9 Polynesian Foods to Try at the Polynesian Cultural Center

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Rating: 4.0; Vote: 1

Read the full post: When I was in Hawaii, on the same day as learning how to cook a pig in an imu, kind of a cross between and Hawaiian and Samoan version, I also had a chance to walk around the Polynesian Cultural Center and eat some of the main snacks they offered in what they call the Taste of Polynesia. The Polynesian Cultural Center is a center that aims to preserve the cultures of the main islands of Polynesia. The center is set up in villages, where there are traditional homes, and a series of performances from the country represented. To make things more well rounded, the Taste of Polynesia is basically a series of small snack bars that open and each serve a different set of Polynesian food snacks. We started in the village of Samoa with sausage and gravy over rice, a dish I never would have thought is so popular in Samoa. But due to the British influence I believe, its quite a popular dish. The sausage was simmered in gravy, and paired with rice. The sausage was actually quite good, a little plain, but very good. Also in the Samoa village, we tried a panipopo, basically a bun that was slightly sweetened, and covered in a thick coconut cream sauce. Im not a big desserts eater, but this was alright. The bun was nice and fluffy like a roll, and then the sauce was thick and creamy. Lastly in the village of Samoa at the Polynesian Cultural Center we tried the half-Moon pineapple pie, basically a pastry filled with pineapple insides. Moving on, we continued our Polynesian food tour in Tonga with a dessert snack called Otai. Otai was more of a beverage with fruit. This one was too sweet for me, but it was good if you enjoy sweets and need something cool on a hot day walking around. Next up from native Hawaii, they served a dish called koelepalau, purple sweet potato coconut pudding. This one was probably my wifes favorite. It tasted like sweet potatoes, mashed, and mixed with rich coconut cream. It wasnt too rich or sweet, but had a nice fragrance, and it was quite good. Although this is a Hawaiian dessert, its not too easy to find in Hawaii. Of all the desserts we ate at the Polynesian Cultural Center, my favorite was the poe, from Tahiti, a banana cake topped with coconut cream. The bananas were a little overripe (on purpose, almost to the point where they were slightly candied and just before that fermentation taste. Then they were covered in coconut cream that wasnt sweetened at all. They informed us that there was not sugar in the recipe, just really sweet bananas and coconut milk. It was pretty good, and naturally sweet, and a good contrast of flavors. Over in Fiji I was ready to eat the Fijian chicken curry. I didnt know Fiji had such a big Indian influence, and so I was happy to finally see a dish that had some good flavor to it. The spices in the curry were mild, yet well balanced, and the Fijian curry was my favorite dish of the tour. After the curry, I tried a meat pie from Aotearoa (New Zealand. I dont have too much experience in the meat pie department, but this one was pretty good, filled with meat and cheese. Finally, the last thing I ate at the Polynesian Cultural Center was an egg, bacon & cheese quiche, also from Aotearoa (New Zealand. Read the full blog post: NOTE: I was invited to come to the Polynesian Cultural Center when I was in Hawaii, so I didnt pay for the food or the entrance ticket. But Im not affiliated with the center, and all thoughts and opinions in this video are my own
Date: 2019-08-19

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Comments and reviews: 10

Kahurangi Pahina
I just wanted to say that the pie and quiche is NOT representative of Aotearoa. New Zealand. Our dishes here are food cooked in an earth oven (similar to luau or umu) like diff meats and veges. You get that beautiful smokey flavour and the meat is soft and tender. Seafood is our one of our main foods like fresh kina (Sea Urchin, crayfish, crab, whitebait, eel (cooked many ways, paua (abilone) a bounty of white fleshed fish, mussels, pipi (cockles, bubu's (periwinkles) and oysters. Bluff oysters are by far the best in the country. We do creamed paua, paua fritters and sauteed paua. Whitebait fritters are very popular too. You can go hunting for wild pork and venison as well and have it cooked fresh. We have some of the freshest food and meat and make some awesome wines. If you want to experience culture then Rotorua is the place to go for the cultural experience and a feast. Try whakarewarewa or Mitai-Ngatai village. There are various hunting and fishing expeditions you can do on the North Island or travel down South island too sample some food. We have great wineries where u can sample and eat and we have many food festivals. Theres even a wild food festival and a Bluff oyster festival. Check us out.
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Oriana Eiffe
MARK If you ever see this. I've watched your vlogs for the past 3 months (basically as long as I've had WIFI on in my house lol. one of your vids came up randomly. You, Ying and Micah have been familiar faces in our home daily since. I love seeing all your vlogs, seeing and learning about all the different foods around the world. but was kinda disappointed to see what the Polynesian Centre had to offer for Aotearoa in this vid. If you're ever in NZ, hit me up Would love you all to experience hangi I know you love all things spicy, which we don't really do. but we have more to offer other than meat pies and quiches lol. E-mail orianaeiffehotmail. com chur
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Tracy Bennett
Huh. why are they serving Fijian Indian curry and the New Zealand savory pies that came with British colonization? It's a Polynesian Cultural Center, right? Why not celebrate the Polynesian elements found in Fiji and NZ over the colonialist influence? Fijian taro soup or kokoda along with some traditional New Zealand Maori hangi would be appropriate for demonstrating Polynesian cooking found in these places, certainly more so than serving foods that came with the Crown's arrival on the scene, foods from India and England.
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Rosa Ryan
I know they mean well and trying to show the polynesian food but to be truthfully honest that is not how samoan maori dishes or fijian curry made. You have to actually go to the island itself to taste the realness of the dishes and see how its made. Its like saying a polynesian migrating to an indonesian country and serving a indonesian dish to a tourist who knows nothing about indonesia. In simplier words a mockery. I cant speak for all polynesians but this is my opinion as a islander by blood
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Jeremy Ksor
Great video, the food, culture Polynesian so gorgeous, I like to visit there one day. Im Montagnards indigenous Central highland of Vietnam. We are Polynesian Austronesian roots. Many people very confused between Vietnamese and Montagnards indigenous, Vietnamese looks Chinese also they are came from China few hundred year a go. Montagnards indigenous look like people in Philippine, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Vietnamese took over montagnard land by the French Indochine just few hundred year.
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Ray Oconnor
Random how New Zealand didn't have a boil up or fry bread or even something seafood related those to me are more traditional Maori people foods don't get me wrong NZ is proud of our meat pies but since this was about Polynesian people I would have thought it would be more traditional. also that comment below about the corn beef so funny but so true alot if Polynesian people here love it
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BQ Creations
I know this video is a bit aged However, you must come to NZ i think its in March for our Pacific Island festival called -Pacifika. Free event lots of performance stages of Polynesian and Melanesian foods and arts crafts etc. please New Zealand on your bucket list. And if you come look for me and ill make you some South African food
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Calvin
The thing is this isn't real Poly foods lol these are snack bars he's visiting they're serving most popular SNACK foods only. The real Poly food is actually served there at the Polynesian Cultural Centre in all the restaurants I know there's a main restaurant with a Poly buffet from all islands
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Natasha Simadri
Hey Mark, since you liked our Fijian Curry so much. Would you please do a tour to the Fiji Islands. Am sure you will love the islands and our amazing food. Our lovo is a must try and you'll love our palusami, similar to laulau in Hawaii but with coconut milk and corn beef/mutton.
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Epic Gourmet
Sausages and gravy is not a samoan dish. We own a catering company and I am Samoan. Yes sausage and gravy is common in NZ or Samoa if you are on a budget and gave to feed a whole heap of people. They should serve Chop Suey. Want real Polynesian cuisine, come see us in NZ.
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