Home Regions Oceania Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands, a Pacific archipelago, scatter across turquoise seas with Honiara as its humid capital on Guadalcanal, famed for WWII battles like Bloody Ridge. Known for copra, timber, and vibrant Melanesian culture—think shell money—its economy leans on fishing, logging, and nascent tourism, though isolation hampers growth. Its coral reefs and tribal dances glow amid dense jungles. This remote paradise hums with rugged charm.

Solomon Islands

Featured Dishes from Solomon Islands

Bread

Bread

Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diets. It is one of the oldest human-made foods, having been of significance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture. Bread may be leavened by naturally occurring microbes (e.g. sourdough), chemicals (e.g. baking soda), industrially produced yeast, or high-pressure aeration, which creates the gas bubbles that fluff up bread. In many countries, commercial bread often contains additives to improve flavor, texture, color, shelf life, nutrition, and ease of production.

Coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially available. There are also various coffee substitutes. Typically served hot, coffee has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. Coffee production begins when the seeds from coffee cherries are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The "beans" are roasted and then ground into fine particles. Coffee is brewed from the ground roasted beans, which are typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, French press, caffè latte, or already-brewed canned coffee). Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask the bitter taste or enhance the flavor.

Fish

Fish

Broiled, grilled, roasted

Fruit

Fruit

Areca nut (betal nut/fruit), bananas, lemons, limes, passionfruit, pawpaw, pineapple, ulu (breadfruit), watermelon

Muffin

Muffin

A muffin or bun is an individually portioned baked product; however, the term can refer to one of two distinct items: a part-raised flatbread that is baked and then cooked on a griddle (typically unsweetened), or a (often sweetened) quickbread that is chemically leavened and then baked in a mold. While quickbread "American" muffins are often sweetened, there are savory varieties made with ingredients such as corn and cheese, and less sweet varieties like traditional bran muffins. The flatbread "English" variety is of British or other European derivation, and dates from at least the early 18th century, while the quickbread originated in North America during the 19th century. Both types are common worldwide today. One 19th century source suggests that muffin may be related to the Greek bread maphula, a 'cake baked on a hearth or griddle', or from Old French mou-pain 'soft bread', which may have been altered into mouffin. The word is first found in print in 1703, spelled moofin; it is of uncertain origin but possibly derived from the Low German Muffen, the plural of Muffe, meaning 'small cake', or possibly with some connection to the Old French moufflet meaning 'soft', as said of bread. The expression muffin-man, meaning a street seller of muffins, is attested in a 1754 poem, which includes the line: "Hark! the shrill Muffin-Man his Carol plies."

Rice

Rice

Rice is a cereal grain and in its domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa —or, much less commonly, Oryza glaberrima (African rice). Asian rice was domesticated in China some 13,500 to 8,200 years ago; African rice was domesticated in Africa about 3,000 years ago. Rice has become commonplace in many cultures worldwide; in 2021, 787 million tons were produced, placing it fourth after sugarcane, maize, and wheat. Only some 8% of rice is traded internationally. China, India, and Indonesia are the largest consumers of rice. A substantial amount of the rice produced in developing nations is lost after harvest through factors such as poor transport and storage. Rice yields can be reduced by pests including insects, rodents, and birds, as well as by weeds, and by diseases such as rice blast. Traditional rice polycultures such as rice-duck farming, and modern integrated pest management seek to control damage from pests in a sustainable way. Many varieties of rice have been bred to improve crop quality and productivity. Biotechnology has created Green Revolution rice able to produce high yields when supplied with nitrogen fertiliser and managed intensively. Other products are rice able to express human proteins for medicinal use; flood-tolerant or deepwater rice; and drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant varieties. Rice is used as a model organism in biology.

Tea

Tea

Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and northern Myanmar. Tea is also made, but rarely, from the leaves of Camellia taliensis. After plain water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world. There are many different types of tea; some have a cooling, slightly bitter, and astringent flavour, while others have profiles that include sweet, nutty, floral, or grassy notes. Tea has a stimulating effect in humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. An early credible record of tea drinking dates to the third century AD, in a medical text written by Chinese physician Hua Tuo. It was popularised as a recreational drink during the Chinese Tang dynasty, and tea drinking subsequently spread to other East Asian countries. Portuguese priests and merchants introduced it to Europe during the 16th century. During the 17th century, drinking tea became fashionable among the English, who started to plant tea on a large scale in British India.

