Nauru

Spare atoll diet of seafood, coconut and pandanus; lagoon-farmed milkfish and noddy birds are heritage foods. That is the short version of what Nauru cooks. Look for Grilled Milkfish (milkfish raised in Buada Lagoon ponds and grilled whole, aquaculture heritage), Coconut Toddy (palm-sap toddy, historically Nauru’s key nutrition source, drunk fresh or fermented) and Roasted Noddy Bird (black noddy seabirds caught at dusk and grilled, traditional delicacy). Nauruans have long stocked milkfish fry from the reef into brackish Buada Lagoon and wells, a rare Pacific example of traditional aquaculture. This atlas has 14 Nauru dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.