Wide Variety Of Hawaiian Dishes Cultural Studies Essay

In the nineteenth century the Americans established pineapple and sugar cane plantations. As the industries expanded immigrant workers from many different places such as Portugal, Philippines, China, Japan, and Korea arrived in Hawaii. They influenced many parts of Hawaiian cuisine. They brought with them different cooking styles, and food preparation techniques. The Portuguese brought pork dishes and the use of tomatoes and chili peppers when preparing meals. The Filipinos brought with them broiled dishes, beans, adobo dishes, and peas. The Chinese brought stir fry. The Japanese brought sashimi, noodle soups, and shrimp tempura. The Koreans brought with them dishes called kimchi, marinated meats, dishes with sweet garlic sauce, and mixed rice with seasoned vegetables also known as bibimbab. The Vietnamese brought the use of lemon grass when cooking to Hawaii. Puerto Ricans brought heavy soups and casseroles with them to Hawaii. The Samoans brought fruit based poi with them to Hawaii.

Some popular restaurants in Hawaii are Sam Choy’s, Alan Wong’s Restaurant, the Diamond Head Grill, La Mer, and Tropica. Sam Choy is a Hawaiian of Chinese descent. “Sam Choy is famous for being one of the 12 chefs who established the Hawaiian Regional Cuisine movement.” Some of Choy’s famous dishes are fried tofu, tomato poke, stone crab claws, and the pake paella. Another popular restaurant in Hawaii is Alan Wong’s Restaurant. Alan Wong is considered as one of the three kings of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, and is one of the top chefs in Hawaii. Alan Wong’s Restaurant in Honolulu, is among the top ten restaurants in the state.Some of their well-known dishes are seafood paella, ginger crusted onaga, kalua pig, and tomato soup and sandwiches. The Diamond Head Grill at the Honolulu hotel also offers quality Hawaiian cooking techniques. La Mers menu features Neo � classic French cuisine.

In Hawaii there are a few food festivals. Aside from food, the highlight of Hawaiian food festivals includes the hula, musical entertainment, games, and other cultural performances. Some of the Hawaiian food festivals are Taste of Wailea, Taste of Oahu, Kapalua Food and

Wine Festival. The festival of Taste of Wailea is a feast. You are able to taste some dishes prepared by top chefs in Wailea, and taste some of the best wines in the world. The festival of Taste of Oahul is also a feast. At the festival of taste of Oahul you can try some of Hawaii’s dishes from over twenty five of Hawaii’s best establishments that are known for their signature recipes. You can also enjoy the festivals wine tasting. The Kapalua Food and Wine festival is a very famous celebration in Maui. It is a four day long celebration. Over the years, this four-day long event has been known to feature several top chefs. “Aside from wine tasting sessions and seminars, this event also highlights cooking demonstrations.”

If you want to try some of Hawaii’s traditional dishes you should go to a luau. All the islands of Hawaii celebrate a luau. “During a luau, Hawaii’s traditional dishes such as poi, Kalua pig, coconut, and seafood dishes are served.” King Kamameha 11 started the tradition of a luau during the 1800’s. “This event was held as a symbol that certain religious taboos previously practiced have ended. A luau is the highlight of many important Hawaiian events including weddings, birthdays, and graduations. Since then, the term has been used in place of party, even in other countries. “Today Hawaiians are still celebrating luaus today.”

There are some popular dishes you must sample when in Hawaii. One of these dishes is the Kalua pig. The Kalua pig is seasoned with salt then wrapped in banana leaves and then steaming it inside a ground broiler, or imu. Another popular dish is Haupia. Haupia is a gelatin like desert. Haupia is made using a thickened coconut milk. Another popular and one of the oldest recipes is a seafood dish called Luau. Luau is prepared with a mixture of coconut milk and taro leaves. Another dish you should try while in Hawaii is the Lomi salmon. The Lomi salmon is made by mixing together tomatoes, peppers, and onions with salted salmon. Tuna is also a very popular item in Hawaii. There are many varieties of tuna. The popular varieties are the Ahi, the yellow fin tuna, the Tombo, the Albacore tuna, the Aku, and the Skipjack. “There is also what they call the poke, which is usually served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine.” Poke is a fish salad. Poke in Hawaiian means section, to slice, or cut. Poke is a dish that exhibits the

heavy influence of Japanese cuisine. “Another Japanese-inspired cuisine is the Spam musubi, which is a variant of a Japanese rice ball with spam wrapped in seaweed.

Back in the days, the first fine dining restaurants that were established in Hawaii were mostly for the wealthy. The dishes served in the restaurants were similar to those served in Europe. Some of the items on those menus were mullet, chicken with tomatoes, cabinet pudding, and spring lamb. Back in august of nineteen ninety one a dozen chefs of Hawaii would get together and organize a movement to create a cuisine that would “characterize the uniqueness of Hawaii, which marked the birth of the Hawaiian Regional Cuisine. Instead of using foreign ingredients the chefs wanted to create dishes using ingredients grown locally. These chefs wanted to make a cuisine that people visiting would find a taste of Hawaii. The Hawaiian cuisine is made up of much cuisine of many different cultures, but uses the ingredients found locally. Some of the Hawaiian dishes that were a result of the chef’s desires to create a unique Hawaiian cuisine were Waimanalo salad greens, Puna goat cheese, and Kahuku prawns.

Hawaii has many crops and other edible plants, and the food served to the early settlers in Hawaii was mainly fruits and root crops. Some locally grown items are taro, sweet potatoes, yams, allspice, banana passion fruit, cinnamon, coffee, guava, java plum, macadamia nut, and mango. “In the late nineteenth century, American settlers established pineapple and sugar cane plantations.” As the plantations expanded, immigrant workers from around the world arrived in Hawaii. Some of the immigrant workers came from Portugal, Philippines, China, Japan, and Korea. When this happened it really influenced the Hawaiian cuisine. They brought with them different cooking styles, and food preparation techniques.

Hawaii is a wonderful place with a great cuisine and someday I would like visit and taste their many different dishes. I think that it is so interesting on how they created their cuisine.