Because Hawaii has so many agricultural regions, you will find many fresh ingredients. Food traditions in Hawaii have been influenced by ancient cooking methods such as cooking a pig in an underground oven called an imu and adding banana leaves, breadfruit and sweet potatoes. One Hawaiian tradition is to mark the one year old birthday of a child with a backyard lau with pig cooked in an imu.
Hawaiian food has been influenced ethnically by the Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Chinese cultures.
Here are some food terms that you may hear while visiting Hawii:
pupu - the Hawaiian word for appetizer
ahi poke- cubed tuna
kau kau- similar to Chinese chow cho
poi- sticky paste made from ground taro root served with fresh fish