Cassava pudding

Cassava pudding

Cassava pudding, popular in the Solomon Islands, is a savory cake made from grated cassava, sweet potato, and coconut milk, traditionally baked in an outdoor oven. It has a wet and jiggly texture that firms up as it cools, making it unique compared to typical sweet puddings.

Coconut pudding

Coconut pudding

Haupia is a traditional Polynesian coconut pudding made primarily from coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, and water. It has a smooth, creamy texture and is often served chilled in squares or used as a filling in various desserts.

Ngali nut pudding

Ngali nut pudding

Pudding made with fermented Canarium Indicum nuts

Pumpkin pudding

Pumpkin pudding

Mashed pumpkin and cassava, serve with hot coconut milk

Steamed pumpkin

Steamed pumpkin

Coconut cream custard steamed inside a cleaned-out pumpkin

Coconut water

Coconut water

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). In early development, it serves as a suspension for the endosperm of the coconut during the nuclear phase of development. As development continues, the endosperm matures into its cellular phase and deposits into the rind of the coconut pulp. The liquid inside young coconuts is sometimes preferred to the liquid of a ripened coconut. Coconut water from young green coconuts is also known specifically as buko juice in Philippine English. Fresh coconuts are typically harvested from the tree while they are green. A hole may be bored into the coconut to provide access to the "meat" (liquid and pulp). In young coconuts, the liquid and air may be under some pressure and may spray slightly when the inner husk is first penetrated. Coconuts that have fallen to the ground are susceptible to rot and damage from insects or other animals.

Coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially available. There are also various coffee substitutes. Typically served hot, coffee has the highest sales in the world market for hot drinks. Coffee production begins when the seeds from coffee cherries are separated to produce unroasted green coffee beans. The "beans" are roasted and then ground into fine particles. Coffee is brewed from the ground roasted beans, which are typically steeped in hot water before being filtered out. It is usually served hot, although chilled or iced coffee is common. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways (e.g., espresso, French press, caffè latte, or already-brewed canned coffee). Sugar, sugar substitutes, milk, and cream are often added to mask the bitter taste or enhance the flavor.

Fruit punch

Fruit punch

The term punch refers to a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruits or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from the Indian subcontinent to England by employees of the East India Company in the late 17th century. Punch is usually served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls. In the United States, federal regulations provide the word "punch" to describe commercial beverage products that do not contain fruit or fruit juice. The term is used to label artificially flavored beverages, with or without natural flavorings, which do not contain fruit juice or concentrate in significant proportions. Thus a product labeled as "fruit punch" may contain no fruit ingredients at all. The word is commonly said to come from from Hindi पाँच , meaning "five", as the drink was frequently made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, juice from either a lime or a lemon, water, and spices, or milk, curd, butter, honey, sugar. That etymology traces to John Fryer's A New Account of East India and Persia, in Eight Letters (1698), but there is no evidence of a drink called pāñch in India, or elsewhere, before the English word. Besides, the English word is now known to have been in use before the British became regulars to India.

Kava

Kava

A beverage made from the powdered roots of the kava plant, known for its sedating effects

Pumpkin drink

Pumpkin drink

Pumpkin, coconut cream, water and sugar or toddy

Baked slippery cabbage in coconut cream

Baked slippery cabbage in coconut cream

Bean and tuna stew

Bean and tuna stew

Bean curry

Bean curry

Curried green beans

Bean with clam shells

Bean with clam shells

Curried beans, tomatoes, coconut and clams

Bee

Bee

Ball cabbage mix, made with ball cabbage, tomatoes, long beans, chili peppers, coconut

Bee dee

Bee dee

Mixed slippery cabbage, made with ball cabbage, vegetables, chili peppers and coconut cream

Beef

Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle . Beef can be prepared in various ways; cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often ground or minced, as found in most hamburgers. Beef contains protein, iron, and vitamin B12. Along with other kinds of red meat, high consumption is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer and coronary heart disease, especially when processed. Beef has a high environmental impact, being a primary driver of deforestation with the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any agricultural product. In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity of their meat. Today, beef is the third most widely consumed meat in the world, after pork and poultry. As of 2018, the United States, Brazil, and China were the largest producers of beef.

