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Hawaii has lured some of the world's finest chefs to its kitchens and managed to cultivate some stars of its own in the process. If you love quality seafood, fresh-grown veggies, and sweet tropical fruits, you'll think that you've died and gone to heaven.
But that's far from the end of the bounty. Hawaii's melting-pot society sets a global table. Although Asian flavors and cooking styles are most prevalent, island menus travel the globe, from old-world European culinary classics to good ol' ranch-raised, fire-grilled steaks. Hawaii's cooks have even managed to put their own spin on some of the world's most revered foods — pizzas, burgers, and burritos — with rousing success.
Hawaii has two brands of homegrown cuisine: local food (the unpretentious, hearty fare that islanders traditionally eat on an everyday basis) and Hawaii Regional, or Hawaii Island, Cuisine (the gourmet version). If you want to find out more on the culinary front, read on.
Fresh-caught and island-raised
To say that Hawaii's seafood may be the best in the world is no stretch — in fact, some of the world's finest chefs think so. And the selection is generally much more diverse than what you'll find in your average mainland supermarket. But Hawaii's bounty isn't limited to the sea. A wealth of fresh-grown vegetables, including leafy lettuces and vine-ripened tomatoes, thrives in the lava-rich soil. But fruits are Hawaii's real forte.
Tropical fruit comes as no surprise, of course, but who knew that Hawaii offered so much island-raised meat? Hawaii is home to the largest privately owned cattle ranch in the United States: Parker Ranch, covering 225,000 acres, including more than 50,000 cattle, and serving as the heart of Hawaii's paniolo (cowboy) country.
Traditional island eats
Local food is a casual, catchall cuisine, mirroring Hawaii's melting-pot soul. Outsider influences on the local cuisine arrived in Hawaii from all over the map, from Portugal to Japan and just about everywhere in between.
Local food is generally starch-heavy and high in calories, so don't expect it to have a positive impact on your waistline. The most quintessential element of local food is the plate lunch, which usually consists of a main dish (anything from fried fish to teriyaki beef), "two scoops rice," an ice-cream-scoop serving of macaroni salad, and brown gravy, all served on a paper plate. Plate lunches are cheap and available at casual restaurants and beachside stands throughout the islands.
The gourmet side of the island stove
About a dozen or so years ago, Hawaii's kitchens underwent a culinary revolution alongside its cultural renaissance, and Hawaii Regional Cuisine was born. Island chefs were tired of living up to a Continental standard that was unsuited to Hawaii, so they created their own brand of gourmet fare, using fresh local ingredients in creative combinations and preparations.
This type of cuisine is often disguised under other names, such as Euro-Asian, Pacific Rim, Indo-Pacific, Pacific Edge, Euro-Pacific, and Island Fusion. You can expect the following keynotes: lots of fresh island fish, many Asian flavorings and cooking styles, and fresh tropical fruit sauces (mango, papaya, and the like).
The Hawaiian supermarket
Hawaii supermarkets offer a number of treats that you won't find at your average mainland supermarket. Poi, for example, comes in instant, premade, and make-your-own forms (find poi in any form in your hometown supermarket!). The bounty in the seafood case is much more diverse than what you see at home; Hawaii refrigerator cases regularly contain such taste treats as sushi-grade tuna, fresh Pacific octopus, and whole squid.
Just about any Hawaii supermarket will have multiple aisles devoted to Asian foods, from noodles to bizarre candies. The juice refrigerator case is also a treat, so don't be afraid to try something new.
Java lovers, rejoice. Every Hawaiian island except Lanai has a coffee plantation, and the local brew is available in just about any average market. All Hawaii-grown coffees are delicious, but the world-famous Kona coffee, grown on the Big Island, is the top of the heap. Kauai's beans are probably the second-best of Hawaii's caffeinated crop.
You'll find such fresh tropical treats as mangoes, guava, star fruit, lychee, lilikoi (passion fruit), and much more. Pineapples are another Hawaii taste treat; the small white pineapples are sweetest, and you'll usually find them clearly labeled at the market. The Big Island's lava-rich soil produces extraflavorful citrus fruits; Kau oranges, for example, are legendary for their sweetness. Even watermelon is an extraspecial treat; Molokai-grown watermelons are the best in the world — full of seeds, but fabulous.
Among Hawaii-grown vegetables, Maui onions are the ultimate treat. They're very sweet, like Vidalias, but with a distinctive flavor all their own. Dense, purple Molokai-grown sweet potatoes are another favorite.
Don't shy away from tropical fruits or other foods just because you're unfamiliar with them. Supermarket attendants — or even your fellow shoppers — will be happy to advise you on how to cut or clean island fruits.
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