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Nauruan cuisine has a distinct flavour of its own in the pacific region. Considering the fact that the territory is an island, it comes as no surprise that Nauru menu includes various fish and seafood specialties. Besides the local authentic dishes, there are various influences in the Nauru cuisine, such as German, Australian and British.
Variety in cuisine
The inhabitants of the island are not only natives, but also Chinese, Vietnamese and Europeans, so there is a lot of variety in Nauru cuisine. Still, due to the fact that the island is the size of a western town (Nauru is among one of the smallest states in the world) the cuisine is much unified and representative of the entire region. Because of the high temperature and the oceanic backdrop, the Nauru cuisine is very light with various flavors. In Yaren, there are various fresh fish meals, served with exotic vegetables and fruits.
Cooking methods
While there are no specific methods for cooking, detail is important in the Nauru cuisine. It uses elements from various cooking traditions borrowed from their neighbors and developed their own traditional dishes. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential - either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. The diversity of vegetables and cereals found in Nauru is also noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportion differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Nauru's regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Nauru dishes, so cured and smoked hams are often parts of their delicious food. Besides this, the fishes are served whole and roasted, with citrus fruits and mashed vegetables or fresh greens.
Cooking Items
Cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishers & portioners, food pans & food containers and other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets & accessories are the most important items that the Nauru cuisine needs. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Nauru food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slicers, kitchen thermometers, measuring cups & measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers & strainers. Essential utensils like serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking ‘armour.'
Desserts
The Nauru people enjoy celebrating their culture and religion with large family feasts. Most of the Nauru people are Christians and they celebrate a traditional Christmas with exotic cakes made of coconut and bananas, apart from citrus fruits, flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg. Other traditional desserts that are consumed on special occasions include banana spreads, the coconut mousse and coconut shakes or ice-creams, which contain both ground coconut and the fruit's light and flavored milk.
Recipe
Nauruans as mentioned earlier have a borrowed style of cooking. Similarly stuffed roasted chicken is also an import from its neighbourhood. The recipe of the stuffed roasted chicken is as follows.
Ingredients
2 kg whole chicken
Stuffing
1 1/2 cups soft breadcrumbs
1 lemon, zest of, grated
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons melted butter
salt & freshly ground black pepper
paprika, to sprinkle over the chicken
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