)

Kamaaina food

We can use this tidbit to introduce the modern "Pacific Rim cuisine" and "Hawaii Regional Cuisine" subsection prior to the part about the well-known Hawaiian chefs:

The first restaurant in Honolulu is thought to have been opened in 1849 by a Portuguese man by the name of Peter Fernandez. Situated behind the Bishop & Co. bank, the establishment was known as the "eating house" and was followed by other restaurants, such as Mrs. Leon Dejean's "Parisian Restaurant" at the corner of Hotel and Fort Streets. (Rea & Ting, p. 30)

I'm trying to establish that fine dining has a long history in Hawaii:

In 1872, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel opened on Hotel Street, and as one of the most refined hotels in the Pacific, it catered to a wealthy and esteemed clientele. The Royal Hawaiian dining room served items on par with the best restaurants in Europe, with an 1874 menu offering dishes such as mullet, spring lamb, chicken with tomatoes, and Cabinet Pudding. (Rea & Ting, p. 48)

Agircultural diversity by the middle of the 19th and early 20th centuries was more diverse than today:

By the middle of the 19th century, agricultural production was diverse throughout the islands, with Hawaii producing and exporting wheat, rice, and potatoes. (Adams, 2006, p.38) In 1856, wheat was ground into flour by the Hawaiian Flour Co. on East Maui, while figs and melons were grown in Lahaina. On the Big Island, salt meat and irish potatoes were raised in Kawaihae, and arrowroot in Hilo. (Adams, 2006, p.9) Island markets carried a variable supply of locally grown fruits and vegetables, and when those weren't available, islanders maintained personal gardens and still foraged in the wild. (Adams, 2006, p.38) As the population steadily grew and with it the tourism industry, food demand exceeded local production; the shipping industry began to import most of Hawaii's food, and this trend continues today. (Adams, 2006, p.38)

Ethnic food

Diaspora of the Chinese, Japanese Portuguese, Korean, Filipino, and Southeast Asian people led the development of ethnic foods in Hawaii, with most ethnic groups workting together on plantations.

Local food

Spam

Hawaiians are the second largest consumers of Spam in the world, right behind Guam. In 2005, Hawaiians consumed more than five million cans of Spam.(Adams, 2006, p.58-59) As documented by reporter Rick Carroll, local dishes use Spam in a variety of ways: in saimin, fried rice, stir-fry with cabbage, mashed with tofu, in cold somen, in baked macaroni and cheese, in chutney for pupu, as sandwich meat with mayo, baked with guava jelly, and in classic form, as a key ingredient in breakfast, fried with eggs and rice. Spam musubi, a slice of sweet and salty marinaded Spam tied to a cake of rice with a strip of nori, became popular in the 1980's. Author Ann Kondo Corum attributes the creation of Spam musubi to Mitsuko Kaneshiro, founder of Michan's Musubi. (Adams, 2006, p.58-59)

Pastries and breads

Portuguese immigrants came to Hawaii from the Azores in the late 19th century, bringing the recipe for malasadas, an eggy doughut containing milk or cream. In Europe, malasadas were eaten as treats on Shrove Tuesday, the day before fasting began for Lent. (Laudan, 1996, pp. 94-95) With Japanese immigration, the andagi, an Okinawan doughnut, also become popular in Hawaii. Businessman and Japanese-American baker Robert Taira (whose parents are Okinawan) came up with a winning recipe for Portuguese Hawaiian sweet bread in the 1950s. Starting with only $500, Taira began to commercially produce the bread in Hawaii, and it became successful in Honolulu bakeries and coffee shops, with plant production expanding to California and South Carolina. By the 1980s, Taira's company was grossing $20 million annually. (Laudan, 1996, p. 134)

Seafood

• Wrasse or Sandfish (Lepidaplois bilunulatus or L. modestus) ('a'awa) (Laudan, 1996, p. 265-276)
• Limpet (Cellana exarata, C. sandwichenis) ('opihi) (Brennan, 2000, pp. 271-273)
  • Were once given a lomi in salt and eaten raw; modern prep. marinates in shoyu (Brennan, 2000, pp. 271-273)
• Mantis Shrimp (Harpio squilla) ('alo 'alo) (Brennan, 2000, pp. 271-273)
• Parrotfish (Scarus sp.) (uhu) (Laudan, 1996, p. 265-276)
• Saltwater eel (Anguilliformes) (Brennan, 2000, pp. 271-273)
  • Only species of eel eaten by ancient Hawaiians. Salted and dried before broiling or steaming in an imu, wrapped in ti leaves. Hawaiian ali'i "considered eels more choice than wives". (Brennan, 2000, pp. 271-273)
• Goatfish (Mullidae sp.) (weke) (Laudan, 1996, p. 265-276)
• Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) ('ahi) (Laudan, 1996, p. 265-276)
  • Used by ancient Hawaiians on long ocean voyages since it is well preserved when salted and dried

Sea vegetables

(Brennan, 2000, pp.267-270)

• Green algae (Enteromorpha prolifera) spp. (Limu 'ele 'ele)
• Red algae (Asparagopsis taxiformis) (Limu kohu)
  • Gracilaria coronopifolia (Limu manauea) and G. parvispora (Ogo Nori)
  • Laurencia nidifica (Limu mane'one'o)
    • "Chili pepper seaweed" - traditionally used as relish in poke
• Porphyra vietnamensis (Limu pahe'e)
• Sea Grape (Caulerpa racemosa)
• Sea lettuce (Ulva expansa, and U. fasciata) (Limu palahalaha)

Vegetables, fruits, and nuts

(Brennan, 2000, pp.252-267)

• Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
• Candle Nut (Aleurites moluccana) or Kukui
  • Roasted kernels traditionally used as candles; main ingredietn in the ancient Hawaiian condiment, 'inamona
• Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
• Polynesian Arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides) or pia plant
  • Primary thickener. Cooked arrowroot is mixed with papaya, banana, or pumpkin in baked deserts. Haupia, a Hawaiian coconut cream pudding, uses pia as a thickener.
• Taro (Colocasia esculenta)
  • A popular and ancient plant that has been harvested for at least 30,000 years by natives in New Guinea. Hawaiians mash the puree into poi. Leaves are called lu'au (Hence the feast name? Seems to be true, but need verification. —Viriditas | Talk 13:52, 21 November 2007 (UTC))
• Ki (also Ti) (Cordyline fruticosa)
  • After distillation technique came to Hawaii, the root of the ti was turned into liquor called 'okolehao
• Winged Beans (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)

Contemporary use of earth oven

I just wanted to point out that the description of the ancient Hawaiian use of the imu holds for contemporary use as well. I think it would help to state that the practice hasn't changed. There's a chapter called "The Traditional Lu'au Feast" in Philpotts Great Chefs of Hawaii (2004) that illustrates the modern practice in extensive detail, with Sam Choy directing the operation. It will make a great addition to this section. We should think about splitting it out of the Ancient times section into a subsection of its own as the practice has barely changed over the centuries. Also, the section makes it seem like Hawaiians only cooked with an imu, which I think is incorrect considering the intensive labor required. —Viriditas | Talk 23:41, 20 November 2007 (UTC)