My culinary journey to Hawaii
published:
Wednesday | November 19, 2008
Rosalee Brown - DIETITIAN'S DESK
Our world is so huge yet very small when we look at what most of us eat daily. I am making this statement after my recent visit to an ancient archipelago, almost centred in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
According to the book, Beautiful Hawaii, the Hawaiian Islands are said to be one of the most remote land forms on earth. Although the remnants of eroded volcanoes are evident, there are some similarities to Jamaica in terms of flora, fauna and cuisine. We, however, have much to learn from their tourism product presentation.
On my second day, I made my usual enquiry about an ethnic restaurant. We were told about ONO Hawaiian Foods and given directions by our vacation guide. The walk, which was supposed to be a few minutes, turned out to be over a mile in brilliant Hawaiian sunshine (another similarity to Jamaica 'just around the corner'.) We arrived at the famous but quaint location with the appetite of hunters.
The combination platter
It was recommended that we try the combination platter so that we would be exposed to a variety of Hawaiian foods. There was kalua pig, which is seasoned and salted then slow cooked in an underground oven (an imu).
The underground oven means the pig is placed in the ground and covered with leaves, hot rocks and earth.
We also had laulau which is salted meat wrapped and tied in taro (dasheen) leaves then slow cooked; pipikaula,dried beef; lomi salmon which is pickled salmon salad made of salted salmon, diced tomatoes, onions and other herbs; poi, a porridge consistency dish made from dasheen and haupia, a coconut gelatin-like dish with a hint of sweetness.
We had the laulau first and said in unison that it was a familiar taste. The serving was large and one platter was enough for both of us. We were famished and cleaned our plates. Lunch was delicious but salty and would be difficult for us to consume on a regular basis. This place is either famous or well visited as there were autographed pictures of entertainers, sports icons, movie stars and other memorabilia from around the world. We promised the restaurateur that we would send something Jamaican to add to his collection.
Eat taro or dasheen
Dasheen, called taro by the Hawaiians, is a staple food eaten widely in Jamaica. This staple is widely used in these islands to make a variety of savoury and sweet dishes. The young leaves are also used to wrap and cook meats as mentioned earlier in the laulau.
Dasheen is actually quite nutritious and is versatile as a Jamaican and Caribbean staple and can be used in similar ways as would be Irish potato or yams. We do not use the leaves. We have one dish where the leaf of the Indian kale (which is in the same family) is used in pepper pot soup.
We have a wide variety of staple food in Jamaica including our nutritious tubers. Dasheen is a tuber and can be an important and nutritious part of any meal. We need to use these staples including dasheen, in a variety of ways and introduce them early to children so that they can appreciate these foods as well as rice. We need to celebrate their nutritious value and culinary versatility.
Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com.