Bini

Bini

Stir fried beans with vegetables and noodles

Boneo soup

Boneo soup

Leafy greens and vegetable soup

Chenicheni

Chenicheni

Slippery cabbage and ngali nuts cooked inside banana leaves

Chicken

Chicken

The chicken is a large and round short-winged bird, domesticated from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia around 8,000 years ago. Most chickens are raised for food, providing meat and eggs; others are kept as pets or for cockfighting. Chickens are common and widespread domestic animals, with a total population of 26.5 billion as of 2023[update], and an annual production of more than 50 billion birds. A hen bred for laying can produce over 300 eggs per year. There are numerous cultural references to chickens in folklore, religion, and literature.

Chicken and pumpkin soup

Chicken and pumpkin soup

Soup with chicken, pumpkin, vegetables, coconut cream

Chili taiyo

Chili taiyo

Tinned tuna with chili peppers and noodles

Chiliri ngache

Chiliri ngache

Slippery cabbage cooked in coconut milk and spices

Coconut cream eggplant

Coconut cream eggplant

Curry

Curry

Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internationalised. Many dishes that would be described as curries in English are found in the native cuisines of countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia. The English word is derived indirectly from some combination of Dravidian words such as the Tamil kaṟi meaning 'sauce' or 'relish for rice'.

Curry chicken

Curry chicken

Chicken curry or curry/curried chicken is a South Asian dish originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is common in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Great Britain, and South Africa. A typical curry from the Indian subcontinent consists of chicken stewed in an onion- and tomato-based sauce, flavoured with ginger, garlic, tomato puree, chilli peppers and a variety of spices, often including turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cardamom. Outside of South Asia, chicken curry is often made with a pre-made spice mixture known as curry powder. Indian cuisine has a large amount of regional variation, with many variations on the basic chicken curry recipe. Indian chicken curry typically starts with whole spices, heated in oil. A sauce is then made with onions, ginger, garlic, and tomatoes, and powdered spices. Bone-in pieces of chicken are then added to the sauce, and simmered until cooked through. In south India, coconut and curry leaves are also common ingredients. Chicken curry is usually garnished with coriander leaves, and served with rice or roti. In south India, chicken curry may be thickened using coconut milk.

Curry chicken wings

Curry chicken wings

Curried chicken wings, serve with pumpkin fruit

Deviled chicken

Deviled chicken

Stewed chicken and vegetables

Egg and tomato omelette

Egg and tomato omelette

An egg and tomato omelette is a dish made by whisking eggs and cooking them in a pan with fresh tomatoes, often seasoned with salt and pepper. It's a quick and nutritious meal that can be enjoyed for breakfast or any time of the day.

Eggplant with egg

Eggplant with egg

Eggplant with soy sauce

Eggplant with soy sauce

Fish

Fish

Broiled, grilled, roasted

Fish and vegetable curry

Fish and vegetable curry

Curry with fish, vegetables, taro, bananas, chili peppers, coconut cream, curry powder

Fish curry

Fish curry

Fish cooked in a sauce or gravy with spices

Fish in curry with tomato

Fish in curry with tomato

Curried fish and tomato

Fried eggplant

Fried eggplant

Sliced, battered and deep-fried eggplant, serve with tahini, garden vegetables, flatbread

Fried eggplant

Fried eggplant

Goat

Goat

Goat meat is the meat of the domestic goat . The term 'goat meat' denotes meat of older animals, while meat from young goats is called 'kid meat'. In South Asian cuisine, goat meat is called mutton, along with sheep meat. The culinary name "chevon", a blend of chèvre "goat" in French and mouton "sheep" in French, was coined in 1922 and selected by a trade association; it was adopted by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1928,: 19 however the term never caught on and is not encountered in the United States. "Cabrito", a word in Spanish and Portuguese, is the meat of a young, milk-fed goat. It is also known as chivo meat. Goat meat is both a staple and a delicacy in the world's cuisines. The cuisines best known for their use of goat include African cuisine, Middle Eastern, Indian, Indonesian, Nepali, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Abruzzese, Mexican, Caribbean (Jamaica), Haitian cuisine, Dominican cuisine and Ecuadorian. Cabrito, which is baby goat, is a typical food of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico; in Italy it is called "capretto". Goat meat can be prepared in a variety of ways, such as being stewed, curried, baked, grilled, barbecued, minced, canned, fried, or made into sausage. Goat jerky is another popular variety.

