Glimpse of food from faraway places

Wine, maybe. But this is to do the country a disservice. Being both long and skinny, its climate ranges from the subtropical to the frankly freezing which means just about anything grows there. Added to this, there is a huge mix of people nowadays calling themselves Kiwis and dishes served up both in restaurants and homes today reflect the history of the land.
This then is a quick Cooks Tour of the culinary history of New Zealand from an immigrant point of view. Please take with a liberal dash of     salt.
The Maori arrived first some thousand years ago to discover that while the kai moana (seafood) was superb, there was a scarcity of mammals. In fact, Aotearoa (Land of the Long White Cloud – and aptly named) didn’t have any. However, there were birds aplenty, and the moa, a kind of giant ostrich, provided drumsticks of epic proportion. Sadly, they were hunted to extinction many centuries ago.
The Maori also cultivated sweet potato (kumara) and today it is still an essential component of any roast.  Dargaville, a tiny dorp, proudly bears the title “Kumara Capital of the World”. So far as I know, it’s never been disputed.
The hangi is the Maori specialty.   Food parcels comprising meat, seafood and vegetables are steam-baked for hours in huge pit ovens. However, in the early days, there were no spices. Some therefore describe the hangi as bland. Others defend it hotly, declaring the remarkably tender morsels of flesh and vegetable are subtly flavoured.
So lived the Maori, quite contentedly for many centuries until the Europeans set their eyes on far-flung lands. The fact that New Zealand is not considered the Culinary Capital of the Pacific may come down to a sailing race. The English and the French set out at roughly the same time; both determined to colonise the tiny islands clinging to the rump of the world. The English pipped the French by three days and so fish and chips, the Sunday roast and overcooked cabbage passed into the national psyche.
It’s best to draw a mantle over the ensuing century from a foodie point of view during which the only upside was introduction of grape vines by the Dalmatians. In the mid-twentieth century the Pacific Islanders arrived with taro and delicious combinations of fish and coconut milk. Successive waves of Asian immigrants brought rice and spices to the menu. The food scene is very post modern these days with Koreans running Japanese restaurants with Chinese waiters and Cambodians owning Western bakeries.
National dishes? Well, what immediately springs to mind is pavlova; a huge meringue shell filled with cream and fresh fruit. This overly sweet dessert, a must at any special occasion, is the source of enormous controversy between New Zealand and Australia. Both lay claim to inventing it and kitchen knives are sharpened periodically when one country triumphantly discovers a recipe, which pre-dates the other’s. I’d happily give the Australians this one but I’m scared my citizenship will be revoked.
Nowadays many chefs delight in fusion cooking, combining the best of all these different cultures, and a good few are making names for themselves internationally. For most of us though, pot luck dinners and barbies (bbqs) still reign supreme but with a few Kiwi differences. Scallops caught that morning cook in their shells alongside the steaks and sausages, and smoked fish and sushi are served on the side. Also, this is New Zealand so a warm jacket is generally needed and a back-up plan should it rain!
Thanks today to Zana – visiting from New Zealand for a glimpse into food in that faraway outpost.
-g.jeke@yahoo.com