What goes in an umu?
An umu may contain meats such as chicken or pork, seafood including different types of fish or octopus placed in half coconut shell ‘bowls’ with coconut cream, a variety of vegetables and fruit like talo (taro), ulu (breadfruit) and unripe bananas (fa’i).
What is a umu used for?
Samoan umu It is a common day-to-day method of preparing roasted foods, with modern ovens being restricted to western-style houses. In the traditional village house, gas burners will be used inside the house to cook some food in pots. The umu is sheltered by a roof in case of rain, and it is separate from the house.
What is traditional Samoan food?
A favourite dish with visitors to Samoa and locals alike is palusami: baked coconut cream cooked inside coconut leaves in the umu (earth oven). Another local staple is oka, or raw fish marinated in coconut cream, lemon juice, chilli and onions. Samoa dishes often include pork, chicken (moa) and fish (i’a).
How do Samoans cook?
A Samoan umu is an above-ground oven of hot volcanic stones. The stones are heated in a fire before the food is placed on top, wrapped in banana leaves or coconut fronds, or put into half coconuts. More banana leaves cover the top to seal the ‘oven’.
How is umu cooked?
What is a Samoan skirt called?
A lavalava, also known as an ‘ie, short for ‘ie lavalava, is an article of daily clothing traditionally worn by Polynesians and other Oceanic peoples. It consists of a single rectangular cloth worn similarly to a wraparound skirt or kilt. The term lavalava is both singular and plural in the Samoan language.
What is umu in Tongan?
The ‘umu or “earth-oven” is the best slow cooker and traditional method for preparing high volume meals. On a Sunday morning, or any time you need to feed a lot of people, the ngoto ‘umu (under-ground oven pit) is prepared, and the family gets together to prepare the meal to be baked inside the ‘umu.
What is cradle of Polynesia?
According to legend, Samoa is known as the “Cradle of Polynesia” because Savai’i island is said to be Hawaiki, the Polynesian homeland. Samoan culture is undoubtedly central to Polynesian life, and its styles of music, dance, and visual art have gained renown throughout the Pacific islands and the world.
What is Samoan umu?
A Samoan umu is an above-ground oven of hot volcanic stones. The stones are heated in a fire before the food is placed on top, wrapped in banana leaves or coconut fronds, or put into half coconuts.
Why is food important to the Samoan culture?
The traditional culture of Samoa is a communal way of life that values family and is based around their unique socio-political culture, called Fa’a Samoa. As such, food is an important part of life for Samoans since it brings families together.
What is umu Samoan cooking?
Samoan Umu. “A famous way of preparing food in Samoa is the umu. An umu is a special way Samoans cook their food. Firstly by starting a fire and then placing smooth stones over it to retain the heat.
How do they cook food in Samoa?
Umu. In Samoa, food is still cooked the way it has been for thousands of years, in an earth oven of hot volcanic stones called an umu. Traditionally, an umu is laid three times a day to cook the family meals, a custom that continues in Samoa’s villages today.
How long does it take to cook food in Umu?
Putting the food in the umu takes about 1 or 2 minutes maximum. Then the lava rocks are hastily put on top of the food, and then the whole thing is covered in banana leaves, mats, and whatever else is lying around that is large and flattish. Depending on how hot the rocks got, the food cooks for 20 – 40 minutes.
What is an umu meal?
An umu is lifted after about two hours and served immediately, while the food is hot and delicious. Many hotels and resorts offer umu buffets at weekly fiafia nights. Visitors who are lucky enough to be invited into a Samoan village may experience firsthand an umu meal as the locals have done for thousands of years.