''Po‘e'' or ''poke'' is a
Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
n
pudding usually eaten as a dessert.
Etymology
The Tahitian word ''po'e'' is derived from the proto-Polynesian root ''poke'' which means "to mix", "to knead". It is still called ''poke'' in all Polynesian languages except in the
Tahitian language and in the
Austral language
Austral (''Reo Tuha'a pae'') is an endangered Polynesian language or a dialect continuum that is spoken by approximately 8,000 people (1987). It is spoken only on the Austral Islands and the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The language is als ...
on the island of
Raivavae
Raivavae ( Tahitian: ''Ra‘ivāvae'' /ra.ʔi.va:va.e/) is one of the Austral Islands in French Polynesia. Its total land area including offshore islets is . At the 2017 census, it had a population of 903. where the glottal stop (written as an apostrophe ') has replaced the voiceless velar stop (k).
Preparation
Traditionally po'e was made by cooking and mashing
bananas
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...
into a smooth consistency and mixing together with
arrowroot
Arrowroot is a starch obtained from the rhizomes (rootstock) of several tropical plants, traditionally ''Maranta arundinacea'', but also Florida arrowroot from ''Zamia integrifolia'', and tapioca from cassava (''Manihot esculenta''), which is oft ...
flour. The mixture was wrapped in banana leaves and baked in an
earth oven
An earth oven, ground oven or cooking pit is one of the simplest and most ancient cooking structures. At its most basic, an earth oven is a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food. Earth ovens have been used in many pl ...
until set into a pudding-like consistency, cut into smaller pieces and served together with
coconut cream
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 in ...
. Modern versions of the recipe replace bananas with other fruits such as
papaya,
mango or squash and using
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
[The definitive Cook Islands websit]
Cook Islands Recipes, Poke – Traditional sweetener supplied by Mereana Hutchinson, Rarotonga
/ref> or corn starch as the thickening agent.
See also
* Kulolo – a traditional Hawaiian dessert, made from grated taro and coconut milk baked into a pudding
* Poi – a similar traditional banana dessert, from Samoa
References
External links
Po'e recipe
a
W4E
Oceanian cuisine
Pascuense cuisine
Puddings
Fruit dishes
Cook Islands cuisine
French Polynesian cuisine
Foods containing coconut
Polynesian cuisine
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