Must-eat local delicacies during your vacation to Hawaii

Is Hawaii Islands your dream destination? Do you want to experience all that this tropical paradise has to offer? Then you surely need to plan a vacation to Hawaii and visit Honolulu, its capital city, soon to sample the diverse culture, tradition, and of course, Hawaiian cuisines.

While soaking up Hawaii’s one-of-a-kind cultural mix, let us explore extensively the unique quality and flavors of delectable Hawaiian cuisines. Like its cultural diversity, the traditional dishes of Hawaii are characterized by a hodgepodge of European, Polynesian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese influences. Here are some of the local delicacies that you shouldn’t miss savoring during your Hawaiian sojourn.

Poke

Have you ever heard of Japanese sashimi (raw fish)? When in Hawaii you can look forward to savoring ‘Poke’, which is the Hawaiian version of Japanese sashimi. The Japanese prefer to slice the fish thin. However, Poke is mostly served in bite sized hearty cubes. Ahi (tuna) is the most common type of fish you will find being served as Poke. Apart from this, there are many kinds of fresh saltwater fish as well served as Poke. The raw fish is first cut into chunks and seasoned with a splash of soy sauce, sweet Maui onions, Hawaiian sea salt, and sometimes some limu (seaweed type of plant). The poke bowl is the latest invention. It comprises of a bowl of rice topped with a heap of poke.

Kalua Pig

The Kalua Pig is a popular Hawaiian pork dish. This special preparation entails placing a whole pig in an underground oven called imu. The pork is roasted slowly for more than 16 hours until it turns out to be extremely tender and retains smoky flavor. The pig is smoked with koa wood, banana leaves and sea salt. It is mostly served over rice and hoisin sauce. However, you will love this mouth-watering, juicy pork dish served with pineapple brown fried rice.

Loco Moco

Loco Moco is the ultimate comfort food, unique to Hawaii Islands. This traditional homemade fast food can be found everywhere across Hawaii. It is however not served in upscale restaurants and hotels. This mountainous meal consists of a heap of white rice topped with a sunnyside-up egg, a hamburger patty, and smothered in gravy. This popular dish can be enjoyed during breakfast, lunch or dinner. Loco Moco originated in Hawaii after World War II.

Poi

Poi is a native Hawaiian dish. It won’t look pretty or mouth-watering at the first instance. However, this paste like purplish dish is indeed delicious. It is essentially made by mashing steamed or baked taro (a root vegetable staple to the earliest Hawaiian settlers) with a stone pestle, and adding water gradually until it turns sticky, smooth and thick. It is mild and slightly sweet in taste, and is often served with pork lau lau as a dipping sauce.

Pork lau lau

The Pork lau lau is at its finest a Hawaiian soul food. This pork dish is made by wrapping fatty pork in taro leaves, and pressure cooked in a steamer oven. It is only eaten after becoming extremely tender. The Pork lau lau is also traditionally cooked in an underground imu oven for several hours. It is often served with sweet potato and salted butterfish. The Pork lau lau is usually served inside the taro leaves, although the leaves should not be eaten. The leaves are only used to keep the flavor and moisture intact, and finally creating intensely succulent and juicy pork.