Maui Dining Guide

Island Foods

Island style eating incorporates delicacies from many different cultures. The following guide will give you a brief introduction to some of the more popular items in a wide variety of culinary delights available on Maui.

Hawaiian

poi: a starchy paste made from mashing cooked taro with a little bit of water; sometimes slightly fermented, poi is categorized as one, two or three finger poi by the thickness of its consistency.
kalua pig: a whole pig cooked in an imu, or underground oven.
laulau: pork, salted fish and taro leaves wrapped in a ti or banana leaves and baked in an imu, steamed or broiled.
lomi salmon: lomi means massage, rub, press or squeeze in Hawaiian; the salmon, usually raw, is worked with the fingers into a mixture of vinegar, onion and spices and eaten cold as a salad or side dish.
haupia: a pudding made of coconut creme.
'opihi: a limpet collected from shoreline rocks and considered a delicacy eaten raw or cooked.
'ulu: breadfruit, when cooked it tastes something like sweet potatoes.
hulihuli chicken: whole chickens roasted over a barbecue by turning (huli) rotisserie style.
poke: sliced raw fish or octopus mixed with salt, seaweed and chili peppers.

Korean

kim chee: hot, spicy pickled cabbage and other vegetables.
kalbi: marinated and barbecued short ribs.

Chinese

char siu: pork marinated in sugar, salt, soy sauce and red food coloring.

Japanese

teriyaki: beef marinated in soy sauce.
tempura: vegetables or seafood deep fried in batter.
shoyu: soy sauce
sashimi: raw fish, usually ahi tuna, thinly sliced and served with green wasabe and soy sauce.
sushi: rice and bits of fish and vegetables wrapped in seaweed.
wasabi: Spicy hot, green horseradish usually served with sushi and sashimi.
saimin: a popular noodle soup flavored with vegetables and beef.
bento: a take-out box lunch.

Portuguese

malasadas: donuts without holes
bean soup: a rich spicy kidney bean soup with vegetables and Portuguese sausage.

Game Fish

mahimahi: one of the least expensive and most common eating fish, often referred to as dolphin but technically it is not; dolphins are mammals and mahimahi is a fish. Weighing 10 to 65 pounds, it has a broad head and body that tapers down to its tail; also known as dorado.
a'u: the broadbilled swordfish or marlin, weighing up to 250 pounds each; not easy to catch, which is often reflected in its price, but excellent firm, moist, meaty steak like white flesh.
ono: also called wahoo or king mackerel, the name also means delicious in Hawaiian and certainly applies
ulua: a prized, hard-fighting game fish belonging to the "Jack Crevalle" family that ranges up to 125 pounds; also known as pompano; spearfishermen.
uku: the gray snapper
ahi: yellowfin tuna, excellent cooked or raw and often found in sushi bars.
ahu: skipjack tune, heavier than ahi.
aku: bonito or skipjack tuna, a deep red-fleshed fish excellent cooked or raw as sashimi.
opakapaka: the pink snapper
onaga: red snapper, a local favorite, caught in deep waters, with juicy, white tender meat.
kumu: goatfish; firm, white meat. Steamed kumu is an island specialty.
mano: shark; firm, white meat.
moonfish/opah: Mild, firm, pink flesh.

Other Island Foods

apple bananas: a smaller, denser, smoother texture than regular (Williams) bananas.
barbecue sticks: teriyaki marinated pork, chicken or beef pieces barbecued and served on bamboo sticks.
breadfruit: melon-sized starchy fruit; served baked, deep fried, steamed or boiled.
crackseed: Chinese-style spicy preserved fruits and seeds.
giri giri: home-made sherbert
guava: about the size of an apricot or plum. The inside is full of seeds, to it is rarely eaten raw. Used primarily for juice, jelly or jam.
Hawaiian supersweet corn: the finest corn you ever had, even raw. Grown in Kula.
huli huli chicken: Hawaiian barbecue style
ka'u oranges: big island oranges. Usually, the uglier the orange, the better it tastes.
Kona coffee: grown on the Lona coast of the Big Island. Smooth, mild flavor; available everywhere.
kulolo: steamed taro pudding
liliko'i: passion fruit
loco moco: rice, meat patty, egg and gravy.
lychee: a reddish, woody peel that is discarded for the sweet, white fruit inside. Be careful of the pit.
macadamia nut: a large, round nut
manapua: steamed or baked bun filled with meat.
mango: bright orange fruit with yellow pink skin. Distinct, tasty flavor.
manju: cookie filled with a sweet center.
Maui onions: grown in Kula, some people eat them like apples.
musubi: cold steamed rice, sliced spam rolled in black seaweed wrappers.
papaya: melon-like, pear-shaped fruit with yellow skin best eaten chilled.
pipi kaula: Hawaiian-style beef jerky. Excellent when dipped in poi.
plate lunch: an island favorite as an inexpensive, filling lunch. Consists of "two-scoop rice", a scoop of macaroni salad and some type of meat, either beef, chicken, or fish. Sometimes called a box lunch.
Portuguese sausage: pork sausage, highly seasoned with red pepper.
pupu: appetizer, finger foods or snacks.
saimin: noodles cooked in either chicken, pork or fish broth.
shave ice: a block of ice is "shaved" into a ball with flavored syrup poured over the top. Best served with ice cream on the bottom.
smoothie: usually papaya, mango, frozen passion fruit and frozen banana, but almost any fruit can be used to make this milkshake-like drink. Add milk for creaminess.
taro chips: sliced and deep-fried taro; resembles potato chips.

Glenn & Laurie Loper
970-948-1701-phone
970-948-1701-cell
970-927-0880-Fax
ourmauicondo@earthlink.net