Samoan Cuisine

Samoan cuisine is the wholesome, earthy food of Polynesia, built on the abundance of the land and sea: taro, breadfruit, coconut, fish and pork. Its centrepiece is the umu, the traditional above-ground oven of hot stones on which food is slow-cooked, most cherished for the Sunday to'ona'i family feast. The most beloved dish is palusami, or luau, taro leaves baked in rich coconut cream until meltingly tender. Alongside come oka, fresh raw fish marinated in coconut cream and lime, roasted taro and breadfruit, suckling pig, and an abundance of tropical fruit and fresh coconut.

What you actually see

• The umu feast - the food slow-cooked on hot stones.
• Palusami - the taro leaves baked in rich coconut cream.
• Oka - the fresh raw fish in coconut cream and lime.
• Taro and breadfruit - the roasted starchy staples.

When to go

Year-round; the Sunday to'ona'i, the family feast cooked in the umu after church, is the heart of Samoan food culture, and resorts and cultural villages often lay on an umu feast with a fiafia. The colourful market in Apia is the place to sample fresh produce, oka and local snacks any day.

Honest expectations

Samoan food is simple, starchy and coconut-rich rather than varied or spiced, so its appeal is wholesome, earthy island cooking and the communal umu tradition rather than culinary complexity, and everyday eating can lean heavily on imported and processed foods. Shared at a Sunday umu feast, though, with palusami, fresh oka and roasted taro, it is a genuine and delicious taste of Polynesian tradition and the generous Samoan spirit.

Nearby

Apia's market and the villages and resorts across the islands are the places.