Links for research:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesia#Island_groups
http://www.pbs.org/wayfinders/polynesian.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesia
http://www.gayot.com/travel/features/hawaii/hawaiian_fish.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_culture
http://www.coffeetimes.com/may98.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesian_navigation
http://www.gayot.com/restaurants/menusavvy_hawaiian.html
http://critiki.com/
Main Polynesia
- American Samoa
- Cook Islands
- Easter Island (called Rapa Nui in the Rapa Nui language)
- French Polynesia
- Tahiti
- Bora Bora (also known as the "Pearl of the Pacific")
- Marquesas Islands
- Society Islands
- Tuamotu Islands
- Gambier Islands
- Austral Islands
- Bass Islands
- Hawaii
- New Zealand
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- Pitcairn Islands
- Samoa
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Wallis and Futuna
- Rotuma
Cook Islands cuisine
- ika mata = raw fish
- a favorite main course of the Cook Islands
- maororo- flying fish
- is served with coconut cream & cooked root vegetables like taro, kumara, breadfruit or boiled green bananas
- Coconut, fish, cassava, taro & tropical fruits are the basic ingredients in most Cook Island meals. Ground ovens are used to slowly cook traditional foods. Meat is not common. People of the Cook Islands also use salt, onions, garlic and some acidic ingredients. (http://foodhistory.pbworks.com/w/page/12799485/Polynesian)
Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions:
Special occasions are marked by a feast called an umukai(literally "food from the oven"). Meat is the main dish, supplemented with ika and potato salad. Kava, made from the root of the pepper plant, is a traditional ceremonial drink. It is nonalcoholic but can be consciousness-altering. Christian missionaries virtually eliminated the drink from the islands; today, the word "kava" is used for any alcoholic beverage. (
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Cook-Islands.html)
Cook Islanders are known for their hospitable and generous, if somewhat reserved, nature. When invited to someone's home, it is customary to bring a small gift for the host. Upon returning from a voyage, travelers are greeted with a garland of flowers placed around their necks; they are seen off the same way before departures.
(
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Cook-Islands.html#ixzz2R1oya9rg)
Tahitian Cuisine
National Tahitian dish is poisson cru, which is raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk. Fish is the main staple of the Tahitian diet. Fish is often marinated in
coconut milk before it is baked or grilled. Poisson cru is a very
popular dish that consists of raw fish marinated in limejuice that is
often served in a salad. Many dishes also include chicken, pork, sweet
potatoes, breadfruit, rice, local fruit and vegetables such as papaya,
mangoes, pineapples, bananas and fafa, which is a type of spinach. Other ingredients are tomatoes, onion, cucumber, carrot and pepper. Local pork is also a common ingredient in Tahitian recipes. The national Tahitian drink is a beer called Hinano. (
http://www.tahititours.com/food.html)
Chevrettes (freshwater shrimp) are also popular in Tahitian dishes and are found throughout the Tahitian islands. The Tahitian dessert that is most popular is called po'e. It's a pudding made with taro root and flavored with banana, vanilla, papaya or pumpkin and topped with a coconut milk sauce. Another dessert is called kato, which are similar to biscuits and are made with coconut milk. Local coffee is flavored with locally-grown vanilla or fresh coconut cream. (
http://www.lighthousetravel.net/Tahitian_Food.html)
Most food is cooked in traditional pit ovens, called ahimaa, which are made by digging a hole in the ground. Stones are placed in the pit and heated by fire. Banana leaves are used to wrap the food and are then thrown onto the hot stones. They are covered by dirt and left to bake for several hours. The traditonal feast is called tamaaraa.
Moodboard:
My proposed restaurant will be a blend of Hawaiian, Tahitian and French Polynesian cuisine that will feature local seafood, pork, fruits and vegetables. The name is yet to be determined. I finally found a few decent websites with some useful lists of Hawaiian words (
http://hawaiian-words.com/basics/common/- this one has pronunciations;
http://tony.tran.tripod.com/Hawaiian_phrases.htm;
http://www.mauimapp.com/moolelo/hwnwdshw.htm;
http://www.thetahititraveler.com/general-information/society/language-in-tahiti/). A search for Tahitian words was less successful but I did at least find something I could use.
Folklore/mythology:
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hawaiiki.html
http://www.windows2universe.org/mythology/polynesia_culture.html
