Cuisine of Hawaii

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For other uses, see Hawaiian cuisine (disambiguation).

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The cuisine of Hawaii incorporates five distinct styles of food, reflecting the diverse food history of settlement and immigration in the Hawaiian Islands.[a]

In the pre-contact period of

Native Hawaiians settled the area, they fished, raised taro for poi, planted coconuts, sugarcane, sweet potatoes and yams, and cooked meat and fish in earth ovens.[1]

After

lomilomi salmon
.

As pineapple and sugarcane plantations grew, so did the demand for labor, bringing many immigrant groups to the Islands between 1850 and 1930. Immigrant workers brought cuisines from

Philippines, Puerto Rico and Portugal
after arriving in Hawaii, introducing their new foods and influencing the region.

The introduction of new ethnic foods, such as Chinese Cantonese

malasadas, Puerto Rican pasteles, and the Japanese bento
, combined with the existing indigenous, European and American foods in the plantation working environments and the local communities.

This blend of cuisines formed a "

Hawaii regional cuisine" in 1992, a style of cooking that makes use of locally grown ingredients to blend all of Hawaii's historical influences together to form a new fusion cuisine
.

History

Pre-contact period

Main article:
Native Hawaiian cuisine
See also: Ancient Hawaii
Colocasia esculenta
, was brought to Hawaii by the Polynesians

When

canoe plants, mainly for food.[3] The most important of them was taro.[4]

For centuries taro, and the poi made from it, was the main staple of their diet, and it is still much loved today. In addition to taro the Polynesians brought sweet potatoes. These are believed to have come from Polynesian contact with the New World.[5]

The

candlenuts (known in Hawaiian as kukui nuts), and sugarcane.[6] They found plenty of fish, shellfish, and limu in the new land.[3] Flightless birds were easy to catch and nests were full of eggs for the taking.[3]

Most

Pacific islands had no meat animals except bats and lizards, so ancient Polynesians sailed the Pacific with pigs, chickens and dogs as cargo.[7] Pigs were raised for religious sacrifice, and the meat was offered at altars, some of which was consumed by priests and the rest eaten in a mass celebration.[7]

The early Hawaiian diet was diverse, and may have included as many as 130 different types of seafood and 230 types of sweet potatoes.[8] Some species of land and sea birds were consumed into extinction.[9]

Kukui
foliage, flowers, and nut (candlenut) was brought to Hawaii by Polynesians.

kukui nutmeats, sea salt and sometimes mixed with seaweeds, often accompanied the meals.[10]

At important occasions, a traditional feast, ‘aha‘aina, was held. When a woman was to have her first child, her husband started raising a pig for the ‘Aha‘aina Mawaewae feast that was celebrated for the birth of a child. Besides the pig, mullet, shrimp, crab, seaweeds and taro leaves were required for the feast.[11]

The modern name for such feasts,

lū‘au, was not used until 1856, replacing the Hawaiian words ‘aha‘aina and pā‘ina.[12] The name lū‘au came from the name of a food always served at a ‘aha‘aina, young taro tops baked with coconut milk and chicken or octopus
.

Prior to cooking, pigs and dogs were killed by strangulation or by holding their nostrils shut, in order to conserve the animal's blood.[13] Meat was prepared by flattening out the whole eviscerated animal and broiling it over hot coals, or it was spitted on sticks.[13] Large pieces of meat, such as fowl, pigs and dogs, would be typically cooked in earth ovens, or spitted over a fire during ceremonial feasts.[14][13]

Hawaiian earth ovens, known as an

imu, combine roasting and steaming in a method called kālua. A pit is dug into the earth and lined with volcanic rocks and other rocks that do not split when heated to a high temperature, such as granite.[15] A fire is built with embers, and when the rocks are glowing hot, the embers are removed and the foods wrapped in ti, ginger or banana leaves are put into the pit, covered with wet leaves, mats and a layer of earth. Water may be added through a bamboo
tube to create steam.

The intense heat from the hot rocks cooked food thoroughly—the quantity of food for several days could be cooked at once, taken out and eaten as needed, and the cover replaced to keep the remainder warm.

Saltwater eel was salted and dried before being put into the imu.[16] Chickens, pigs and dogs were put into the imu with hot rocks inserted in the abdominal cavities.[10]

Men did all of the cooking, and food for women was cooked in a separate imu; afterwards men and women ate meals separately.[c] The ancient practice of cooking with the imu continues to this day, for special occasions.[17]

Post-contact period

Hawaiian man pounding taro to make poi. Taro plants can be seen growing behind him

In 1778, Captain

longhorns from California were presented to King Kamehameha I.[19][20]

With no

natural predators, the new cattle multiplied out of control; the king hired an American man named John Parker to capture and domesticate cattle.[20]
Many of the cattle were butchered and beef was introduced to Hawaiian cuisine.