Grilled beef

Grilled beef

Beef cooked over a flame

Grilled chicken

Grilled chicken

Chicken cooked over a flame

Grilled pork

Grilled pork

Pork cooked over a flame

Kasume curry

Kasume curry

Kasume fern, tomatoes, onions, beans and chili peppers, cooked with coconut cream

Kasume in coconut cream

Kasume in coconut cream

Kasume fern with vegetbles and noodles

Kasume in coconut milk

Kasume in coconut milk

Curried kasume fern

Kasume with taiyo

Kasume with taiyo

Kasume fern with spicy tinned tuna and coconut cream

Keu and sikaha

Keu and sikaha

Mud shells and eggplant cooked with noodles in coconut milk

Maria hania kangu

Maria hania kangu

Fish and kangkon (water spinach) cooked in coconut cream

Masimasi

Masimasi

Baked slippery cabbage

Masimasi with sweet potato

Masimasi with sweet potato

Baked slippery cabbage with sweet potato

Pa'ariki

Pa'ariki

Noodles with clams, coconut, boneo, vegetables

Pak choi in oyster

Pak choi in oyster

Oysters and boiled pak choi

Pawpaw curry

Pawpaw curry

Green (unripe) papaya in coconut curry, serve with rice

Pork

Pork

Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig . It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; curing extends the shelf life of pork products. Ham, gammon, bacon, and pork sausage are examples of preserved pork. Charcuterie is the branch of cooking devoted to prepared meat products, many from pork.

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin soup

Pumpkin soup is a usually 'bound' soup made from a purée of pumpkin. It is made by combining the meat of a blended pumpkin with broth or stock. It can be served hot or cold, and is a common Thanksgiving dish in the United States. Various versions of the dish are known in many European countries, the United States and other areas of North America, in Asia and in Australia. Pumpkin soup was a staple for the prisoners of war in North Vietnamese prison camps during the Vietnam War. Squash soup is a soup prepared using squash as a primary ingredient. Squash used to prepare the soup commonly includes acorn and butternut squash. Squash that has initially been separately roasted can be used in soup preparation. The roasting of squash can serve to concentrate the gourd's flavor. Squash soup can be prepared with chunks or pieces of squash and also with puréed squash. Pre-cooked, frozen squash can also be used, as can commercially prepared packets of pre-cooked frozen squash purée. Butternut squash soup may have a sweet flavor, due to the sugars present in the squash. Additional basic ingredients in squash soup's preparation can include broth, onion, cream, spices such as sage and thyme, salt and pepper. Other recipes have been known to include split peas and more exotic spices such as cumin and cinnamon. Pumpkin soup can be served hot or cold, and is a popular Thanksgiving dish in the United States.

Reko with coconut cream

Reko with coconut cream

Slippery cabbage with coconut cream

Roasted eggplant

Roasted eggplant

Eggplant , aubergine (UK, IE), brinjal (IN, SG, MY, ZA), or baigan (IN, GY) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Solanum melongena is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Most commonly purple, the spongy, absorbent fruit is used in several cuisines. Typically used as a vegetable in cooking, it is a berry by botanical definition. As a member of the genus Solanum, it is related to the tomato, chili pepper, and potato, although those are of the New World while the eggplant is of the Old World. Like the tomato, its skin and seeds can be eaten, but it is usually eaten cooked. Eggplant is nutritionally low in macronutrient and micronutrient content, but the capability of the fruit to absorb oils and flavors into its flesh through cooking expands its use in the culinary arts.

Seafood

Seafood

Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs , crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, crabs, and lobster), and echinoderms (e.g. sea cucumbers and sea urchins). Historically, marine mammals such as cetaceans (whales and dolphins) as well as seals have been eaten as food, though that happens to a lesser extent in modern times. Edible sea plants such as some seaweeds and microalgae are widely eaten as sea vegetables around the world, especially in Asia. Seafood is an important source of (animal) protein in many diets around the world, especially in coastal areas. Semi-vegetarians who consume seafood as the only source of meat are said to adhere to pescetarianism.

