🍽️ Cuisine
Tokelau, three remote atolls administered by New Zealand, sustains one of the world's most traditional Polynesian lifestyles. With no arable soil, Tokelauans depend entirely on coconut, breadfruit, and the sea. Their cuisine is a testament to resourcefulness—every part of the coconut palm is used, and fishing knowledge is sacred.
Faiai Eleni
Breadfruit in Coconut Cream
Ripe breadfruit baked until caramelized and served swimming in fresh coconut cream—a simple dish that showcases Tokelau's two most important ingredients at their finest.
Ingredients: 1 medium ripe breadfruit (or 400g canned breadfruit), 250ml fresh coconut cream, 2 tbsp coconut oil, Pinch of salt, 1 tbsp honey or palm sugar (optional).
Preparation: If using fresh breadfruit, char the skin over open flame or roast whole at 200°C for 1 hour until skin blackens and fruit is soft. Cool enough to handle, peel off charred skin, remove core, and cut flesh into chunks. For canned breadfruit, drain and pat dry. Heat coconut oil in pan, add breadfruit pieces and fry until golden and slightly caramelized on edges. Warm coconut cream with salt, do not boil. Place warm breadfruit in bowl, pour coconut cream over, drizzle with honey if using. The contrast of crispy-edged breadfruit and cool cream is essential.
💡 Truly ripe breadfruit smells sweet and yields to pressure—underripe breadfruit is starchy, not creamy.
Tunu Ika
Fire-Roasted Fish
Whole fish roasted directly over coconut husk fire—the simplest and most traditional Tokelauan preparation, where smoke and flame transform fresh-caught fish into something transcendent.
Ingredients: 2 whole fish (parrotfish, snapper, or any reef fish), about 400g each, Coarse sea salt, Lime wedges, Coconut cream for serving.
Preparation: Clean fish but leave scales intact—they protect flesh from direct heat and peel off easily after cooking. Score fish deeply on both sides, rub salt into cuts and cavity. Traditional method threads fish onto green coconut frond midrib as skewer. Cook over open flame or very hot coals, turning once, about 8-10 minutes per side depending on size. Fish is done when eyes turn white and flesh at thickest part flakes easily. Peel off skin and scales together—the flesh beneath should be moist and smoky. Serve immediately with lime squeezed over and coconut cream alongside.
💡 Leaving scales on is not optional—it's what makes this technique work. Trust the process.
Poke
Fermented Breadfruit Paste
An ancient preservation technique—breadfruit fermented underground for months, then dried into portable cakes that sustained Pacific voyagers. Today it remains a cherished traditional food with unique tangy flavor.
Ingredients: 500g ripe breadfruit, peeled and cored, 100ml coconut cream, Banana leaves for wrapping, Salt.
Preparation: Cut breadfruit into chunks and wrap in banana leaves. Traditional method buries wrapped breadfruit in lined pit for 4-6 weeks to ferment. For simplified home version: steam or boil breadfruit until very soft. Mash completely until smooth paste forms. Let sit covered at room temperature 2-3 days—it will develop slightly sour, tangy aroma. Mix with coconut cream and pinch of salt. Spread on banana leaves, dry in sun or dehydrator. Once dried, poke keeps for months. Reconstitute by mixing with coconut cream, or eat dried as chewy snack.
💡 True poke takes weeks to develop—this shortcut version captures some flavor but not the full depth.
