New Zealand Cuisine
Because of the diverse nature of the population, New Zealand cuisine can be hard to define.
The cuisine of New Zealand is a diverse British-based cuisine with strong Maori and Pacific Rim influences. It is hard to nail down an exact definition of New Zealand food and everyone will have their own idea of what constitutes a traditional Kiwi meal. What we have done is picked out a few different ones that we believe covers a wide spectrum of cultures and tastes.
Hāngi
While the hāngi is more of a method of cooking, rather than a specific meal, it generally contains the same few ingredients and is culturally important to the native people of this land. A hole is dug in the earth and stones, heated by fire, are placed at the bottom. Food packed in leaves are then placed on top and further covered with foliage and cloth, or wet sacks, then earth. You will find hāngis at large Maori gatherings and they tend to include foods like kumara, potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, cabbage, chicken, pork, fish, mutton or lamb.
Meat Pie
“You must always blow on the pie. Safer communities together”. Everybody remembers the famous words uttered by Sergeant Guy Baldwin nearly 10 years ago. It resonated with every kiwi, as it was something we have all had to do at some point. The meat pie may not have originated here, but we have certainly adopted it as if it were our own. The average New Zealander consumes 15 pies in a year (which sounds a little on the low side if we’re being honest) and will use any occasion as an excuse to consume one of these delicious delicacies. The classic Mince and Cheese tends to be a favourite, or the Bacon and Egg if it’s before midday. In recent years we have seen more pie-makers willing to experiment with their fillings with unique variations, such as the butter chicken pie, gaining a lot of popularity.
Pavlova
This may be considered a controversial inclusion as the origin of the dish has been hotly debated for decades. Nevertheless it is still a hugely important part of New Zealand’s cuisine and identity as a whole.
Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert, typically served with whipped cream, strawberries, kiwifruit and passionfruit. It is enjoyed year-round, but is most often associated with summer and christmas in particular.
Boil Up
The boil up is a modern favourite of the Maori people and involves boiling pork, watercress, onion, potatoes, kūmara, and pumpkin in a rich pork stock. It is often served with Maori dumplings, known as ‘doughboys’ which are used to soak up the flavourful stock. The boil up is a great traditional kiwi dish as it combines contemporary british cooking methods with traditional ingredients of Maori food. In this regard it could be considered the most kiwi dish out there.
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