Gastronomy of New Zealand

 Traditional Foods Of New Zealand's Māori People

The Māori have shaped New Zealand's cuisine and culture. The country's first inhabitants arrived by wooden canoe sometime in the 12th century from Eastern Polynesia, bringing many Polynesian traditions to the new land, known by the name Aotearoa within Māori culture. So foundational have the Māori been to the country and land that there is a growing movement to change the official name from New Zealand to Aotearoa to acknowledge te reo Māori, the culture's official language, (via The Guardian).

Today, those who identify as Māori make up around 17% of New Zealand's population, notes BBC Travel. Māori kai, or food, primarily consists of plants, fish, and birds indigenous to the island, alongside some traditions and seeds brought with them from Eastern Polynesia. It is largely underrepresented within popular food culture — however, there is a growing movement to bring the contributions, earth ethics, and sustainable practices that make up Māori cuisine into the public's awareness. Restaurants like Hiakai, dedicated to prioritizing and exploring Māori food sources and cooking techniques, are leading the way, winning awards from the Cuisine Good Food Awards and Chef of the Year, among others.

Kānga kōpiro (fermented corn porridge)

This dish was created by Māori communities after the settlement of Europeans in New Zealand and the introduction of new varieties of livestock and crops that accompanied them, including corn. By fermenting the corn's kernels, the food was able to last long past its summer growing season, stretching through winter. The fermentation process can take up to three months, after which the kernels are scrapped off of the cobs and mashed.

The porridge has a deeply savory flavor and sour smell with strong notes of blue cheese created during the corn's fermentation process. You can eat the dish on its own or with the ash of the indigenous mānuka tree to create a slightly sweeter flavor.

Those not accustomed to eating this dish may find the smell challenging. However, like many traditional foods unique to a particular place, it is always worth trying whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Parāoa rēwena (sourdough potato bread)

This traditional dish has been made and eaten within Māori communities for many years. Like sourdough, this bread obtains its leavening agent from natural yeast fermentation. However, the sourdough starter for parāoa rēwena is cultured from potatoes rather than flour.

Like naturally fermented bread doughs, the process of proving is not for those in need of a quick result. Depending on the recipe used, bread can be baked for up to 16 hours! Like many food traditions, recipes for parāoa rēwena can vary from family to family, often passed down passed down through generations.

According to baker George Jackson, the bread symbolizes togetherness, sharing, and giving. Jackson works in partnership with Unesco to help keep the practice of making this traditional bread alive and well within Māori communities. Parāoa rēwena has been included in Unesco's list of global Breads of the Creative Cities project in an attempt to preserve its origins and traditions. Like many good pieces of bread, it is usually enjoyed with butter and jam.

Hāngī

Hāngī is unique in Māori culture because it refers to both a cooking method and a dish. Reserved for special occasions and celebrations, the process involves cooking via heated rocks covered with a damp cloth, all contained in an umu or underground oven, often resting on or in hand-woven baskets rather than plates or in bowls. The cooking process takes several hours, producing tender food through steaming and baking — it's a labor of love. This underground cooking method is a traditional process for cultures within the Pacific Islands and beyond.

Though the cooking method remains the same, the ingredients are subject to change based on availability, season, and the number of people being fed. Initially, the technique was for cooking fish and root vegetables like kūmara (sweet potato); however, it has evolved to incorporate new ingredients. Today's dish often includes pūhā (pork), lamb, pumpkin, and cabbage.

Toroi (fresh mussels with pūhā juice)

Māori cuisine, known as kai, distinguishes itself with its fundamental pillars, including kai whanau, food from the land, and kai moana, meaning food from the sea. It is this acknowledgment of the environment as a resource that must be protected is built into the very language of the Māori people.

Toroi utilizes kai whanau and kai moana to create a dish of fresh mussels and a broth infused with the juice of a dark green sow thistle with a milk white sap and a bitter taste known as pūhā. Pūhā is most often paired with pork. The mussels used in this dish are a particular variety of green-lipped ones called kūtai, a common and popular type in New Zealand. Kūtai is also an essential part of the ecosystem, serving as a natural filtration system for the seawater and a source of food for both people and animals.

Māori-led companies like Kono incorporate ethical sourcing to keep the reciprocal relationship the Māori have with the earth alive and a part of the business practice.