Samoa

Food plays an important role in the Samoan culture, with many festivities based on huge feasts. Traditional foods include Taro, pork, chicken, breadfruit and fresh fruit. The traditional way of cooking is in an earth oven called Uma, where the food is wrapped in banana leaves. No oils are used in this method of cooking, making it extremely healthy as well as flavoursome. Delicacies on the Samoan menu include palusami, 'young Taro leaves baked in coconut cream,' and oka, 'raw fish in coconut cream,' both are must-try dishes on any holiday to Samoa. The ocean provides bountiful feasts of crayfish, snapper, masimasi, octopus, and tuna to name just a few, but along with traditional dishes, there is a wide range of Western cuisines available, too.