New Caledonia, a breeding ground of flavors
New Caledonian cuisine owes its origins to numerous ethnic groups that have dwelt on the archipelago. The Polynesians brought their Tahitian salad (pieces of fish macerated in lemon juice and sprinkled with coconut milk). From Réunion came minced bamboo shoots, lemon and vegetables as well as ‘rougail’ (a preparation of fresh peppers, mango or chopped tomatoes used to fl avour certain dishes). The ‘bami javanais’ (fried noodles with vegetables, meat or fi sh) has become part of the staple diet in Caledonia. The Australian and New Zealand vegemite, an extremely salty spread based on beer yeast, can be taken as a snack at any time of the day.
Besides these multi-cultural dishes, the local cuisine is greatly infl uenced by the omnipresent ocean: ‘dawa’ (the unicorn fi sh which has very fatty flesh), Napoleon (a large fi sh from the Parrotfi sh family), auxis thazard (2m long, from the tuna family), Trevally (for fi sh salads), the snapper (excellent deep-sea fi sh) – the choice is endless. In the lagoons there is a large range of seafood: Trocas (shellfi sh) with curry, mangrove oysters, coconut crab
(the size of a chicken), mitten lobster (a sort of sea-cricket) and the spiny lobster (a large green-backed lobster).
For meat lovers, there is beef (braised, steamed, in a sauce or plain), dishes based on ‘notou’ (a large grey pigeon) or venison (from which excellent sausages are made). All are excellent and a real treat.
Other less common foods are also used to make delightful Caledonian dishes. These include bat cooked in coconut milk, traditionally roasted wild pig, and the unforgettable traditional kanak (New Caledonian) recipe for ‘bougna’, a succulent stew of meat, chicken or fi sh accompanied by vegetables, and braised in banana leaves.
As for desserts, the tropical fruits are excellent: papayas, litchis, Koné mangoes, mandarins, pineapple (small but very tasty). Guavas are delicious served in a jelly. Lastly, the kanak apples, passion fruit, and cinnamon apples (a variety of annona) delicately perfume the fruit salads.
To quench your thirst, apart from fresh coconut milk and kawa (a traditional drink for the South Pacific made from wild pepper roots, considered euphoriant and relaxing), the Caledonians like wine (from Australia, New Zealand and French) and the excellent Number One beer, brewed on the island.
And finally, it would be a sin not to finish a meal with a Caledonian coffee, which has gained a strong reputation worldwide…
