Baku Kitchen! An independent reference of traditional food

Vanuatu

Vanuatu’s food is built around leaf-wrapped root puddings from the earth oven, island cabbage, coconut crab and potent kava. Look for Laplap (national dish of grated root-crop pudding with coconut cream, baked in leaves), Kava (fresh-root kava drunk at dusk in nakamals, the Pacific’s strongest) and Coconut Crab (giant land crab grilled or simmered in coconut milk, island delicacy). The national dish: root crops are grated onto banana leaves, soaked in coconut cream and baked under hot stones for hours, then cut into slabs. This atlas has 17 Vanuatu dishes catalogued below, from everyday cooking to food kept for festivals and special occasions.

17 dishes.

Coconut CrabCoconut CrabGiant land crab roasted in its shell; rich, coconut-scented meat and fat.Fermented BreadfruitFermented BreadfruitBreadfruit sealed in leaf-lined pits for months; sour paste baked into cakes.Flying FoxFlying FoxFruit bat stewed with island cabbage and coconut cream, gamey and dark-fleshedIsland CabbageIsland CabbageBroad tender hibiscus-family leaves boiled in coconut milk.KavaKavaEarthy pounded-root drink shared ceremonially from a communal tanoa bowlLaplapLaplapNational dish of grated root-crop pudding with coconut cream, baked in leavesNalotNalotPounded breadfruit or taro blended with roasted coconut creamNamambeNamambeTahitian chestnut boiled in its pod; floury and mild, eaten by hand.Nangai NutNangai NutRich oily canarium kernel cracked from a hard shell; eaten raw or smoked.NawitaNawitaOctopus tenderised, then simmered in coconut milk with island greens.Poulet FishPoulet FishPrized deep-water snapper, grilled or steamed, named for chicken-tender fleshSanto BeefSanto BeefGrass-fed steak from Espiritu Santo cattle, lean and cheap by island standardsSimboroSimboroGrated cassava dumplings wrapped in slippery cabbage leaves, poached in coconut milkTanna CoffeeTanna CoffeeArabica grown on volcanic ash slopes below Mount Yasur, roasted in Port VilaTulukTulukBoiled cassava roll with a seasoned pork center, wrapped in leavesTuskerTuskerPale lager with an elephant on the label, the default Kenyan beerVanuatu ChocolateVanuatu ChocolateDark single-origin bars made from island-grown cocoa, often smoke-dried.

  • Fermented Breadfruit

    Breadfruit sealed in leaf-lined pits for months; sour paste baked into cakes. A fermented & pickled recipe from Solomon Islands.

  • Flying Fox

    Fruit bat stewed with island cabbage and coconut cream, gamey and dark-fleshed. A main recipe from Vanuatu.

  • Island Cabbage

    Broad tender hibiscus-family leaves boiled in coconut milk. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking. Serves 6. A…

  • Nalot

    Pounded breadfruit or taro blended with roasted coconut cream. Ready in 1 hour prep and 1 hour 30 minutes cooking.…

  • Nangai Nut

    Rich oily canarium kernel cracked from a hard shell; eaten raw or smoked. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 20…

  • Namambe

    Tahitian chestnut boiled in its pod; floury and mild, eaten by hand. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 1 hour…

  • Nawita

    Octopus tenderised, then simmered in coconut milk with island greens. Ready in 40 minutes prep and 1 hour cooking. Serves…

  • Poulet Fish

    Prized deep-water snapper, grilled or steamed, named for chicken-tender flesh. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 25 minutes cooking. Serves…

  • Santo Beef

    Grass-fed steak from Espiritu Santo cattle, lean and cheap by island standards. Ready in 20 minutes prep and 15 minutes…

  • Tanna Coffee

    Arabica grown on volcanic ash slopes below Mount Yasur, roasted in Port Vila. Ready in 10 minutes prep and 20…