In 1813,

Don Francisco de Paula Marin,[21]
a Spanish botanist and advisor to King Kamehameha I.

Although grape vines were introduced by Captain Vancouver around 1792, Marin is credited with the first Hawaiian vineyard in 1815 and planting the now rare Mission grape variety.[22] Marin also brewed the first beer in 1812,[23] and planted the first coffee crop in 1817, but his plantings failed.[24] Marin, called "Manini" by the Hawaiians, experimented with planting oranges, limes, beans, cabbages, potatoes, peaches, melons, maize and lettuce.

By the late 19th century, pineapple and sugarcane plantations owned and run by American settlers took over much of Hawaii's land, and these two crops became the most important sources of revenue for the Hawaiian economy.[25]

Ethnic foods

As the plantations of the

ethnic group
wanted its food in workplaces, and farms and grocery markets were established.

The Chinese immigrants brought

stir fry, sweet and sour, and dim sum dishes in the islands,[26] and replaced poi with rice, adding their herbs and spices.[25] Chinese rice growers imported familiar fish varieties from Asia to stock local streams and irrigation ditches.[27]

bibimbab or mixed rice with seasoned vegetables, namul, sweet and spicy gochujang and bulgogi topping also became an integral part of Hawaiian cuisine.[28]

Hawaiian shave ice, believed to have been introduced to Hawaii from Japan by Japanese immigrants who ate kakigōri

The

malasada.[4] Whalers brought in salted fish, which ultimately became lomi-lomi salmon.[15]

The Japanese brought bento and sashimi, and, although many of their vegetable seeds would not grow in the climate of the islands, they succeeded in making tofu and soy sauce.[4] The homes of Japanese immigrants lacked ovens, so their cooking relied on frying, steaming, broiling, and simmering, leading to the popularization of tempura and noodle soups in Hawaii.[26]

By the early 20th century, the Japanese were the largest ethnic group and rice became the third-largest crop in the islands.[30]

meat turnovers.[26]

Filipinos reached Hawaii in 1909, bringing peas and beans, the adobo style of vinegar and garlic dishes, choosing to boil, stew, broil, and fry food instead of baking, and eating sweet potatoes as a staple besides rice.[26]

Samoans arrived in 1919, building their earth ovens above ground instead of below like the imu, and made poi from fruit instead of taro.[26]

After the

lemongrass, fish sauce and galangal, popular in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.[26]

Territorial period – statehood

See also: List of restaurants in Hawaii
Waikīkī
.

The first restaurant in Honolulu was opened in 1849 by a Portuguese man named Peter Fernandez. Situated behind the Bishop & Co. bank, the establishment was known as the "eating house" and was followed by other restaurants, such as Leon Dejean's "Parisian Restaurant" at the corner of Hotel and Fort Streets.[32]

In 1872, the

cabinet pudding.[33]

The massive pineapple industry of Hawaii was born when the "Pineapple King",

Hawaiian Pineapple Company was the largest in the world.[4]

In 1905,

Territorial Governor of Hawai'i
, promoted increasing local agricultural production, saying that "there was a time when Hawaii supplied California with flour, also potatoes and other vegetables. Now California produces her own and sends part of the surplus here."

Newspaper editorials of the time also questioned why locally-grown guavas were rotting on the ground while agribusiness was planting non-native pineapples in Hawaii. These concerns were not addressed until almost a century later, when the regional cuisine movement began encouraging the food industry to "grow local, buy local, and eat local."[34]

Since the 1970s, pineapples have been grown more cheaply in

squash, tomatoes, chili peppers and lettuce.[4]

From 1978 to 1988, chefs who came to Hawaii would avoid Hawaiian-grown ingredients like their European counterparts, preferring to ship everything in from the U.S. mainland, or as far away as Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.[35]

While eating out was not as prevalent as it is now, local eateries began to establish themselves starting in the 1960s.

a la carte items at an okazuya (Japanese "deli").[36] Some were even mobile, affectionately known as manapua vans selling small dim sum-like treats long before food truck culture became the trend in the 21st century.[37][38]

Japanese-American baker

King's Hawaiian Bakery, was grossing US$20 million annually.[29]

