The food and cooking of Tahiti is typical Pacific Island cuisine. Pork roasted in a firepit (ahima’a) is a highlight. Fresh fish and seafood are the base for many tasty dishes. Taro root, cassava and rice are staple starches. Taro leaves, bananas and breadfruit are all used as vegetables. Coconut cream enriches dishes, while lime juice gives food a tart punch.
Typical Tahitian Dishes
A list of typical Tahitian dishes and foods. Use it to help you plan a Tahitian-style meal, party or festival.
Salads
- Salade Niçoise (Salad with tuna, olives, potatoes and green beans)
Poultry
- Chicken Fafa (Chicken with taro leaves)
Meats
- Pua Toro (Corned beef)
Fish and Seafood
- Fafaru (Fish fermented in seawater)
- Ma’oa and Pahua Taioro (Snails and clams in coconut seawater sauce)
- Poisson Cru, or E’ia Ota (Tahitian lime-marinated tuna)
- Shrimp in Coconut Milk (Shrimp simmered in coconut milk)
Vegetables and Beans
- Fe’i (Baked plantains)
- Poi (Boiled and mashed taro root)
- Ufi (Baked yams)
- Uru (Roasted Breadfruit)
- ‘Umara (Baked sweet potatoes)
Breads and Grains
- Coconut Bread
Sauces and Condiments
- Miti-hue (Sour coconut milk)
- Taioro (Curdled coconut milk)
Desserts
- Baked Papayas
- Po’e (Fruit pudding)
Tahitian Recipes
Try these recipes from Tahiti.
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