Tahiti cookbooks in English

[johung]

Hi all,

Does anyone know if there are any new or recent (published within the past 10 years) cookbooks on the cooking of Tahiti/French Polynesia in English? I could only find Jean Galopin's La cuisine de Tahiti et de ses îles (ISBN 2950243428) and Lisa Mairai Bellais's Cuisine de Tahiti d'hier et d'aujourd hui (ISBN 2915654174) but they are in French only.

My interests on this srea is primarily on the cooking of Tahiti since I went to the place as a stopover a few years ago and found the food very different but strikingly good (perhaps the chefs have French training - even the average Sofitel hotel chefs cook better than their counterparts in New Zealand), and I also like the fusion between native Tahitian cooking (similar to other Pacific Islands) and French cuisine.

Any information will be much appreciated.

Regards,

[prasantrin]

"Sam Choy's Polynesian Kitchen: More than 150 Authentic Dishes from one of the World's Most Delicious and Overlooked Cuisines" includes a chapter on Tahiti (as well as Samoa, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, etc.). It was published in 2002.

http://www.tahiticuisine.com/ refers to a cookbook to be published in 2009, but there are no clickable links on the webpage and no additional information.

ETA: http://www.tahitienterprises.com/ is where you can find contact information for the cookbook mentioned above. They also have a book about Tahitian cocktails that looks interesting.

EATA: Here's the ToC for the Tahitian chapter of the Sam Choy book

Appetizers    224

  Oyster Poor Boy    224

  Poisson Cru    225

  Tuna Carpaccio with Confit Cabbage and Avocado    226

  Soups    227

  Tahitian Shrimp Soup    227

  Chilled Minted Papaya Soup    228

  Salads    229

  La Crevette Pochee with Green Papaya Salad    229

  Tahitian Nicoise Salad    230

  Main Dishes    231

  Chicken Fafa    231

  Cold Trout in Vegetable Herb Fumet    232

  Cuire au Poisson    233

  Fresh Prawns in Coconut Milk    234

  Tahitian Cold Lobster    234

  Sauteed Snapper with Soy Butter Sauce    236

  Tahitian Fish Stew    237

  Side Dishes    238

  Le Calamar Fafa    238

  Tahitian Coconut Bread    239

  Condiments    240

  Horseradish Vinaigrette    240

  Soy-Balsamic Vinaigrette    241

  Spicy Poor Boy Sauce    242

  Tahitian Caramel-Vanilla Syrup    242

  Tarragon-French Mustard Vinaigrette    243

  Desserts    244

  Baked Banana Vanilla Custard    244

  Tahitian Po'e    245

  Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream    246

  Beverages    247

  Tahitian Caramel-Vanilla Coffee    247

  Tahitian Vanilla Colada 

Edited June 16, 2009 by prasantrin (log)

[johung]

Pinging an old thread started by myself, there is a new book published in New Zealand last week about cuisines of a number of Pacific Island nations including Tahiti.

Me'a kai: The Food and Flavours of the South Pacific is written by Robert Oliver. In addition to being tourist destinations, NZ's traditional links with the Pacific Island nations (Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau are still overseas dependent territories of NZ, while Samoa was a former colony, and Tonga and Fiji have had a very close relationship with NZ politically) and there are in fact more Pacific Islanders living in Auckland than the Pacific Island nations combined, means the Islands are regarded in NZ as being brothers and which NZ has a responsibility to aid.

http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/data/media/documents/press%20releases/April_2010/Me%27a_Kai_PR.pdf

"...Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands to track down the most skilled local cooks. Adapting their recipes for modern kitchens, this outstanding, landmark book brings together a treasury of South Pacific cooking, arranged country by country, with 90-plus recipes and stunning photos that capture the essence of the Pacific.

And there’s much more than just recipes. As well as showcasing traditional and modern South Pacific cuisine, Me’a Kai, meaning “come eat” in Tongan, covers fascinating encounters with local cooks and food producers. Flipping through its pages is like going on holiday! And it will inspire readers to seek out local food on their next Pacific holiday.

It is a book with a clear mission: to support sustainable tourism in the South Pacific...Robert’s goal is to improve the quality of food offered to the South Pacific region’s tourism market and to contribute towards rural prosperity in the Pacific by creating an increased demand for locally grown foods.

Underpinned by a philosophy of sustainable tourism, sustainable agriculture and sustainable cuisine, Me’a Kai is much more than just a cookbook, it is a fundamental part of this process."