Sheep

Sheep

Sheep or domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term sheep can apply to other species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Numbering a little over one billion, domestic sheep are also the most numerous species of sheep. An adult female is referred to as a ewe (/juː/ yoo), an intact male as a ram, occasionally a tup, a castrated male as a wether, and a young sheep as a lamb. Sheep are most likely descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia, with Iran being a geographic envelope of the domestication center. One of the earliest animals to be domesticated for agricultural purposes, sheep are raised for fleeces, meat (lamb, hogget or mutton), and milk. A sheep's wool is the most widely used animal fiber, and is usually harvested by shearing. In Commonwealth countries, ovine meat is called lamb when from younger animals and mutton when from older ones; in the United States, meat from both older and younger animals is usually called lamb. Sheep continue to be important for wool and meat today, and are also occasionally raised for pelts, as dairy animals, or as model organisms for science.

Sikaha ha'ania kiu

Sikaha ha'ania kiu

Eggplant, fish or mud shell (kiu), vegetables and noodles in coconut milk and spices

Slippery cabbage soup

Slippery cabbage soup

Slippery cabbage soup is a popular dish in the Solomon Islands made from the leaves of the hibiscus plant, cooked with ingredients like chillies, onions, and coconut milk. It is appreciated for its simple preparation and unique texture, becoming a staple in local cuisine.

Slippery cabbage with coconut cream

Slippery cabbage with coconut cream

Slippery cabbage with giant taro

Slippery cabbage with giant taro

Steamed potato in bambu

Steamed potato in bambu

Potatoes and slippery cabbage cooked in a bamboo tube

Steamed slippery cabbage

Steamed slippery cabbage

Steamed slippery cabbage with grated coconut, tomatoes and shallots

Stir fried yard long beans

Stir fried yard long beans

Stir frying is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and the West. It is similar to sautéing in Western cooking technique. Wok frying may have been used as early as the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) for drying grain, not for cooking. It was not until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot oil. However, there is research indicating that metal woks and stir-frying of dishes were already popular in the Song dynasty (960–1279), and stir-frying as a cooking technique is mentioned in the 6th-century AD Qimin Yaoshu. Stir frying has been recommended as a healthy and appealing method of preparing vegetables, meats, and fish, provided calories are kept at a reasonable level.

Sweet pepper with taiyo

Sweet pepper with taiyo

Sweet peppers with tinned tuna

Sweet tomato soup

Sweet tomato soup

Taiyo and vegetable omelette

Taiyo and vegetable omelette

A tuna and vegetable omelette is a dish made by mixing eggs with canned tuna and various vegetables, then cooking it in a frying pan.

Tomato with navy biscuits

Tomato with navy biscuits

Tomatoes and taiyo (tinned tuna) with Navy hard biscuits

Tuna pumpkin

Tuna pumpkin

Canned tuna, pumpkin, tomatoes, shallots, and curry powder

Tutube-fern

Tutube-fern

Fern with coconut cream

Vegetable omellet

Vegetable omellet

An omelette is a dish made from eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan. It is a common practice for an omelette to include fillings such as chives, vegetables, mushrooms, meat (often ham or bacon), cheese, onions or some combination of the above. Whole eggs or egg whites are often beaten with a small amount of milk, cream, or water. The earliest omelettes are believed to have originated in ancient Persia.: 65 According to Breakfast: A History, they were "nearly indistinguishable" from the Iranian dish kookoo sabzi. According to Alan Davidson, the French word omelette ( French: [ɔm.lɛt]) came into use during the mid-16th century, but the versions alumelle and alumete are employed by the Ménagier de Paris (II, 4 and II, 5) in 1393. Rabelais (Gargantua and Pantagruel, IV, 9) mentions an homelaicte d'oeufs, Olivier de Serres an amelette, François Pierre La Varenne's Le cuisinier françois (1651) has aumelette, and the modern omelette appears in Cuisine bourgeoise (1784).

