Oceanic cuisine facts for kids

The region of Oceania on a map.

The cuisines of Oceania are the foods and cooking styles found across the many islands of Oceania. This huge region includes Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and lots of smaller islands.

Because Oceania is made up of islands, seafood is a very important part of the diet. People also eat many vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, taro, and yams. These are the main starchy foods. In the warmer, tropical parts of Oceania, coconut is a key ingredient. People use coconut milk, coconut oil, and coconut sugar in their cooking.

One special way of cooking in Oceania is called the earth oven. This method involves placing food on hot rocks and burying it in the ground. The heat from the rocks cooks the food slowly. This cooking style started in Papua New Guinea and was then shared by Austronesian sailors as they traveled across the ocean.

Australian Food Adventures

Australian food has been shaped by its climate and what grows there. It has also been influenced by people who settled in Australia. When the British first arrived, they brought their own cooking styles. Later, people from many different countries moved to Australia. They brought their delicious Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese recipes.

Food from the Mediterranean region, like Greek, Italian, and Lebanese dishes, is also very popular. Other influences come from French, Indian, Spanish, Turkish, German, and African cooking.

In different parts of Australia, people use local vegetables that are in season. Australia also has large areas where fruits are grown. The famous Granny Smith apple, for example, first grew in Sydney, Australia, in 1868. In the southern states like Victoria and South Australia, especially in the Barossa Valley, the wines and food show the region's history.

Australia's warm weather makes barbecues very common. You can often find stalls selling grilled sausages and fried onions on white bread with tomato or barbecue sauce.

Australian Regions and Islands

• Australian cuisine
  • New South Wales cuisine
  • Northern Territory cuisine
  • Queensland cuisine
  • South Australian cuisine
  • Tasmanian cuisine
  • Victorian cuisine
  • Western Australian cuisine
• Christmas Island cuisine
• Cocossian cuisine
• Norfolk Island cuisine

Melanesian Meals

Melanesia is a region in Oceania with many islands. Each island group has its own unique food traditions.

• Fijian cuisine
• New Caledonian cuisine
• Papua New Guinean cuisine
• Solomon Islands cuisine
• Vanuatuan cuisine

Micronesian Delights

Micronesia is another island region in Oceania. The food here often uses local ingredients like fish, root vegetables, and coconut.

• Gilbertese cuisine
• Guamanian cuisine
• Marshallese cuisine
• Micronesian cuisine
• Nauruan cuisine
• Northern Marianan cuisine
• Palauan cuisine

Polynesian Plates

Polynesian cuisine includes the cooking styles from the many islands of Polynesia. This huge area is often called the Polynesian Triangle. The food changes depending on the climate, geography, and nearby islands. For example, some islands harvest coconut sap to make sugar, while others process Sago starch.

Polynesian food has been influenced by the traditional ingredients and cooking methods of the Polynesians themselves. It has also been shaped by European, Asian, and American cooking styles.

• American Samoan cuisine
• Cook Islands cuisine
• French Polynesian cuisine
• Hawaiian cuisine
  • Native Hawaiian cuisine
• New Zealand cuisine
  • Māori cuisine
• Niuean cuisine
• Pascuense cuisine
• Pitcairn Islands cuisine
• Samoan cuisine
• Tokelauan cuisine
• Tongan cuisine
• Tuvaluan cuisine
• Wallis and Futuna cuisine

Images for kids

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  A cooked Balmain bug. This type of lobster lives in shallow waters around Australia.

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  Bush tucker (bush foods) gathered at Alice Springs Desert Park. These are native plants and animal products used by Indigenous Australians.

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  Granny Smith apples first grew in Australia.

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  Halal snack pack, an Australian fast food dish with doner kebab meat, chips, and sauces.

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  A dish from an Australian restaurant.

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  A fruit dessert dish in an Australian restaurant.

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  Laplap, the national dish of Vanuatu.

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  Paniki in yellow soup.

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  A Hāngi being prepared. This is a New Zealand Māori way of cooking food using hot rocks buried in a pit oven.

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  A Pavlova is a dessert made from meringue. It is a famous dish in Australia and New Zealand.

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  A bowl of Poi, a starchy paste eaten in Eastern Polynesia.

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  Kiwifruit, a well-known New Zealand food.