Locally grown tea is a new crop for the Hawaii agriculture industry. Most of it comes from the Big Island where the east side is populated with small tea gardens that grow and process 100% Hawaii teas. You can also visit the tea gardens!
Tea room at Tea Hawaii & Company
Did you know Hawaii is one of the few places in the US that can grow tea?…
Pumpkin Crunch Bars/Cakes and Lemon Crunch Cakes are popular local desserts in Hawaii. Growing up, we ate them often at birthday parties and potlucks. Now as adults, we make it at home or buy it from local bakeries!
Pumpkin Crunch Cake from Pipeline Bakeshop & Creamery (Oahu)
It’s a local favorite!…
Luau Stew is a traditional Hawaiian dish made by cooking fresh luau leaves (which come from the taro plant). Eat it with rice and/or poi! You can find luau stew plain (happens to be vegetarian), or with squid, chicken, or beef.
Luau stew served over rice, with kalua pig (aka kalua pork), ogo (seaweed), sweet potato, and ulu (breadfruit). Kulolo on the side for dessert. Iced mamaki to drink.
Luau stew is saucy, savory, and so good spooned over rice!…
Poke is Hawaiian dish of diced raw ahi tuna mixed with Hawaiian sea salt, inamona (kukui nuts), and ogo (seaweed). There are many variations. Poke is so trendy now, but we ate this often growing up in Hawaii!
Big poke platter at Pono Market (Kauai)
Nothing so nice like poke and rice!…
Mac salad is a staple side dish in Hawaii. Our version is unique to the islands, often a bit tangy and loaded with add-ins like kamaboko and ‘ulu (breadfruit).
Mac salad (with chicken katsu and rice) at Gochi Grill (Oahu)
We love to eat mac salad in Hawaii….
Opihi is a Hawaiian delicacy. It’s a limpet that lives on seaside rocks (they are notoriously hard to pry off). Remove the shell and eat them raw or cooked.
Cleaning and eating raw opihi at home
These tiny gems are often called “baby abalone.”…
Lau lau is a Hawaiian dish made of pork and butterfish wrapped in lu’au leaves and ti leaves. Lau lau is steamed and eaten with rice and poi. It’s a real treat!
Lau Lau at Helena’s Hawaiian Food (Oahu)
It doesn’t look like much, but lau lau is one of my favorite Hawaiian dishes….
Spam Musubi is a famous Hawaii snack made from Spam, rice, and nori. It’s portable, affordable, and tasty! It’s the most popular way to eat Spam in Hawaii.
Spam (with Egg, Avocado, and Unagi!) Musubi at Musubi Cafe Iyasume (Oahu)
What’s Hawaii’s favorite snack?…
POG stands for Passion Fruit, Orange, and Guava! It’s a chilled fruit juice that was invented on the island of Maui, and is now popular worldwide.
Aloha Maid POG juice
You’ll recognize POG by that happy orange-pink color….
Costco is a big deal in Hawaii. Everyone loves Costco because they do a great job stocking the local, Hawaii-only eats! Here’s what to get at Costco Hawaii.
The famous macadamia nuts at Costco Hawaii
There’s no place like Costco on a Sunday morning in Hawaii….
Poi is the staple starch of Hawaiian food. Made from the root of the taro (kalo) plant, it’s sticky, sweet, and a bit sour. It’s a Hawaii must-try food.
Fresh bags of poi, still warm!
Purple and sticky. Sweet and Sour. What is this?…
Li hing mui powder