Holiday Ayo - Samoan cuisine is almost entirely based on local ingredients. Staple foods include root vegetables especially taro, potatoes, breadfruit and rice. Coconut is a part of many dishes, particularly the coconut cream. Proteins are meats like chicken, pork and lamb.

There are hundreds of seafood species so fish is plentiful. Samoan food would not be complete without mentioning the abundance of fruit grown and eaten on the islands. These fruit, often hard to get in the US and UK include starfruit, sugarcane, passion fruit, guavas and of course the better-known pineapple, mango, papaya and bananas.

1. Palusami

source: Ang Sarap

Palusami is a dish of coconut milk and onions wrapped in taro leaves which are cooked by baking or steaming. Taro is a root vegetable. Its leaves are edible only after cooking properly.

Some variations of Palusami are made with fish, chicken or corned beef and spinach is substituted when taro leaves are not available.  

2. Fa’alifu Kalo

source: Hawaii Ulu Cooperative

Fa’alifu Kalo is a dish of cooked taro. The taro is boiled until it reaches the desired tenderness. The water is drained and replaced with a coconut cream sauce. The taro is simmered in the sauce for a few more minutes before serving. The Samoan word for taro is Kalo and Fa’alifu refers to how it is prepared.

3. Faiai Eleni

source: WAI SIK Food Blog

Faiai Eleni is a dish consisting of fish and coconut cream. In the traditional method, the coconuts are cracked open and the white pulp is scrapped out. The fish which is usually mackerel or tuna is mixed with the coconut cream which is extracted from the scrapped-out pulp. Chopped onions are added and the mixture is scooped into the now empty coconut shells. The mixture is cooked in the shells. Faiai Eleni is served with taro.

4. Sapa Sui

source: Copy Me That

Sapa Sui is a noodle dish which consists of a combination of meat, stir fried vegetables and aromatics such as ginger and garlic. The meat which can be beef, chicken pork or lamb is cut small and is usually one of the first ingredients added to the cooking pot. The other ingredients are added in steps, which the noodles being added last. Sapa Sui is often compared to the Chinese chop suey.