Hawaiian Food History and Culture

Hawaiian Food History and Culture By Joanna Wang

Early Hawaiian Cuisine • When the first humans arrived on the islands, there was nothing to eat • Polynesians, who came around 3rd century A.D., brought around 30 edible plants, pigs, poultry, and dogs for food • Staple foods: taro and sweet potatoes • Other carbohydrate sources: breadfruit, yams, sugar cane and coconut

Early Hawaiian Diet • Staples • Poi, made from mashed taro • Sweet potato • Proteins • Fish • Seafood (shrimp, turtles, sea urchins, shellfish) • Pigs and dogs, only for nobility

“Sandwich Islands” • 1778 Captain James Cook discovered Hawaii • Hawaii became an important player in the east-west fur trade and the Pacific whaling industry • King Kamehameha united Hawaii and promoted agriculture and commerce • Chinese and American traders exploited the islands for highly-valued sandlewood • The increased trade in Hawaii introduced many new plants and animals, including: • Horses, cows, goats • Many varieties of plants (banana, pineapple, macadamia nuts, rice, onions, pumpkins, oranges, coffee, etc)

Changing Food Landscape • Traditional Hawaiian food and haole food (food brought by white settlers) existed side by side • Reciprocal Treaty 1875: free trade agreement • Sugar plantations flourished soon after • Increased trade brought in Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Puerto Ricans, Portuguese and Filipinos between 1880’s and 1930’s • Each ethnic group brought along their own cuisine and ingredients

Ethnic Influences on Hawaii’s Cuisine • American: Dried beef, salted fish, Spam • Scottish: scones, shortbreads • Portuguese: red bean soup, Portuguese sweet bread, cornmeal • Cantonese: stir-fry, dim sum, sweet and sour, rice • Koreans: kimchi, Korean bbq, bulgolgi, galbi, gochujang • Japanese: sushi, bento, tofu, soy sauce • PuertoRicans: Spanish-seasoned soups, casseroles, pasteles • Thai and Vietnamese: galangal, lemongrass, fish sauce

Plate Lunch • Plate lunch = 2 scoops rice + 1 scoop macaroni salad + 1 entrée • Entrées • Beef terriyaki, chicken katsu, hamburger steak, fried egg, kalua pork, lomi salmon

Origin of the Plate Lunch • Probably originated from the Japanese Bento • In the 1880’s, plantation laborers from China, Japan, Portugal, and the Phillipines brought leftovers for lunch that included rice and various meats • When the plantation era ended, plate lunches were sold from lunch wagons to laborers • Soon, restaurants were established that sold plate lunches, and the trend spread to the mainland

Lu’au! • In Ancient Hawaii, men and women ate seperately; it was taboo for women and commoners to eat certain delicacies • King Kamehameha II abolished the rules in 1819, and held a feast to end the taboo • The feast is traditionally eaten on the floor on Lauhala mats • Utensils were not used; fingers were used to eat and coconut shells for drinking

Lu’au Foods • KaluaPig- baked in underground oven called an imu • Poi • Sweet potatoes • Luau (laulau)- pork wrapped in taro leaf • Lomi salmon • Fruit- pineapple, mango, papaya, etc. • Haupia- coconut pudding

Bibliography • http://www.kauaiplantationrailway.com/aghawaii.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuisine_of_Hawaii • http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=7&sid=175dd127-c46b-4873-bfc6-3200db31e436%40sessionmgr10&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=bth&AN=1876856 • http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/hacul/food.htm • http://www.kauaimenu.com/MenuPages/featurestory/history_of_food.htm • http://www.foodtimeline.org/statefoods.html#hawaii • http://www.hawaii-luaus.com/history.htm • http://www.enotes.com/food-encyclopedia/hawaii

Hawaiian Food History and Culture