Cuisine of Vanuatu

Vanuatu has strong French influence and it shows in their cuisine as well. Vanuatu has a good name in the South Pacific region for its mouth-watering cuisine. Vila and Luganville in Vanuatu offer plenty of options for gourmet delights that will be liked by people of every taste and budget.

The cuisines on offer in the islands include European, Asian and traditional Pacific. The national dish of Vanuatu is Laplap. It is prepared by pounding taro or yam roots into a paste, which is then placed on taro or spinach leaves. They are then soaked in grated coconut mixed with water. Pieces of pork, beef, chicken, fish or flying fox are added and the mixture is tied in the leaves from the laplap plant. The small pieces are cooked in an underground oven. Other local dishes comprises of Tuluk (a pork-filled package cooked in the same way as Laplap) and Nalot (a vegetable dish made from boiled or roasted taro, banana or breadfruit mixed with grated coconut and water).

There are numerous eating joints in Vila where you can relish Santo beefsteaks along with traditional delicacies such as Coconut Crab served with chili, garlic, coconut or curry sauces. The other specialties include Nautou (Ground Pigeon), Escargots (Snails), Rousette (Flying Fox or Fruit Bat), Crevettes (Prawns), Poulet or Chicken Fish, Mangrove Oysters and Nems (Spring Rolls). The delicacy of Vanuatu is the Tahitian Raw Fish Salad (Poissin Cru) marinated in limejuice and coconut milk.

The drinks are part of Vanuatu cuisine as they are refreshing drink. Fresh Coconut Juice, Kava (an intoxicating liquid made from pounded or ground pepper root mixed with water), Aelan Bia (a pungent and muddy drink often called Island Beer), Tanna Coffee, Tusker and Vanuatu complete the drinks menu.

Vila and Luganville are spotted with kava bars. However, women are forbidden to drink kava in certain conventional area of Vanuatu. The supermarkets are lined with a wide range of local and imported food. You can easily find fresh garden-grown products such as bananas, coconuts, grapefruit, lemons, pawpaw, tomatoes and yams.

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