If anybody asked anybody what their favorite things to do in life are, chances are “eat,” would be one of the

first few things they would say in response.

Everyone likes to eat, and everyone has favorite foods. I, myself, am partial to various Japanese dishes like

skiyaki, yakiniku, sushi, and ramen. Some of my favorite deserts are ice cream and mango pudding. My wife, on

the other hand, loves dulce deleche and cheesecake. She also makes the best snickerdoodles I have ever tasted.

Hungry yet?

Food. It’s part of our culture. No matter who you are or where you’re from, food is part of your livelihood. Some foods are traditional. Some foods have to be prepared in a particular way, and some foods are linked to specific places in the world. For example, people will tell you that spaghetti, pizza, and lasagna are Italian dishes, that tacos come from Latin America, and that chow mein comes from China.

The islands of Polynesia are no exception in their offering of delicious foods originally specific to their region. Some of the best food I’ve ever had was prepared for me by a Tahitian friend. He made me poulet fafa (Tahitian Chicken).

In Tahiti, several foods and main dishes, like poulet fafa, are prepared by using fire pits called hima’a. Similar to what Americans would call tin foil dinners, food is wrapped, placed over hot coals, and covered until it’s ready to eat.

Instead of using tin foil, however, Tahitians wrap their food in woven baskets made from banana leaves. While this food is delicious, not everyone has access to a fire pit or banana leaves.

Lucky for you, if you’ve got a hankerin’ for some homemade Tahitian food, Tahiti’s national dish is actually incredibly easy to prepare; poisson cru is a fish salad flavored with lime and coconut milk, and it can be prepared in as little as 30 minutes.

In fact, it’s actually best to prepare it as quickly as possible in order to keep everything fresh! If you want to make it, here’s how:

You’ll need:

1 ½ pounds of fresh tuna
½ cup of lime juice
¼ cup of coconut milk
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into half inch cubes
1 tomato, seeded and diced
3-4 chopped green onions

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and let it marinate for 10 to 20 minutes
2. Drain excess liquid and adjust seasoning

It’s that simple! You could also add peppers, grated carrots, minced garlic, or even a pinch of sugar if you wanted to. Give it a try. I promise you won’t regret it. In just 30 minutes, you could be experiencing an absolutely delicious piece of Tahitian culture.

 Peter Gregory

 Author Bio

I’m Peter. I grew up in Seattle, but have been living in Hawaii and Japan for the last 4 years. I love traveling; I love learning about different cultures; I love food, and I love my wife. We’re hoping to go to Korea next year, and graduate school the year after that. My life’s the best kind of dream, the one you don’t have to wake up from.

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Picture Credits

Snickerdoodles: http://www.inspiredtaste.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Snickerdoodles-Recipe-1.jpg

Poulet fafa: http://p7.storage.canalblog.com/72/11/514190/70551923.jpg

Hima’a: http://www.globosapiens.net/data/gallery/fp/pictures_468/–french-polynesia–id=34670.jpg

Poisson cru: http://longbeachbootcamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Poisson_Cru.png