Hawaii regional cuisine

Seared ahi and wasabi beurre blanc sauce

Hawaii regional cuisine refers to a style of cooking and the group of chefs who developed it and advocated for it as a distinct Hawaiian fusion style. The cuisine draws from local ingredients (including seafood, beef and tropical foods), and is a fusion of ethnic culinary influences.[39]

The cuisine style was developed by a group of twelve chefs: Sam Choy, Philippe Padovani, Roger Dikon, Gary Strehl, Roy Yamaguchi, Amy Ferguson Ota, Jean-Marie Josselin, George Mavrothalassitis, Beverly Gannon, Peter Merriman, Mark Ellman, and Alan Wong.[35]

The development of Hawaii regional cuisine was a coordinated effort to move away from ingredients shipped over long distances and preparations that copied continental recipes even when they were not well suited to conditions in Hawaii.[40][41] Rather, the group hoped to promote locally sourced ingredients in the hospitality industry while simultaneously informing the world about cuisine in Hawaii.

The goal of the group was to link local ranchers, fishermen and farmers with chefs and business in the hospitality and restaurant industry to develop Hawaii regional cuisine as a reflection of the community.

They took uninspired international and continental hotel cuisine based on imported products and recipes from the mainland and replaced them with dishes and a cuisine based on locally grown foods.[6]

This founding group of chefs worked to publish the 1994 cookbook by Janice Wald Henderson, The New Cuisine of Hawaii. These chefs also sponsored a cookbook to be sold for charity.[42]

Contemporary times

The continued popularity of Hawaii in the 21st century as a tourist destination has helped spawn Hawaiian-themed and Hawaiian cuisine restaurants in the contiguous United States such as Ono Hawaiian BBQ[43] and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. Its popularity is also reaching Europe, with the restaurant POND Dalston opening in 2014 as first New Hawaiian Cuisine in the United Kingdom.[44] There are also many Hawaiian-made specialties such as Lilikoi açaí bowls from places like Ono Yo on the North Shore of Oahu. There are also branded items such as

Mauna Loa macadamia nuts. Sugarcane producer Alexander & Baldwin
continues to operate and has diversified into other businesses.

Dole Food Company is based in Hawaii and still has a pineapple operation on Oahu. Maui Land & Pineapple Company ceased production in 2009. Some of its assets and employees are involved in the Haliʻimaile Pineapple Company startup and Kapalua Farms organic pineapple operation was taken over by Ulupono Sustainable Agriculture Development with backing from Pierre Omidyar. Beer producer Kona Brewing Company and the Volcano Winery
are active.

Local eateries include the Zippy's chain. Foodland Hawaii is a grocery chain. There are also distinctive and historic business operations such as Kanemitsu Bakery, Helena's Hawaiian Food,[45] Common Ground Kauai,[46] Anna Miller's, Nisshodo Candy Store,[47] Maui Tacos and Waiʻoli Tea Room & Bakery at Salvation Army Waiʻoli Tea Room.

Roy Yamaguchi's Roy's and various cookbooks promoting Hawaiian regional cuisine have also helped popularize Hawaiian cuisine and Hawaiian fusion cuisine.

Ingredients

Vegetables, fruits and nuts

Hala, the fruit of the Pandanus tectorius tree
  • Taro (Colocasia esculenta)—a popular and ancient plant that has been harvested for at least 30,000 years by indigenous people in New Guinea.[48] There are hundreds of varieties of taro, and the corm of the wetland variety makes the best poi,[4] as well as taro starch or flour. The dry-land variety has a crispy texture and is used for making taro chips. The smaller American variety is used for stewed dishes.[4]
  • Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Candle nut
    (Aleurites moluccana) or kukui—roasted kernels traditionally used as candles, main ingredient in the ancient Hawaiian condiment, 'inamona
  • Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
  • Polynesian arrowroot (Tacca leontopetaloides) or pia plant—cooked arrowroot is mixed with papaya, banana, or pumpkin in baked desserts; haupia
    , a Hawaiian coconut cream pudding, uses it as a thickener.
  • Ti (
    laulau
    .
  • Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)
  • Jicama

Spam

Spam musubi, a fusion of Japanese onigiri that uses fried Spam. Although it looks like sushi, the rice is prepared without vinegar/seasoning. Spam was brought to Hawaii with American GIs and popularized on the islands. Spam musubi was developed in the 1980s

The

Hormel company's canned meat product Spam has been highly popular in Hawaii for decades. Per capita, Hawaiians are the second largest consumers of Spam in the world, right behind Guam.[49] Originally brought to Hawaii by American servicemen in their rations,[50] Spam became an important source of protein for locals after fishing around the islands was prohibited during World War II.[6] In 2005, Hawaiians consumed more than five million cans of Spam.[49]

Spam is used in local dishes in a variety of ways, most commonly fried and served with rice. For breakfast, fried eggs are often served with spam.

stir fried with cabbage.[49]

It is added to saimin and fried rice, mashed with tofu, or served with cold sōmen or baked macaroni and cheese.

