The cuisine of

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

is the traditional cuisine of the

island state An island country, island state or an island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...

on the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. Nauru has the world's highest rate of obesity.

Basic foods

Like its other island neighbors,

Nauruans Nauruans are a nation and an ethnic group indigenous to the Pacific island country of Nauru. They are most likely a blend of Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian ancestry. The origin of the Nauruan people has not yet been finally determined. ...

consume a large amount of seafood, as well as foods made from coconuts and

pandanus ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with some 750 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. The greatest number of species are found in Madagascar and Malaysia. Common names ...

fruits.

Coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food i ...

is also used extensively in Nauru. Coconut fish (raw fish, often tuna, served in coconut milk with seasonings) is a traditional dish. The native Nauruan names of traditional crops are: *epo/épo: ''

Pandanus tectorius ''Pandanus tectorius'' is a species of ''Pandanus'' (screwpine) that is native to Malesia, Papuasia, eastern Australia, and the Pacific Islands. It grows in the coastal lowlands typically near the edge of the ocean. Common names in English inclu ...

'' *ini: ''

Cocos nucifera The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

Influences

Nauruan cuisine is greatly influenced by

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many ot ...

. The Chinese are the major foreign community of the country, and there are a number of Chinese restaurants on the island, most notably in Yaren. Nauruan cuisine also shows strong Western influence.

Traditions

The majority of Nauruans are Christians, and members of the

Nauru Congregational Church The Nauru Congregational Church (NCC) is the largest religious denomination in Nauru, claiming as members approximately 60% of Nauru's population of about 10,000."NAURU: Elmina Quadina’s even better Nauruan coconut fish"
''Locally Foreign'' Nauruan cuisine {{Nauru-stub