Hawaiian Food Glossary
Part 2: Luau Foods and Recipes
When visiting Hawaii, you will encounter many foods names and terms that may seem quite foreign to you. This is due to the fact that Hawaii is such a melting pot of cultures from around the world, with influences from the Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Samoan, Thai, Vietnamese and others.
In this series, we take a look at some of the common foods and food terms that you'll find in the islands.
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In this second part of our series, we look at the foods that you are likely to find at one or more of the many luaus throughout Hawaii. While you won't find every one of these foods at every individual luau, we're confident that we have covered most of the foods that you are likely to find at any luau that you choose.
In the event that you would like to try to cook some of these foods yourself, we've included links to recipes for most of the dishes listed. At the end of the glossary we provide links to several related books of interest.
Luau Foods
| Cocktails & Tropical Drinks | Check out our recipes for such great tropical favorites as Mai Tai's, Piña Colada's, Blue Hawaii's, Lava Flow's and many more. |
| Banana Bread | This favorite made with mashed ripe bananas is often offered at luaus. |
| Banana/Coconut/Guava Cake | You'll probably find one of these tropical flavored cakes at almost any luau that you attend in Hawaii. |
| Char Siu | These delicious rich, red spareribs are a favorite thanks to the Chinese immigrants to Hawaii. |
| Chicken Adobo (recipe from Hawaii's own Governor Ben Cayatano) | This national dish of the Philippines is a favorite at luaus. It is a stew with chicken and pork (or beef, shellfish) in a sauce of white vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and peppercorns. |
| Chicken Katsu | Japanese style fried chicken most often served with Tonkatsu sauce. |
| Chicken Long Rice | Another staple at most luaus, this Chinese side-dish is made with chicken and long rice, oriental vermicelli, or saifun (bean strands). |
| Chicken Lu`au | A Hawaiian favorite made with chicken cooked with taro leaves (or spinach) and coconut milk |
| Corn Chowder | A modern Hawaiian favorite made with chicken stock, potatoes, onion, celery and creamed corn. |
| Fried Rice | A standard of Chinese cuisine, fried rice can be made with meat or seafood and a wide assortment of vegetables. |
| Haupia | A traditional Hawaiian coconut flavored dessert that is best described as a "stiff pudding". |
| Huli-Huli Chicken | Hawaii's own version of barbecued chicken is cooked with Huli-Huli Sauce (made with pure Hawaiian brown sugar cane along with soy sauce, fresh ginger and more). |
| Kalua
Pig (make at home recipe) Kalua Pig (cooked in an imu - underground oven) |
The featured dish at every luau, Kalua Pig is slow-cooked whole in an imu (underground oven) for many hours. |
| Kim Chee | Great as a dip for pupu's (appetizers) or a stand-alone side dish, Korean style Kim Chee is made of fresh island cabbage, chili peppers, ginger, garlic and other seasonings. |
| Kulolo | A Hawaiian pudding made of taro, brown sugar and coconut milk. |
| Lau Lau | Salt butterfish, beef, chicken or pork wrapped in taro or ti leaves and then steamed. |
| Lomi Lomi Salmon | From the Hawaiian words to massage, knead or rub, Lomi Lomi Salmon is made with cold diced salmon, tomatoes and onion. It is found at almost every luau in the islands. |
| Lu`au | Taro leaves, often baked with coconut cream and chicken or octopus; the word eventually came to mean a Hawaiian feast, which is also known as 'aha'aina or pa'ina. |
| Macaroni Salad (Island Style) | A mainland favorite brought to Hawaii is served at many luaus. Like many salads, it can be made many different ways. |
| Mahi Mahi with Teriyaki Sauce Marinade Sauteed Mahi Mahi Seared Toasted Macadamia Nut Mahi Mahi with Citrus Ako-Miso Sauce |
This Hawaiian favorite white, sweet, moderately dense fish is most often served at luaus either baked or sautéed. |
| Mango Bread | This version of mango bread is from a recipe by Hawaii's most famous chef, Sam Choy. |
| Pineapple | Still grown in Hawaii, fresh pineapple can almost always be found at a luau, often in chunks at the salad area. |
| Pipikaula | Hawaiian-style beef jerky |
| Poi | One of the staple foods of the Hawaiian diet, poi is a thick, purple-colored paste made by pounding taro. Poi can be bought fresh or "day-old," which allows a sour flavor to develop. Poi is labeled "one-finger," "two-finger" or "three-finger" to describe its consistency--the thicker the poi, the fewer fingers needed to scoop it up. Today, is it used in many Hawaiian recipes or served as a side dish. |
| Poi Dinner Rolls | These delicious purple-colored rolls made from taro flour are a staple at almost every luau. If you know of a good recipe, let me know! |
| Poke | Most often seen made with the freshest raw ahi (tuna), poke makes a great pupu (appetizer) for any meal. |
| Portuguese Bean Soup | A delicious soup made with cabbage, kidney beans and Portuguese sausage. |
| Portuguese Sweet Bread | Portuguese sweet bread (pao doce), sometimes labeled Hawaiian sweet bread, is a staple and good for making French toast in the morning. |
| Pupu | The pupu platter found at many luaus is basically a platter of hors d'oeuvres, island style. |
| Sweet Potatoes | A delicious side-dish found at almost every luau in Hawaii. |
| Teriyaki Beef | A Japanese favorite of beef marinated in teriyaki sauce and island seasonings and then broiled or grilled. The same recipe can also be used with chicken. |
| Ti Leaves | Ti leaves are used in Hawaiian cooking to wrap foods that are to be cooked. The leaves are removed before the food is eaten. Dried ti leaves, which can be found in some ethnic markets, must be soaked to soften before they can be used. |
| Taro | Also known as kalo, taro leaves are eaten as a vegetable or wrapped around fish and meats. The root is cooked and pounded into poi. |
Related Books of Interest
Alan Fong's
New Wave Luau
by Alan Wong
An excellent cookbook by one of the premier chefs of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine.
Wong shows you how to take traditional luau foods and prepare them in all new
and exciting ways.
Entertaining
Hawaiian Style: The How to Book of Hawaiian Luaus
by Patricia L. Fry
This book is a great place to start if you want to hold a luau in your own
backyard. It covers everything from how to cook a kalua pig and other luau foods
to even how to speak some basic Hawaiian.
Hawaii's Best Tropical Food and Drinks
by Hawaiian Service Inc.
If you're looking to find out how to make that specialty Hawaiian drink, this
book is for you.