It is also used in chutney for pupus, in sandwiches with mayonnaise, or baked with guava jelly.[49] Spam musubi, a slice of fried Spam upon a bed of rice wrapped with a strip of nori, is a popular snack in Hawaii which found its way onto island sushi menus in the 1980s.[49]

Beef

In the 19th century, John Parker brought over Mexican cowboys to train the Hawaiians in

paniolos
.

Cattle ranching grew rapidly for the next 100 years. In 1960, half of the land in Hawaii was devoted to ranching for beef export, but by 1990 the number had shrunk to 25 percent.

broiled before serving.[53] With the influence of Asian cooking, beef strips are commonly marinated in soy sauce.[52]

When beef is dried in the sun, a screened box is traditionally used to keep the meat from dust and flies. Dried meat could often be found as a relish or appetizer at a lū‘au.[52]

Fish and seafood

See also: List of Hawaiian seafood
Poke
bowl, Maui, Hawaii
maui onion
, soy sauce, sesame oil, sea salt, chili pepper

albacore tuna
(tombo).

Ahi in particular has a long history, since ancient Hawaiians used it on long ocean voyages because it is well preserved when salted and dried.

poke
.

The

dolphin fish (mahimahi) is usually cut into steaks and fried or grilled. The moonfish (opah) is used for broiling, smoking
, or making sashimi.

kukui nut
, and sea salt were traditionally used for the Hawaiian poke.

Since first contact with Western and Asian cultures, scallions, chili peppers, and soy sauce have become common additions to it.[56]

Poke is different from sashimi, since the former is usually rough-cut and piled onto a plate, and can be made with less expensive pieces of fish.[57]

During the early 1970s, poke became an

appetizer to have with beer or to bring to a party.[58]

Spices

Showing the island's Asian influence, common Asian spices include five-spice powder from China, wasabi and shoyu (soy sauce) from Japan, and bagoong from the Philippines.

Dishes

Main article: List of Hawaiian dishes
A loco moco plate lunch, with fried saimin and macaroni salad

Drinks

  • kava bars
    have experienced some popularity in Hawaii, with commercial kava plantations on Maui, Molokai, Kauai, and Oahu.

Alcoholic beverages

Historically,
growlers are now available. The Maui Brewing Co.[62] is the largest Hawaiian packaged beer brewer.[23] (see also List of breweries in Hawaii
).

See also

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on

Notes

a. ^ Food historian Rachel Laudan (1996) on four distinct types of food plus a new, fifth type known as "Hawaiian Regional Cuisine" (HRC) that began in 1992. Because HRC was so new at the time of Laudan's book, she only briefly touches upon it: "I came to understand that what people in Hawaii eat is a mixture of four distinct kinds of food, introduced at distinct periods, but now all coexisting. The first three reflect the three diasporas that have terminated in Hawaii: the great marine diaspora of the Pacific Islanders that probably reached the Hawaiian Islands sometime in the third century A.D..; the European voyages of discovery that finally came upon the Islands in the late eighteenth century; and the long migration of the Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Koreans, Filipinos, and lately, Southeast Asians, most of whom came to work on the plantations. From these diverse traditions, a fourth, an East-West-Pacific food, is now being created, known in the Islands as Local Food.[63] [...] But there is another cuisine in the Islands that attracts attention, Hawaii Regional Cuisine...[it] was created by forces quite different from those that drive Local Food...although the forces creating Hawaii Regional Cuisine and Local Food were different, their current cross-fertilization can be nothing but mutually beneficial, creating a firm regional base for the cuisine of the restaurants and increasing sophistication for the cuisine of the home and the street."[64]

b. ^ The early settlement history of Hawaiʻi is not completely resolved. One theory is that the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaiʻi in the third century from the Marquesas and were followed by Tahitian settlers in 1300 AD who conquered the original inhabitants. Another is that there was an extended period of contact but not necessarily for a Tahitian invasion.[65]

c.

mana, which was thought to be blurred by both sexes handling the same food. In addition, some foods were forbidden to women, such as pork, certain kinds of fish and most types of bananas.[10]

