Must Try Local Dishes in the Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is known to have some of the best food in the South Pacific, and for good reason!
With an abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables and fish sourced right from the islands, it’s easy to see why the Cook Islands has some of the best food in the South Pacific. As a modern Polynesian nation, our local cuisine offerings boast traditional food and some with a Western twist. Read on for the 12 must-try local dishes in the Cook Islands.
1. Ika Mata (island ceviche)
The number one dish to try when visiting! This traditional dish is made with raw white fish marinated in lemon juice and then mixed with chopped vegetables and fresh coconut cream. It’s like an island-style ceviche. If you’ve ever tried Tahitian ‘poisson cru’, it’s similar. You will find Ika Mata available at most restaurants, island nights, the Progressive Dinner with Cook Islands Tours, and the local markets.
2. Rukau (Cook Islands spinach)
A comforting dish of slow cooked young taro leaves and coconut cream. Typically, you can find it at an island night or served on the side of many fish and steak dishes around the islands.
3. Poke
Not like the poke you will find in Hawaii, in the Cook Islands our poke is a sweet treat made from banana, pawpaw or pumpkin mashed and mixed with tapioca flour then baked and mixed with coconut cream. Most island nights will have this as a side dish and you can also buy it at the markets. If you plan to join The Vaka Cruise in Aitutaki, you will find this on their lunch buffet.
4. Grilled Maroro (flying fish)
A great find at the markets when available, these maroro are grilled whole on the BBQ then served with root vegetables and fresh coconut cream poured on top.
5. Meats Cooked in a Traditional Umu
In this traditional way of cooking kai (food), meat is wrapped in banana leaves and slow cooked for hours in an underground earth oven. You can try this at a few island nights or learn how it’s done with Tumutoa Tours.
6. Fresh Nu (coconut water)
Found almost everywhere on the islands, even roadside stalls, there’s nothing like a fresh nu to refresh you on holiday.
7. Nita (curried pawpaw salad)
Served as a side dish, Nita is cubed pawpaw mixed with a bit of mayonnaise and curry powder. This is also served at island nights and can be found on many lagoon cruise buffet lunch menus.
8. Potato Salad Island Style (also called ‘Mayonnaise’)
Like the potato salad you know but our Cook Islands version includes canned beetroot that gives it a slightly pink colour. Some people even make it with the mayo on top and covered with chopped hardboiled eggs. This is another common dish found at island nights and lagoon cruise lunch menus, but also a typical item brought to a Sunday Church pot luck (which visitors are welcome to join).
9. Sashimi
A staple for the Cook Islands diet is fresh fish, and the fish is so fresh that you can have it sashimi style any day of the week! This is offered on most menus and some places you can even try it on pizza or carpaccio style. Guests joining a fishing charter might even get to try this on board after catching the big one!
10. Cook Islands Donut
Not as sweet as you might expect from other donuts, a Cook Islands donut is large, soft, and fluffy, and gets its golden colour from being deep-fried. There are many bakeries around Rarotonga that sell these donuts, and in Aitutaki you can sometimes get them at the Tina & Co store.
11. Atiu Coffee
Our Arabica coffee is grown organically and hand-harvested on Atiu, the Cook Islands’ outer island. Trying it on Atiu is a fascinating experience. If you don’t visit Atiu while you’re in the Cook Islands, you can still buy bags to take home from a few shops on Rarotonga.
12. Fresh Tropical Fruit
With our beautiful warm weather year round, we have an abundance of tropical fruit around the island. Most hotel breakfast will feature fruits in season and you can also buy these at the markets or roadside stalls. Popular fruits are: Pawpaw, starfruit, banana, mango, and passionfruit.
