New Caledonian Cuisine

New Caledonian cuisine is a delicious fusion reflecting the territory's dual heritage, blending French gastronomy with indigenous Kanak tradition and the abundance of the Pacific. From the French side come excellent baguettes, croissants, pastries, cheeses and fine dining in Nouméa. From the Kanak tradition comes the bougna, the signature feast dish of meat, chicken or seafood with yam, taro and sweet potato, wrapped in banana leaves with coconut milk and slow-baked in an earth oven of hot stones. Above all, the pristine lagoon yields superb fresh seafood, from fish and prawns to the prized local lobster, making dining here a genuine highlight.

What you actually see

• The bougna - the Kanak earth-oven feast of meat, seafood and root crops.
• The lagoon seafood - the fresh fish, prawns and prized lobster.
• The French fare - the baguettes, pastries and cheeses.
• The tropical produce - the yam, taro and island fruit.

When to go

Year-round; Nouméa's morning market is the place for fresh seafood, produce and French bread and pastries, while its restaurants offer everything from fine French dining to fresh lagoon seafood. To try the traditional bougna, seek out a tribal table or cultural event, especially in the islands and around the yam season, for an authentic Kanak feast.

Honest expectations

The French-influenced dining, especially in Nouméa, is excellent but comes at high French-territory prices, while the authentic Kanak bougna is best experienced at a tribal table or event rather than a restaurant, taking a little seeking out. As a genuine and delicious fusion of refined French cuisine, traditional Kanak earth-oven cooking and superb fresh lagoon seafood, though, New Caledonian food is a real highlight and a tasty expression of the territory's two worlds.

Nearby

Nouméa's market and restaurants and the tribal tables of the islands are the places.