“Ono” Hawaiian Food
What the heck is “’ono” Hawaiian food? Well, the Hawaiian word ‘ono means delicious or tasty (there’s another ono Hawaiian word, but later on that), so that’s what this post is all about; delicious Hawaiian food.
If you’re on your first (or even second) jaunt to Hawaii, Hawaiian style food is probably still pretty much a muddled subject to you. Mostly, because there’s a lot of myth and misunderstanding about the food of Hawaii. Much of this comes from the menu mix of traditional Hawaiian, Asian, Filipino, and Portuguese recipes.
So, in the interest of clarity, I’m offering the following ….
Traditional Hawaiian Food
Poi (poy) Made from the thoroughly cooked, mashed, corm of the Taro (Kalo in Hawaiian) plant. Traditionally, Poi is not mixed with other foods, and is eaten by twirling one or two fingers (never three; greedy, eh?) in a bowl of Poi, then popping what’s collected in the mouth. OK, in modern times, not so much, but it is usally offered as a side dish. I’m a slob, and I like to mix it with my rice.
Kalua pig (kah loouh …. hey, you know how to pronounce pig) Traditionally, and the only authentic kalua pig is cooked in an underground oven called an imu. The heat source is hot rocks, and much of the unique flavor comes from salt, and wet banana and ti leaves. So, you folks who go to a lu’au where the pig is cooked in a pit are treated to the real deal, no matter how much other imitation stuff is going on. (Note: The word kalua literally means "to cook in an underground oven" and also describes the flavor of food cooked that way).
Lu’au Thoroughly steamed young Taro leaves … also what a festive event is called. A very popular party dish is lu’au steamed with coconut milk and some kind of fish, meat or fowl. “Eh, you like squid lu’au?“
Laulau (think “bow wow“ …only with L’s) Lau is the Hawaiian word for leaf, so laulau is two leaves. This is a handy little food package consisting of a single portion of meat (usually pork) and butterfish wrapped in lu’au (taro leaf), then wrapped in ti leaf … the aluminum foil of the Pacific. Then the whole package is thoroughly steamed. When served, you unwrap the ti leaf and set it aside … please, please don’t eat the ti leaves. You wouldn’t eat aluminum foil, right? Many local people sprinkle little bit “peppah watah” on.
‘Uala (Hawaiian purple sweet potato) You’ll find this tasty tuber at lu’aus, and most places where they serve “Hawaiian plate.“ This is an ancient food item, and it is believed that it was brought to central Polynesia circa 700 AD, possibly by Polynesians who had traveled to South America and back (or vice versa), and spread across Polynesia to Hawaii.
Limu (seaweed) This is such a big category it would take several posts just to touch on the highlights. Suffice it to say that native Hawaiians … as well as most of the prominent local cultures of Hawaii … have enjoyed limu as part of their basic diet for literally thousands of years. It’s eaten in raw, cooked and dried form, and is very nutritious.
Fish …….Whew! this is getting kinda long. I’ll finish up with my usual, then return midweek with another post on the “ono” foods of Hawaii. Some recipes, too.
News Flash: Running out of ideas for that November ‘09 vacation? To get inspired Check this out.
Fun Facts About Hawaii: As such, in the State of Hawaii there are no governments below the county level. So, don’t look for the City Hall in Hilo.
Any questions? Please leave a comment.
Aloha a hui hou