Papua New Guinea recipes are made from its abundant natural ingredients, and this article will provide an introduction to the different flavors, ingredients and cooking techniques used throughout the country. From the aromatic cooked sago and fresh seafood dishes of the coastal provinces, to the hearty meat and vegetable stews of the highlands, Papua New Guinea has something for everyone.
In this article, we’ll explore the rich culinary heritage of this South Pacific nation, from traditional Papua New Guinea recipes passed down from generations to modern creations geared towards the modern palate. Along the way, we’ll look at what ingredients and cooking techniques are used, discuss the history behind each Papua New Guinea recipe, and provide tips for adapting these Papua New Guinea recipes for the home cook.
So, let’s get started on our journey of discovering the tantalizing delights of Papua New Guinea’s culinary culture!
Papua New Guinea is a stunningly beautiful country full of culture and flavor situated in the tropical forests and mountains of the Pacific. This island nation, which lies just off the coast of the continent of Australia, is home to some of the most unique cuisine in the world.
From the traditional pork dishes of the highlands to the vibrant seafood stews of the coastal areas, a trip to Papua New Guinea is like a journey through taste. In this article, we will explore the ingredients, flavors, and cooking styles that make up the cuisine of Papua New Guinea, and discover why it has made such an impact on the culinary world.
Let’s take a delicious tour of this fascinating country and find out why Papua New Guinea food is so special.
Have you ever wondered what the culture of Papua New Guinea is like? For hundreds of years the people of Papua New Guinea have been creating a truly unique culture that continues to draw people from all over the world. As the world’s second-largest island, Papua New Guinea is home to a vast array of traditional practices and beliefs, as well as numerous languages and ethnic groups.
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the culture of Papua New Guinea, exploring the various customs, music, art and beliefs that make it such a dynamic place. We’ll also learn about how the island can offer travelers a unique opportunity to experience and respect its rich cultural heritage. Get ready to explore one of the most fascinating cultures on planet earth!
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Papua New Guinea Recipes For Quick & Easy Dinners
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1. Hot Ginger Prawns by Herbies
The flavor in this simple Papua New Guinea food is absolutely incredible. Our new Sogeri Wild Ginger from Papua New Guinea, combined with freeze dried green peppercorns, makes a tantalizing and zingy marinade for the prawns. The herbs are an excellent addition, but if you don’t have them handy, the prawns alone are great.
2. Mumu by International Cuisine
Mumu is actually a way in which Papua New Guineans cook. Although now there are ovens available in some households, the cooking mumu style is a tradition that still continues today. The typical mumu is a pit that has fiery hot coals placed inside. Banana leaves are next and then the Papua New Guinea food choices.
The food is placed with root vegetables and starches like plantains on the bottom, next the meat then the fruit, followed by leafy greens. The whole thing is wrapped up further in banana leaf to make a steamer environment inside the package. Some tribes cover the top with soil and for some that is taboo. Some mumu is cooked dry while others are cooked wet with coconut milk which is how I made this Papua New Guinea recipe.
3. Sambal Terong Asam (Sour Eggplant Hot Sauce) by
Riau has a variety of typical Papua New Guinea recipes, one of which is the SAMBAL TONGAK ASAM or Sambal Terong Asam. The cuisine is usually served with grilled shrimp, and the main ingredient is sour eggplant (Solaum ferox Linn) which can be made into a sauce in a fresh state or grilled first. Sambal Terong Asam is the typical Papua New Guinea food of Riau which is always the “accessories” dish for the Malays in Riau, especially the Malay Archipelago and the Malay East coast of Sumatra.
This cuisine is also found in Borneo with the same ingredients that is sour eggplant in the Dayak Ngaju language called Rimbang. But for the ingredients used in the sour eggplant sauce, it is of a kind that is small or small fruiting – which has a sharper taste and aroma. Generally served with smoked fish.
Sour eggplant growing place of origin is unknown, there are planted ones and there some also growing in the wild. It is spread from India to the territory of Papua New Guinea, including all countries around Southeast Asia.
4. Maple Cream Latte by Red diamond Bev Service
A syrupy, sweet AM lift to ease into your day and warm up your spirits. It all begins with High Altitude™ Papua New Guinea Blend Coffee. Stir in a splash of maple syrup and a bit of pure vanilla extract and top with hot frothed milk. Or serve as a digestif with bourbon- or rum-infused maple syrup.
