A Tongan Variety

So hello there everybody and today it’s our first Food instalment. And guess what … I’m gonna be taking you through some dishes people from the island of Tonga call their own. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, where the bloody hell is this Tonga. Well it’s an Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean basically; with a population of about 100000 people (that’s less than a quarter of Malta’s population). So, chef Toque Blanche on and let’s start!

So first of all, every culture and geographical characteristic influences the cuisine of that same country. Given the fact that Tonga is an island, seafood features extensively in their dishes. On top of the island is a very tropical one, thus the use of fruit and vegetables in their recipes. It is also influenced by features from the German, Italian, Japanese and Taiwanese as well. So here get ready for these 2 dishes and a drink from Tonga. Bon appetite!

So the first dish is Kapisi Pulu. So, this dish consists of three ingredients, at its very basic. These are corned beef, coconut cream and cabbage leaves. No mistakes in there lads! It’s like a parcel made of cabbage leaves stuffed with corned beef whipped with Coconut cream of all creams. You can add other things with the corned beef such as tomatoes and onions if you wish. It looks very easy to cook despite its crazy uninviting ingredients. The first step is to mash all the ingredients together. Then wrap the cabbage leaf around the filling and bake for 45 minutes. Then just unwrap and eat! The reason for baking the filling in the banana leave may be due to two reasons. Firstly because of the tribal tradition in the country and also because of the fact that cabbage leaves are considered to be good insulators, thus keeping the food warm.

So the drink I’m choosing is Kava. Kava is a traditional herbal drink made from the root of the tropical shrub, Piper methysticum. It is a white textured beverage. It may not look that pleasant but it treats headaches and cramps and eases one’s stress (and that’s just a few of it medicinal bonuses). Its production is also deemed to be a social gathering so one can quite clearly understand that it’s not just a drink, but a significant object in the Tongan society.

Faikakai Topai. So, this is like dumplings in sweet coconut syrup. To cook these you need to boil some water in a large pot, sift flour and baking powder together. Then, add dry dough with the flour mixture and extra water. Drop a tablespoon of dough into the boiling water and gently boil for a further 10 minutes or until cooked. Finally, dice the dumplings (topai) and pour the sauce over it. As per the reviews I read, this dessert s considered to be quiet scrumptious and they look quite appealing.

That’s it for my Tongan Cuisine Tour!! Hope you liked it. Hope you like it guys!!! So whilst I leave you preparing your ingredients, I assure the next post, exactly as you thought, next Sunday I’ll be back with another one. Until then, Enjoy cooking and Po‘uli a(that’s how they say, good night ey)!! Ta daaa!!!