Ball cabbage salad

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Ball cabbage salad

Cassava

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Cassava

Manihot esculenta, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca , is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions as an annual crop for its edible starchy tuberous root. Cassava is predominantly consumed in boiled form, but substantial quantities are processed to extract cassava starch, called tapioca, which is used for food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. The Brazilian farofa, and the related garri of West Africa, is an edible coarse flour obtained by grating cassava roots, pressing moisture off the obtained grated pulp, and finally drying it (and roasting in the case of both farofa and garri). Cassava is the third-largest source of carbohydrates in food in the tropics, after rice and maize, making it an important staple; more than 500 million people depend on it. It offers the advantage of being exceptionally drought-tolerant, and able to grow productively on poor soil. The largest producer is Nigeria, while Thailand is the largest exporter of cassava starch.

Cassava pudding

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Cassava pudding

Savory cassava pudding

Cocoa

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Cocoa

Coconut

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Coconut

The coconut tree is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. They are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics. The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine and building materials, among many other uses. The inner flesh of the mature seed, as well as the coconut milk extracted from it, forms a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropics and subtropics. Coconuts are distinct from other fruits because their endosperm contains a large quantity of an almost clear liquid, called "coconut water" or "coconut juice". Mature, ripe coconuts can be used as edible seeds, or processed for oil and plant milk from the flesh, charcoal from the hard shell, and coir from the fibrous husk. Dried coconut flesh is called copra, and the oil and milk derived from it are commonly used in cooking – frying in particular – as well as in soaps and cosmetics. Sweet coconut sap can be made into drinks or fermented into palm wine or coconut vinegar. The hard shells, fibrous husks and long pinnate leaves can be used as material to make a variety of products for furnishing and decoration.

Coconut cream sauce

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Coconut cream sauce

Coconut cream sauce is a creamy condiment made primarily from cream of coconut, sour cream, and lime juice, often used to enhance the flavor of seafood or poultry dishes. It adds a sweet and tangy taste, making it a delightful addition to various meals.

Copra

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Copra

Copra is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copra is rich in lauric acid, making it an important commodity in the preparation of lauryl alcohol, soaps, fatty acids, cosmetics, etc. and thus a lucrative product for many coconut-producing countries. The palatable oil cake, known as copra cake, obtained as a residue in the production of copra oil is used in animal feeds. The ground cake is known as coconut or copra meal. Copra has traditionally been grated and ground, then boiled in water to extract coconut oil. It was used by Pacific island cultures and became a valuable commercial product for merchants in the South Seas and South Asia in the 1860s. Nowadays, coconut oil (70%) is extracted by crushing copra; the by-product is known as copra cake or copra meal (30%).

Curry powder

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Curry powder

Solomon Islands curry powder, made with lemongrass, chili peppers, ginger, turmeric, basil, salt

Eggplant

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Eggplant

Eggplant , aubergine (UK, IE), brinjal (IN, SG, MY, ZA), or baigan (IN, GY) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Solanum melongena is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Most commonly purple, the spongy, absorbent fruit is used in several cuisines. Typically used as a vegetable in cooking, it is a berry by botanical definition. As a member of the genus Solanum, it is related to the tomato, chili pepper, and potato, although those are of the New World while the eggplant is of the Old World. Like the tomato, its skin and seeds can be eaten, but it is usually eaten cooked. Eggplant is nutritionally low in macronutrient and micronutrient content, but the capability of the fruit to absorb oils and flavors into its flesh through cooking expands its use in the culinary arts.

Eggplant salad

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Eggplant salad

A popular dish in the Solomon Islands is eggplant salad, which typically includes grilled or roasted eggplant mixed with various seasonings and vegetables. It can be served as a side dish or a light meal, often enjoyed for its fresh flavors and healthy ingredients.

Fruit

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Fruit

Areca nut (betal nut/fruit), bananas, lemons, limes, passionfruit, pawpaw, pineapple, ulu (breadfruit), watermelon

Honey

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Honey

Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants or the secretions of other insects, like the honeydew of aphids. This refinement takes place both within individual bees, through regurgitation and enzymatic activity, and during storage in the hive, through water evaporation that concentrates the honey's sugars until it is thick and viscous. Honey bees stockpile honey in the hive. Within the hive is a structure made from wax called honeycomb. The honeycomb is made up of hundreds or thousands of hexagonal cells, into which the bees regurgitate honey for storage. Other honey-producing species of bee store the substance in different structures, such as the pots made of wax and resin used by the stingless bee.

