Exquisite taste sensations
There are incredible things that grow here in Hawaii and the locals have come up with ingenious ways to make your taste buds scream with joy. The air is filled with tempting sweet smells of fresh flowers such as the plumeria leaves, which are everywhere on the ground in various colour shades and are often used for making lei’s (the flower necklaces locals and visitors often wear), and all the exotic fruit you can imagine, all mixed with fresh ocean air, that is thousands of miles away from polluting factories and traffic jams. I enjoy eating so much more than I ever have, often every little bite gives me a rush, a mind-boggling sensation that elates joy and peace for my soul. The taste is so rich and pure and full, it must be related to the fact that it comes directly from one of the earth’s most energetic pieces of soil, the Hawaiian volcanoes. So here are some examples:
- Lilikoi: They come on green, yellow, red, brown, purple, but have one thing in common: the inside mix of juicy flesh with seeds must have been made in heaven on a day where the gods thought: “what can we do to make the human soul feel ecstatic?”. Also known as passion fruit or maracuja, but trust me, this is much much better. It is like kissing an angel. Cut in half, hold the edge to your mouth and just suck in the juice from heaven…
- Coconut macademia brittle: The only brittle I know that does not stick to your teeth but melts in your mouth before it gets there. Absolute bliss.
- Taro, mango, guava sweet bread: Made by the Southernmost bakery in the United States, Punalu’u Bake Shop in Na’alehu on the Big Island, this is colourful sweet bread: purple for taro, pink for guava, yellow for mango.
- Sirloin steak from Keahu: The cattle here roams freely on green pastures that slope down to the ocean. These specific ones come from near South Point on the Big Island, with a clear view towards Tahiti and fresh warm salt air.
- Mango: large, sweet, organic, no strings, everything a mango should be. They grow everywhere in Hawaii but you need to be aware of seasons
- Ono: Our favoured fish, white meat, very tender and tasty, my favourite is baking it with lilikoi
- Avocado: OK, you will not believe this, they grow to the size of footballs. Most of the ones we ate are actually round rather than egg shaped and about the size of a online casino spiele large grapefruit or pomelo. Love it on sandwiches or salads.
- Kahlua pork: the main meat before cattle was introduces to Hawaii. Cooked slowly and very tender, strips of meat that taste very unique with rice and seaweed flavoured spinach
- Papaya: this is one food I will always associate with Hawaii, we would have half a papaya with lime on it pretty much every morning, it gives you the best start into the day…
- Apple bananas: the small kind which grows everywhere and is very yummy, with a hint of apple flavours, the kids love these and have one almost every night before they go to bead.
- Kona coffee: from the Kona coast on Big Island, ok I am not a big coffee expert, but this tastes great and makes me stay awake on long drives around the volcanoes
- Ginger macademia nut cookies: from Punalu’u Bakery, very tasty
- Tropical summer honey: Wao Kele Honey Company, the nectar from the most beautiful flowers
- Pineapple: fresh, large and juicy, these grow everywhere
- Mango bread: sort of like banana bread, except much better and spreckled with macademia nuts and walnuts
- Taro: sort of like potato, comes in all kinds of versions, including poi which is sort of like a big mush (like oatmeal), but the one I loved best was coconut milk cooked taro in taro leaves
Rainbow bread, good in any of the 11 climatic zones of Big Island
Unbelievable: two large bowls of juicy cubes, all from one large organic mango
All-you-can-eat bananas and papayas at our cute little Dolphin Bay Hotel in Hilo
Breakfast time:mango, papaya and a fruit that looks like an artichoke, is very tasty (more like banana) and has a name that sounds like the monkey from star wars
Categories: Hawaii - Big Island