Palauan Cuisine

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Palau - Cooking and Food

Overview of Palauan Cuisine History
Palau or Belau is a country formed in 1994, situated in the Central Pacific, not far from the Philippines – the republic is among the youngest and smallest ones in the world. With a territory filled with palm trees, such as banana trees, citrus trees and coconut trees, plus wide pepper plantations and breeding of cattle and pigs, Palau has an exotic cuisine, full of flavors and freshness. Fishing is also a frequent occupation of the people, but the economical income comes from the exports of coconuts – another staple aliment in the Palauan cuisine. Various desserts include coconut and coconut milk is also highly used, instead of the regular animal milk. Due to the fact that Palau had been till recently a province belonging to United States of America, the traditional American dishes are very frequent on the islands: various fritters, salads with dressings, roasted meats and sandwiches with pork or seafood meat and greens. Besides these, another staple aliment is the rice.

Cuisines of Palau


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createpageform-palauan Palau is formed of around 240 islands, but only 11 of them are inhabited. On every coast, the variety of open air restaurants and cocktail lounges is very wide and they all serve international dishes, a mixture of French, Italian (there are various pizzas with seafood), Chinese, Japanese and American. The French cuisine is felt in the entrees or breakfast dishes that include white cheese and soft breads. There are various kinds of pastas with fish and seafood like oysters, tuna and white fish meats. In the capital, Koror, the seafood dishes and meats are more common than the mashed veggies or soups, while in more rural areas or islands, the taro is the one of the staple aliments and it is used for various meals: there is the taro leaf and coconut soup, taro leaf au gratin, taro chips, taro cakes and palusami - all these are meals that can be found in Hawaii, too.

Palauan Food Glossary
Finding the ingredients for an Palauan Recipe is not so easy when you do not know the names of the ingredients. Take time to make a list of ingredients and the name they may be found under at the Local Markets.


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Preparation Methods for Palauan Cooking
The diversity of vegetables and cereals found in Palau is noticed in the delicious dishes belonging to their cuisine. Palauan cuisine uses elements from various cooking traditions borrowed from their neighbors and developed from their own traditional dishes. While there are no specific or unique preparation methods for Palauan cooking, we should point out that attention to detail is important in the Palauan cuisine. Using the right amount of spices for example is essential – either for spicing up the taste or for coloring the dish. The visual attractiveness of the dish is also important, and a balance between colors and proportion differentiates. Each traditional dish has a special cooking method, which is more or less general in all of Palau’s regions. Meat is one of the main elements of most Palauan dishes and cured and smoked hams are often parts of delicious dishes.

Special Equipment for Palauan Cooking
With a range of cake pans, can openers, colanders, egg rings, poachers and holders, food dishers & portioners, food pans & food containers and other kitchen utensils, such as food scales, food scoops and fryer baskets & accessories, the Palauan cuisine needs a diverse cooking equipment set in order to produce the most sophisticated Palauan dishes. You should consider insulated food carriers if you are transporting the food and a full set of kitchen linens and uniforms if you wish to look like a pro. Here are a few other items that will come handy while cooking Palauan food: juicers, kitchen knives, kitchen slicers, kitchen thermometers, measuring cups & measuring spoons, miscellaneous utensils, mixing bowls and skimmers & strainers. Essential utensils like serving spoons, spatulas, forks, turners, scrapers and tongs should also be part of your cooking "arsenal".

Palauan Food Traditions and Festivals
The Palauan people are almost all Catholics, so the most significant celebrations are Christmas and Easter. Due to the fact that the breeding of animals, especially pigs and cows is increased, the Christmas dinner and not only, includes roasted suckling pig with assorted vegetables and sweet potatoes, but also beef steak with garlic dressing and spicy steamed veggies and greens. The traditional desserts include banana spreads, the coconut mousse and coconut shakes or ice-creams, which contain both ground coconut and the fruit’s light and flavored milk. Besides these, the celebration meals include a variety of softies and milk based drinks, served either as beverages or as desserts.

People in Palauan Food
In Palau, there are many chefs who creatively use the basic ingredients and cooking method for traditional Palauan dishes and create original and delicious food variations. Palauan chefs are passionate about their traditional dishes and they enjoy presenting them to foreigners who have never tasted them before. Whether they are cooking dishes that go back in time for centuries or brand new, modern dishes, Palauan chefs take pride in what they do, and this is readily noticeable in the unforgettable taste of their cooking.
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