Fijian cuisine facts for kids

Fijian cuisine is a delicious mix of foods from the land and sea. For a long time, native Fijians have eaten a lot of root vegetables like cassava, taro, and yams, along with coconuts. These foods have been important for thousands of years!

Since Fiji became part of the British Empire, new foods like rice, flour, and tea became common. People from India and China also brought their own amazing dishes, which have added even more flavor to Fijian cooking.

Fijian food is famous for its fresh seafood and leafy greens. One popular green is called Bele, which is like spinach. Another is Ota, a forest fern that's eaten when it's young.

In many Fijian homes, you'll find a mix of traditional Fijian, Indian, and Chinese foods.

Breakfast often includes things like bread, cereal, milk, tea, and eggs. But you might also see local favorites like roti (a type of flatbread) with curry, or boiled taro with fish soup.

Lunch in villages is usually simple. It might be a starchy food like steamed cassava or taro, served with a soup and sweet tea. Indian-Fijian families often eat rice, dhal (lentil soup), and a meat or vegetable curry. In cities, some young people are starting to enjoy Western fast foods too.

Dinner is often a bigger meal, sometimes with meat. People make stews, soups, curries, or stir-fries. A special way to cook dinner is called a lovo, which is like an earth oven. These meals are usually served with a simple salad and rice or root vegetables.

Many Fijian dishes also use foraged items like wild herbs and forest ferns. Herbs like coriander and mint add great flavor to both sweet and savory foods.

Tinned foods are also popular in pantries. Favorites include tinned mackerel, sardines, tuna, baked beans, and corned beef.

Special Feasts: The Lovo

The lovo is a very special way of cooking in Fiji. It's like a big underground oven! Food is wrapped in leaves and placed on hot stones in a pit in the ground. Then, the pit is covered with earth and sacks, and the food cooks for several hours.

For a lovo, meats are often flavored with soy sauce, garlic, chili, and ginger. Fish might be steamed in taro leaves with onions, garlic, chili, and coconut milk. This dish is called Fish-in-lolo.

Another common lovo item is palusami. This dish is made with young, tender taro leaves, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, chili, lime juice, and salt. Sometimes, corned beef, mutton, or fish is added. Palusami is a very popular dish, just like rourou, which is a similar taro leaf dish.

Root vegetables like yams, cassava, and taro are the main starchy foods cooked in a lovo. Preparing a lovo takes many people, which makes it a very special and important event.

Snacks and Desserts

Snacks and desserts are common in Fiji and are often eaten between meals, like for morning or afternoon tea.

Some popular snacks include pies filled with custard, pumpkin, or pineapple. Steamed puddings are also common. These puddings are often made with coconut cream, caramelized sugar, flour, and baking powder. They are steamed for an hour or two. Sometimes, cinnamon or raisins are added for extra flavor.

Desserts made with cassava are also very popular. One way to make them is by grating cassava, adding sugar, wrapping it in banana leaves, and then steaming it.

• Purini: This is a Fijian-style steamed pudding, similar to British puddings.
• Vakalolo: A delicious cassava pudding flavored with spices like ginger and cardamom. It's often shaped into small pancakes, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed.

Important Ingredients

Staple Foods

Taro and coconuts for sale in Nadi

• Taro: This starchy root vegetable is very important for special occasions. It tastes a bit like artichokes and is a good source of fiber.
• Cassava (tavioka): This is the most common root crop grown and eaten in Fiji today. It's usually boiled in salt water until it's soft and eaten with stews and curries.
• Kumala (sweet potato): Sweet potatoes were brought to Fiji from Papua New Guinea. They are easy to grow and are now the cheapest root crop. Many people eat them in soups, stews, or curries.
• Breadfruit (uto): Another important staple food, but it's only available during certain seasons. Many village homes grow breadfruit trees.
• Rice (raisi): Indian immigrants brought rice to Fiji, and it's now grown for families to eat.

Vegetables

• Taro leaf (rourou): The leaves of the taro plant are very important for Fijian communities. They are used in daily meals and also for special ceremonial dishes like palusami.
• Bele (Abelmoschus manihot): This is a very nutritious green leafy vegetable that grows in almost every home. Bele leaves are full of vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, and Vitamin A and C. They also have high levels of folate, which is important for pregnant and nursing women.
• Amaranthus (tubua): Another common vegetable eaten in many homes. People also eat the leaves of pumpkin, cassava, and sweet potato plants.

Coconut

Coconuts are very popular with Fijians and grow in most coastal areas. Coconuts are used for many things, not just food!

Popular Dishes

Main Dishes

• Fish Suruwa: A Fijian-style fish curry.
• Kokoda: This is a delicious raw fish dish. The fish is marinated in fresh lemon or lime juice, which "cooks" it. Then, coconut milk, diced tomatoes, chilies, and salt are added.
• Lovo: A traditional Fijian way of cooking food underground on hot rocks. Meats, fish, and vegetables are wrapped in leaves and cooked for hours.
• Palusami: Parcels made with taro leaves, filled with thick coconut cream, onions, salt, and sometimes canned meat.
• Rourou: A stew made from taro leaves.

Desserts

• Purini: A Fijian version of a British steamed pudding.
• Vakalolo: A sweet cassava pudding flavored with spices like ginger and cardamom.

Drinks

Kava/Yaqona

Kava (also called Yaqona) is a very important drink in Fiji, especially for men before dinner. It's made from the powdered roots of the yaqona plant. The powder is put into a cloth, and water is added to squeeze out the juice. When you drink it, your tongue might feel a bit numb!

Kava is not just a Fijian drink; it's popular in many other Pacific islands too. It has a special cultural meaning and is often used as a peace offering during Fijian gatherings.

Changes in Eating Habits

Over time, eating habits in Fiji have changed. People are eating more processed foods that are high in sugar and salt. These foods are easy to find and cheaper. This change has led to more people having health issues like obesity and diabetes.

However, traditional Fijian foods are still very important and are especially enjoyed during special occasions. Studies show that many children drink sugary drinks every day and don't eat enough fruits and vegetables.

Fast Food

Since the late 1990s, both local and international fast food restaurants have opened in Fiji. You can find places like McDonald's, Burger King, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.