Polynesian gastronomy is an archipelago cuisine, deeply connected to the sea, tropical produce and the hot-stone cooking techniques inherited from the ma'ohi ancestors. Today it is enriched by French influences (technique, presentation), Chinese (brought by the Hakka community established in Papeete since the late 19th century) and Japanese (sashimi, raw dishes).
The national dish is without contest the raw fish in coconut milk (i'a ota): cubes of fresh red tuna briefly marinated in lime juice, then dressed with fresh coconut milk, with diced tomato, cucumber and onion. Served very cold, it is one of the most refreshing and flavourful dishes you can taste under the tropics. A Chinese version exists with soy sauce and ginger. You will find it everywhere: in Papeete snacks, the food trucks of the waterfront, resort restaurants.
The poulet fafa (chicken simmered in taro leaves) and the salt-crusted pork cooked in the traditional underground oven (ahima'a) are the festive dishes of large Polynesian tables. The ahima'a — a traditional oven dug in the sand with wood-fired stones — slowly cooks pork, fish, plantains and taro for several hours. Try it during a traditional evening at a Moorea, Tahiti or Bora Bora hotel.
Coconut bread is another essential: a dense, slightly sweet bread made with coconut milk, served as an accompaniment or at breakfast. The po'e — a traditional dessert of bananas (or papaya, pumpkin, breadfruit) cooked into a thick jelly and topped with coconut milk — perfectly closes a Polynesian meal.
Tropical fruits are of incomparable freshness: Moorea Victoria pineapples (among the world's best), mangoes, papayas, passion fruits, rambutans, soursops, fresh coconuts. The Moorea pineapple juice and the Tahaa vanilla (one of the world's finest, more floral and complex than bourbon) are two unmissable ambassadors.
On the drinks side, the local beer Hinano (in a red can with a tiare flower) is the conviviality drink par excellence. Cocktails using Tahitian rum (local agricultural rum) and tropical fruit juices round out the offering. French and New Zealand wines are available in hotels but at high prices (50-100% more than in mainland France — import duties and taxes).
A word on the Papeete food trucks: on Place Vai'ete along the waterfront, every evening from 6 pm, around twenty roulottes (Polynesian food trucks) serve steak-frites, grilled fish, Chinese dishes, crêpes — for €10-15 per person. One of the most authentic and economical spots in the capital, frequented by locals and tourists alike.
Read also
- Society Islands — The main archipelago: Tahiti the capital, dramatic Moorea, sublime Bora Bora.
- Tuamotus: the diving atolls — 77 scattered coral atolls — Rangiroa and Fakarava are among the world's finest dive sites.
- Marquesas: the wild archipelago — Remote mountainous islands, the graves of Gauguin and Brel on Hiva Oa, monumental tikis.
- Bora Bora, the pearl of the Pacific — Mont Otemanu, the turquoise lagoon and the overwater bungalows: the world's honeymoon icon.
- Moorea, the dramatic island — 30 minutes by ferry from Tahiti — Mont Rotui hikes and humpback whales from July to October.