5. Flambéed Bananas With Rum And Coffee by Le Parfait
Any kind of dessert that looks like it’s going to catch on fire and, in the meantime, emits the aroma of rum-and-sugar cooked bananas is going to catch someone’s attention.
And this Papua New Guinea recipe for bananas flambé makes an impressive presentation with the lights off, as rum is flamed to finish it with a flourish. Despite how fancy it sounds, it’s really a banana dessert Papua New Guinea food popular in the PNG that you can easily create at home.
6. Ginger & Coconut Split Pea Soup by Food 52
Feel-good is this soup’s middle name: it’s green, luscious and makes you feel positively saintly. Grab yourself a hunk of fresh bread and tuck in.
I rather enjoy split pea soup and I like to lighten its heaviness with coconut milk and fresh ginger. It’s still satiating as ever and the flash-fried carrots and toasted coconut make for a nice crunchy garnish.
7. Kokoda Fish by International Cuisine
Kokoda Fish is a popular snack or appetizer in many Pacific Island nations. I absolutely love ceviche and kokoda fish is basically a ceviche with a twist. We loved it!
This kokoda fish is a little different with the addition of the creamy coconut. A wonderful addition! You can use any type of fresh fish that you love but generally a firm white fish works best for this Papua New Guinea recipe. You can use either lemon or lime juice to “cook” the fish. I used lemon juice. You will need to plan ahead as the fish should “cook” about 6- 8 hours.
8. Kaukau na Painap by Tara’s Muticultural Table
A Papua New Guinea recipe for Kaukau na Painap (Papua New Guinean Sweet Potato and Pineapple Skewers)! Pieces of sweet potato and pineapple are arranged on skewers, grilled until tender, and served with butter. These Kaukau na Painap (Sweet Potato and Pineapple Skewers) are perfect for the summer grilling season- especially with only three ingredients!
For being a smaller country, Papua New Guinea is incredibly diverse with thousands of unique groups. There are also hundreds of languages spoken, but Tok Pisin is now the most widely used (English and Hiri Motu are the other official languages). This diversity has led to a wide range of cuisines, but there are a few shared common ingredients.
9. Coconut Kau Kau by 196 Flavors
The Papua New Guinea recipe for today’s post is from the land of immense culture and biological diversity, smoldering volcanoes and pristine lush rainforests. We are traversing a cuisine that has not been fully explored by the blogosphere and hardly has any cookbooks available.
Today’s Papua New Guinea recipe is from the land of the unexpected – Papa New Guinea (PNG). We were able to get our hands at one of the few Papua New Guinea foods that were easily available. Before we dive in, let’s see a quick overview of the Papuan cuisine, lifestyle and culture.
The dietary lifestyle of the Papuans hardly changed with little influence of the colonists during the colonization. The European colonists, mainly the Spaniards, German and British, brought with them the cash crops like potatoes, wheat and cocoa. These were adapted into the local cuisine. One of the foreign crops, sweet potato, locally known as kaukau has become the key staple of PNG. It is now part and parcel of their life. There are only very few Papua New Guinea foods that do not use them in their Papua New Guinea recipes.
10. Pickled Goldband Snapper by SBS
I first ate this dish Papua New Guinea food, where the sharpness of lime is used to pickle the fish, in a way not dissimilar to the ceviche of South America. Here, it also has the inherent sweetness of coconut.
11. Saksak (Sago Pearls and Banana Dessert) by International Cuisine
One trick that I learned while researching this Papua New Guinea recipe was how you can soften a banana leaf by simply running it over a flame. It turns it bright green and makes it easy to fold these little morsels into the packets with out the banana leaf cracking. The Papua New Guinea recipe for saksak is really simple to make. I used my steamer basket to steam the dumplings and they came out great.
You just cook the saksak until translucent. This Papua New Guinea recipe is not too sweet but made a lovely end to our Papua New Guinean meal. Sago is very popular in the cuisine there, especially in the lowland areas. Sago is actually a starch that is extracted from the spongy center or pit of various tropical palm stems. It is high is calories but has many nutritional benefits.
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