🍽️ Cuisine
Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the world's most isolated inhabited island, preserves a Polynesian food culture that evolved in complete seclusion for centuries. The Rapa Nui people developed unique dishes using the island's limited resources—fish, taro, sweet potato, and bananas—cooking methods unchanged since their ancestors carved the famous moai statues.
Tunu Ahi
Rapa Nui Earth Oven Fish
Fresh tuna wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked in the traditional umu earth oven—the ancestral cooking method that infuses fish with smoky, earthy flavors impossible to replicate otherwise.
Ingredients: 400g fresh tuna steaks, 4 banana leaves (or foil), 1 onion sliced, 4 cloves garlic sliced, 1 tomato sliced, 2 tbsp olive oil, Juice of 2 limes, Salt and pepper, Fresh cilantro.
Preparation: Soften banana leaves over flame until pliable. Season tuna generously with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Lay leaves overlapping, brush with oil. Place onion and garlic in center, lay tuna on top, cover with tomato slices. Drizzle remaining oil over fish. Fold leaves to create sealed package. For traditional umu, bury in pit with hot stones for 1 hour. For home cooking, wrap package in foil, bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes. Open at table to release aromatic steam. Serve with steamed taro or sweet potato, garnished with fresh cilantro.
💡 The Rapa Nui say the banana leaf does more than wrap—it gives the fish its soul.
Po'e
Polynesian Fruit Pudding
A beloved Rapa Nui dessert—ripe bananas and papaya baked with coconut cream into a dense, sweet pudding that has satisfied island sweet cravings for generations.
Ingredients: 3 very ripe bananas, 200g ripe papaya, cubed, 3 tbsp tapioca starch (or arrowroot), 100ml coconut cream, 3 tbsp brown sugar, ½ tsp vanilla extract, Pinch of salt, Extra coconut cream for serving.
Preparation: Mash bananas thoroughly until smooth. Blend papaya until pureed or mash well with fork. Combine banana and papaya in bowl, add tapioca starch, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Mix until starch is fully incorporated. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes until set and top is lightly golden. The pudding should be dense and slightly sticky when done. Let cool 15 minutes—it firms as it rests. Cut into squares, serve warm or at room temperature with coconut cream poured over.
💡 Traditional Po'e uses only fruit natural sweetness—add sugar only if your fruit isn't perfectly ripe.
Ceviche Rapa Nui
Easter Island Raw Fish
Fresh Pacific fish "cooked" in citrus and enriched with coconut milk—the Rapa Nui version of the ancient Polynesian raw fish preparation, refreshing on hot island afternoons.
Ingredients: 300g very fresh tuna or mahi-mahi, cubed, Juice of 5 limes, 100ml coconut milk, 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, 1 tomato, diced, 1 cucumber, diced, 1 small chili, minced, Fresh cilantro, Salt.
Preparation: Place fish cubes in glass bowl, cover completely with lime juice. Refrigerate 25-30 minutes until fish turns opaque throughout—this indicates the acid has "cooked" it. Drain off most lime juice, reserving a few tablespoons. Add coconut milk, onion, tomato, cucumber, and chili. Fold gently to combine without breaking fish. Season with salt to taste. Add reserved lime juice if needed for brightness. Chill 10 minutes to let flavors meld. Serve in shells or bowls, garnished generously with fresh cilantro. Eat immediately—don't let it sit.
💡 On Rapa Nui, the best ceviche is made within minutes of the fish leaving the water.
