Traditional New Zealand Food

New Zealand cuisine has been described as Pacific as well as British rim cuisine, that inspired by Europe, UK and Asian cuisine. For dishes that have a distinctly New Zealand style are lamb, pork and cervena (venison), salmon, crayfish, Bluff oysters, paua (abalone), mussels, scallops, pipis and tuatua (types of shellfish), kumara (sweet potato), kiwifruit and pavlova, the national dessert.

New Zealand is ideal for winemaking specially when the grapes can ripen slowly to a full flavour, winemakers get ready for the task. To get a delicious but traditional taste of New Zealand food you need to should go for the smoky flavour of the traditional Maori hangi which will be a yummy culinary experience.

New Zealand cuisine is simple with "meat and three vegetables" and this is because of its colonial origin. Dinner is the main meal of the New Zealanders.
Hangi actually refers to a whole process of cooking in the ground with hot stones, or to the underground oven so created, and to the food so cooked. It is a kind of feast among the Maoris in New Zealand. Various types of meats and vegetable, such as sweet potato, are wrapped in leaves or aluminium foil (Modern version). These items of wrapped food are then placed in a hole in the ground and cooked with hot stones. To get the real taste of Maori culture one must try this preparation. Else, you can't truly say that you've been to New Zealand if you haven't eaten a Hangi.

To prepare it in traditional way, you have to follow a few simple steps:

Step 1: Special volcanic stones are located as a source of heat to cook the food. Normal stones won’t generally do the job because they can shatter or crack during the heating process. Finding the right classification of rocks for this job is absolute crucial to the successful outcome of any Hangi.

Step 2: These stones are placed in a fire and heated for quite a few hours until they are white hot. The wood used can alter the taste of the Hangi for good or bad. Natural wood is best there are few special types which give a lovely smoky taste. On the other hand, treated timber or chemicals in the wood can make you sick or poison your hangi.

Step 3: Dig a Hangi Pit. Have as many friends around for this step as possible.

Step 4: Fill your Hangi basket with a combination of raw, but thoroughly defrosted, meat, vegetables, stuffing and 1-2 steamed puddings. Hangi baskets are usually constructed of wire or steel. The bottom of the basket is usually lined and the food has to be stacked in a certain manner for optimum cooking.

Step 5: Transfer the hot stones into the hole. This job requires speed and skill. It takes place near a hot fire and is the most crucial step. Once this transfer has occurred quickly put the basket on top of the hot stones.

Step 6: Drape the basket with moist sacking cloth.

Step 7: Use shovels to cover the Hangi again with earth until there is no steam escaping.

Step 8: Wait 2-3 hours and dig up the Hangi and 'Hey Presto', you've just cooked your very own Hangi!

Hangi food is typically served as a communal buffet. The food is spread out on a table and people usually help themselves as they please. Good Hangi accompaniments include Fried Bread or Rewena Bread (Traditional Maori bread).

If you want to cook your own Hangi there is a lot more specific information you need with regards to your equipment, preparation and timing. If any one of these aspects is off your Hangi could be a complete disaster. If you want more information about this truly unique cooking technique visit our website for photos, specific information and video footage.

Source: http://recipesfoodandcooking.blogspot.com/2010/07/hangi-maori-earth-oven.html

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