Bucket List Foods: Oceania
Bucket Lists don't always have to be for places, so here is another food bucket list. This one is specifically for South America. I found 11 foods this time, obviously these are not the only food available but these are the ones that jumped out at me. This is the final post in the Bucket List Foods Series.
Kiwi Bread from New Zealand
This New Zealander sweet bread is made with a combination of ripe kiwi, eggs, oil, lemon peel, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and baking soda. The kiwis are mixed with sugar and lemon peel, then boiled before being combined with eggs, oil, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. The mixture is poured into a loaf pan, then topped with icing (consisting of powdered sugar and lemon juice) before baking. The bread doesn't have a strong flavor because the kiwis lose some of their tartness after being cooked. Once baked, kiwi bread should be moist, with a nice citrus tang coming from the icing.
Firi Firi from French Polynesia
Firi firi is a Tahitian fried dough infused with coconut milk. It is a typical breakfast meal in French Polynesia. The dough is typically made with flour, sugar, coconut milk, yeast, water, and a pinch of salt, and then pieces of it are deep-fried in hot oil until nicely colored and crispy. Often referred to as Tahitian donuts, firi firi are traditionally formed into a figure-eight, but they are also often made into dough strips. Firm, crispy, and with a mild coconut flavor, this sweet fried pastry is best eaten warm, either dusted with sugar or accompanied by fruit jams and a cup of coffee or hot chocolate on the side. Firi firi is also eaten as a dessert and is a common street food item.
Saksak from Papua New Guinea
These small, rectangular-shaped dumplings come from the coastal regions of Papua New Guinea. They are made with sago (sometimes substituted with cassava) and mashed bananas, and the combination is then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled in coconut milk. If banana leaves are unavailable, aluminum foil is a worthy substitute. The dumplings are typically consumed for lunch or dinner.
Donug from Australia
Created in Australia by a Scottish businessman named Crag Carrick, donug is a big chicken nugget shaped into a circle, so that it looks similar to a doughnut. It is covered in cornflakes and panko crumbs, then deep-fried. Donugs come with three optional sauces – hot chili sauce, cheesy Dijon bechamel, or golden Japanese curry enriched with mozzarella. Carrick wants to make this unusual food hybrid available worldwide, and judging by recent viral posts on social media, he seems quite likely to succeed.
Panipopo from Samoa
Panipopo is the national dish of Samoa, a unique dessert consisting of buns baked in a sweet and sticky coconut cream sauce. The buns are typically served in shallow bowls spooned over with more sauce, accompanied by a hot beverage on the side, preferably Samoan cocoa. These treats can be consumed the following day by simply reheating them for a few minutes.
Tasmanian Scallop Pie from Australia
Dating back to the 19th century in Hobart, Tasmanian scallop pie is a savory treat consisting of fresh Tasmanian scallops that are smothered in curry sauce and tucked into puff pastry, which is then baked to perfection. This classic pie has been traditionally prepared in seaside bakeries throughout the state, and it uses freshly plucked Tasmanian scallops hailing from the East Coast of the state. The curry sauce contains ingredients such as finely diced carrots, onions, potatoes, celery, and corn kernels, and it is seasoned with a variety of spices such as cumin, coriander, and fenugreek. Piping hot scallop pie is usually enjoyed with a side of chips, a salad, and a glass of fine Tasmanian lager beer. This seafood specialty can only be savored in cafes and restaurants in the state when it’s scallop season, but it is usually available in bakeries throughout the whole year.
Barramundi Cod from Marshall Islands
Barramundi cod is a fish specialty of Marshallese cuisine that is considered one of the national dishes of the islands. A whole fresh barramundi cod is seasoned, then tightly wrapped within banana leaves and baked until thoroughly cooked. The leaves allow the fish to retain its moisture and delicate flavor - often described as sweet and buttery - while at the same time imparting a pleasant fragrance of the banana leaf to the dish. The fish can be accompanied by traditional rice balls known as chukuchuk, sweet potatoes, and a fresh salad. Banana-leaf barramundi cod is offered in numerous restaurants on the islands.
Pineapple Lumps from New Zealand
This New Zealander confectionery product known as Pineapple Lumps is made by covering a soft and chewy pineapple center with a chocolate coating. The sweet treats were first made in the 1950s by Charles Diver, a confectionery chef at the Regina Confectionery Company. Although they were first called Pineapple Chunks, the name changed in the 1960s to Pineapple Lumps in order to be more recognizable.
Oka i'a from Samoa
Oka i'a is a Samoan dish consisting of raw fish, usually fresh tuna that is marinated in lemon juice and coconut cream, then served in chunks with onions. The combination of these ingredients makes for an extremely healthy, flavorful, and unique fish salad. There are numerous variations on the dish, so some people like to add chopped chili peppers, coriander, parsley, and even lemon slices into the salad.
Laplap from Vanuatu
Laplap is the national dish of Vanuatu, made by pounding various roots such as taro, yam, or breadfruit into a dough which is cooked in an underground oven called uma with wild spinach leaves, coconut cream, and pieces of chicken, pork, or corned beef. Leaves from the lap-lap plant are usually wrapped around the whole concoction and tied with vine strands. After about 3 hours, laplap is ready to be consumed, preferably served hot and eaten as soon as possible.
Poisson Cru from French Polynesia
Poisson cru is a Tahitian national dish that consists of raw tuna, lime juice, various vegetables, and coconut milk. It is also known as ia ota or e'ia ota, which means raw fish. The dish is prepared by briefly marinating tuna in lime juice, and then coconut milk is added to mellow its acidity. For a more authentic dish, fresh coconut meat is wrapped in cloth, and the milky juice is then squeezed over the fish and vegetables. Poisson cru is sweet, refreshing, and exotic, and can be found almost anywhere in Tahiti.
Hope you enjoyed today's post. Are any of these foods going to end up on your bucket list? Which ones?
All food descriptions and most pictures come from TasteAtlas.com