References

  1. ^ Orr, Kathy. "About Hawaiian Foods and Ancient Food Customs". Hawaii.edu.
  2. ^ Laudan 1996, pp. 173-175,
  3. ^ a b c Laudan 1996, p. 216.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Nenes 2007, p. 478.
  5. ^ "Gardening at the Edge: Documenting the Limits of Tropical Polynesian Kumara Horticulture in Southern New Zealand" Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, University of Canterbury
  6. ^ a b c d Nenes 2007, p. 479.
  7. ^ a b Brennan 2000, pp. 135–138.
  8. ^ Adams 2006, pp. 90–92.
  9. ^ Brennan 2000, p. 139.
  10. ^ a b c d e Kane 1998, p. 53.
  11. ^ Choy & Cook 2003, pp. 12–13.
  12. ^ Pukui & Elbert 1986, pp. 214.
  13. ^ a b c Schwabe 1979, p. 171.
  14. ^ Brennan 2000, pp. 3–5.
  15. ^ a b Choy & Cook 2003, p. 16.
  16. ^ Brennan 2000, pp. 271–273.
  17. ^ Corum 2000, p. 3.
  18. ^ HRHAS 1850, pp. 45–46.
  19. ^ Loomis 2006, p. 8.
  20. ^ a b c Barnes 1999, pp. 27–28.
  21. ^ Paul & Chen 2003, p. 253.
  22. ^ Miller, Bazore & Robbins 2002, p. 30.
  23. ^ a b Adams 2007, The Honolulu Advertiser
  24. ^ Miller, Bazore & Robbins 2002, pp. 25–26
  25. ^ a b Nenes 2007, p. 477.
  26. ^ a b c d e f Henderson 1994, p. 18.
  27. ^ Gabaccia 2000, p. 66.
  28. ^ Poet Paul Lee's commentary for this article, May 14, 2008
  29. ^ a b Laudan 1996, p. 134.
  30. ^ Laudan 1996, p. 5.
  31. ^ Corum 2000, p. 194,
  32. ^ Rea & Ting 1991, p. 30.
  33. ^ Rea & Ting 1991, p. 48.
  34. ^ Adams 2006, p. 10
  35. ^ a b Henderson 1994, p. xvi
  36. ^ "All About Okazuya In Hawaii". Onolicious Hawaiʻi. 3 September 2020.
  37. ^ Allen, Kevin (2 October 2018). "The Search for the Mysterious and Beloved Manapua Man". Hawaii Magazine.
  38. ^ Aki, Jacob Bryan (31 October 2019). "A Eulogy For Kalihi's Manapua Man: Thank You For Your Service". Honolulu Civil Beat.
  39. ^ Hawaii Regional Cuisine 2009 Lonely Planet Kauai page 247
  40. ^ Oahu Restaurants and Dining with Honolulu and Waikiki by Robert Carpenter, Cindy Carpenter page 35
  41. ^ Hawaii Restaurant Guide 2005 - Page 33 https://books.google.com/books?isbn=193175232X
  42. ^ Laudan 1996, p. 7.
  43. ^ "Home". Ono Hawaiian BBQ: Aloha in Every Bite. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  44. ^ "London's first New Hawaiian restaurant is opening in Dalston | dalstonist". Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  45. ^ "Helena's Hawaiian Food | Serving great Hawaiian food since 1946!". www.helenashawaiianfood.com. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  46. ^ "Home". commongroundkauai.com. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  47. ^ "Nisshodo Candy Store". index.html. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  48. ^ Brennan 2000, pp. 252–267.
  49. ^ a b c d e f Adams 2006, pp. 58–59.
  50. ^ Kulick & Meneley 2005, p. 187.
  51. ^ Miller, Latham & Flynn 1998, p. 83.
  52. ^ a b c Adams 2006, p. 98.
  53. ^ Choy & Cook 2003, p. 63.
  54. ^ a b c Nenes 2007, p. 480.
  55. ^ Laudan 1996, pp. 265–276.
  56. ^ Piianaia 2007, Waimea Gazette
  57. ^ Nenes 2007, p. 485.
  58. ^ Long 2003, pp. 116.
  59. ^ Top 10 Hawaiian food to try Archived 2022-10-31 at the Wayback Machine Fodor's
  60. ^ Brennan 2000, pp. 230–231.
  61. ^ a b Schindler & Schindler 1981, p. 14.
  62. ^ "Maui Brewing Company". Maui Brewing Company. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  63. ^ Laudan 1996, p. 3.
  64. ^ Laudan 1996, pp. 7–8.
  65. ^ Kirch 2001, p. 80.

Bibliography

External links
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