Lakeno

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Lakeno

Mashed taro and coconut cream wrapped and cooked inside banana leaves

Mixed vegetable salad

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Mixed vegetable salad

A Solomon Islands mixed vegetable salad typically includes a variety of fresh vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, and bell peppers, often dressed with a simple vinaigrette or lime juice. It's a colorful and healthy dish that showcases the local produce.

Navy biscuits

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Navy biscuits

Wheat flour crackers

Nuts

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Nuts

A nut is a fruit consisting of a hard or tough nutshell protecting a kernel which is usually edible. In general usage and in a culinary sense, many dry seeds are called nuts, but in a botanical context, "nut" implies that the shell does not open to release the seed . Most seeds come from fruits that naturally free themselves from the shell, but this is not the case in nuts such as hazelnuts, chestnuts, and acorns, which have hard shell walls and originate from a compound ovary. A seed is the mature fertilised ovule of a plant; it consists of three parts, the embryo which will develop into a new plant, stored food for the embryo, and a protective seed coat. Botanically, a nut is a fruit with a woody pericarp developing from a syncarpous gynoecium. Nuts may be contained in an involucre, a cup-shaped structure formed from the flower bracts. The involucre may be scaly, spiny, leafy or tubular, depending on the species of nut. Most nuts come from the pistils with inferior ovaries (see flower) and all are indehiscent (not opening at maturity). True nuts are produced, for example, by some plant families of the order Fagales. These include beech (Fagus), chestnut (Castanea), oak (Quercus), stone-oak (Lithocarpus) and tanoak (Notholithocarpus) in the family Fagaceae, as well as hazel, filbert (Corylus) and hornbeam (Carpinus) in the family Betulaceae.

Poi

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Poi

Poi is a traditional staple food in the Polynesian diet, made from taro. Traditional poi is produced by mashing cooked taro on a wooden pounding board , with a carved pestle (pōhaku kuʻi ʻai) made from basalt, calcite, coral, or wood. Modern methods use an industrial food processor to produce large quantities for retail distribution. This initial paste is called paʻi ʻai. Water is added to the paste during mashing, and again just before eating, to achieve the desired consistency, which can range from highly viscous to liquid. In Hawaii, this is informally classified as either "one-finger", "two-finger", or "three-finger", alluding to how many fingers are required to scoop it up (the thicker the poi, the fewer fingers required to scoop a sufficient mouthful). Poi can be eaten immediately, when fresh and sweet, or left to ferment and become sour, developing a smell reminiscent of plain yogurt. A layer of water on top can prevent fermenting poi from developing a crust. Poi is thought to have originated in the Marquesas Islands, created some time after initial settlement from Polynesian explorers. While mashing food does occur in other parts of the Pacific, the method involved was more rudimentary. In western Polynesia, the cooked starch was mashed in a wooden bowl using a makeshift pounder out of either the stem of a coconut leaf or a hard, unripe breadfruit with several wooden pegs stuck into it. The origins of poi coincided with the development of basalt pounders in the Marquesas, which soon spread elsewhere in eastern Polynesia, with the exception of New Zealand and Easter Island.

Rice

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Rice

Rice is a cereal grain and in its domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species Oryza sativa —or, much less commonly, Oryza glaberrima (African rice). Asian rice was domesticated in China some 13,500 to 8,200 years ago; African rice was domesticated in Africa about 3,000 years ago. Rice has become commonplace in many cultures worldwide; in 2021, 787 million tons were produced, placing it fourth after sugarcane, maize, and wheat. Only some 8% of rice is traded internationally. China, India, and Indonesia are the largest consumers of rice. A substantial amount of the rice produced in developing nations is lost after harvest through factors such as poor transport and storage. Rice yields can be reduced by pests including insects, rodents, and birds, as well as by weeds, and by diseases such as rice blast. Traditional rice polycultures such as rice-duck farming, and modern integrated pest management seek to control damage from pests in a sustainable way. Many varieties of rice have been bred to improve crop quality and productivity. Biotechnology has created Green Revolution rice able to produce high yields when supplied with nitrogen fertiliser and managed intensively. Other products are rice able to express human proteins for medicinal use; flood-tolerant or deepwater rice; and drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant varieties. Rice is used as a model organism in biology.

Solomon Islands tomato sauce

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Solomon Islands tomato sauce

1
2
Next