Rewena Bread

Rewena parāoa is bread raised with a potato bug - a starter of boiled potato, flour, sugar and water left to ferment, then fed and kept going, sometimes for years and passed between families. Wheat and potatoes both arrived with Europeans in the early nineteenth century and Maori bakers adopted them quickly, building this bread around a wild ferment because commercial yeast was not available. The result is a dense, slightly sour, close-crumbed white loaf that keeps well and is eaten thickly sliced with butter, or alongside boil-up and seafood. It is not a supermarket product: you find it at farmers markets, marae fundraisers, some rural stores and Maori-run bakeries, and the quality varies enormously with the age and health of the starter. Recipes circulate widely and the starter is the part that takes patience rather than skill.

What to look for

• The potato starter - a wild ferment, often kept going for years.
• The loaf - dense, close-crumbed and mildly sour.
• Where it is sold - markets, marae fundraisers and small bakeries.
• How it is eaten - thick slices with butter, or with boil-up.

When to go

Any time of year. Markets on weekend mornings are the most reliable place to find it; it sells out early where it is popular.

Things to know

Not stocked by supermarkets, so it takes some looking. Quality varies with the starter. It is a plain, dense bread rather than an elaborate one - the interest is in what it is, not in complexity.

Nearby

Farmers markets in most towns; Otara Market in Auckland is a reliable source.