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Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. It comprises 15 islands whose total land area is 240 sq km (93 sq mi). The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone covers 1,960,027 sq km (756,771 sq mi) of ocean.

Featured Dishes from Cook Islands

Croissant

Croissant

Flaky, buttery pastry, made with raisins, almonds, chocolate, cream, serve with coffee

Doughnuts

Doughnuts

Fried dough, made into many different types of doughnuts, raised, glazed, bear claws, crullers, cream-filled, jelly-filled

Eggs

Eggs

Fruit

Fruit

Avocado, bananas, carambola (starfruit), coconuts, custard apple, durian, guava, kuri-papa (breadfruit), lemons, limes, mango, musk melons, oranges, passionfruit, pawpaw, pineapple, soursop (graviola)

Fruit salad

Fruit salad

Fresh fruit with scraped coconut, made with pawpaw, mango, banana, musk melon

Grilled fish

Grilled fish

Fish cooked over a flame

Muffin

Muffin

Cupcake-like bread, made with fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, oats

Ice cream

Ice cream

Poke

Poke

Sweet fruit pudding with coconut cream, made with banana, lime, mango, mape, orange, pawpaw, pumpkin, arrowroot (cassava, maniota), kanaka, uto, kuru-papa (breadfruit)

Poke meika

Poke meika

Shave ice

Shave ice

Shaved ice flavored with any number of syrups, may also have azuki beans, ice cream, condensed milk, mochi balls

Coffee

Coffee

Espresso, cappuccino, iced coffee (espresso with ice cream)

Cook Islands lager

Cook Islands lager

Cooks Blonde

Cooks Blonde

Cooks Darkie

Cooks Darkie

Cooks Lager

Cooks Lager

Juice

Juice

Matutu Kiva pale ale

Matutu Kiva pale ale

Matutu Mai lager

Matutu Mai lager

Nu

Water from a young coconut

Smoothie

Smoothie

Blended fruit drinks made with fruit such as mango, banana and strawberry, mixed berries, banana, coconut, guava, passionfruit, pineapple, strawberry, watermelon

Tea

Tea

Tumunu

Tumunu

Alcohol made from oranges

Barracuda

Barracuda

Broadbill

Broadbill

Clam

Clam

Coconut chicken

Coconut chicken

Eke takare

Eke takare

Octopus in coconut curry

Fish and chips

Fish and chips

Deep-fried haddock or herring served with fried potatoes, cod or other fish may also be used

Fish sandwich

Fish sandwich

Sandwich made with fried or grilled fish

Flying fish

Flying fish

Fried, steamed, curry, served with cou cou (cornmeal porridge)

Goat

Goat

Grilled fish

Grilled fish

Fish cooked over a flame

Ika mata

Ika mata

Raw fish salad, made with with lemon juice, vegetable salsa, coconut cream, may also use crab, shrimp, lobster, octopus, shellfish

Kebab

Kebab

Skewered and grilled meat, seafood, fish, offal, vegetables, fruit, many different types and variations

Lamb chops

Lamb chops

Mahi-mahi

Mahi-mahi

Matu rori

Matu rori

Sea cucumber, eaten raw, sautéed with onion and garlic

Mitiore

Mitiore

Fermented coconut with crab or shellfish, serve with boiled green bananas or cooked taro

Moana-roa mahi mahi

Moana-roa mahi mahi

Mahi-mahi or any white fish, for example, cod, paara, parrot, snapper, poached in coconut cream, served with rukau (taro) leaves, serve with root vegetables

Noodles

Noodles

Noodles with chicken, beef, seafood, vegetables

Octopus

Octopus

Parrotfish

Parrotfish

Pork

Pork

Prawn

Prawn

Puaka tunu

Puaka tunu

Roast suckling pig cooked on a spit

Raro tarati salad

Raro tarati salad

Vegetable salad with meat, fish, for example, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, onion, garlic, radish, scallions, chili peppers, coconut cream, corned beef, tuna, pork, crab, lobster, prawns

Rukau

Rukau

Taro leaves, vegetables meat, corned beef, coconut cream cooked inside banana, hibiscus or cordylline leaves

Sapasui

Sapasui

Stir fried vermicelli noodles with meat and vegetables, made with pork, chicken, pisupo (canned corned beef)

Sea cucumber

Sea cucumber

Seafood

Seafood

Shellfish

Shellfish

Snapper

Snapper

Swordfish

Swordfish

Tiopu kuru

Tiopu kuru

Breadfruit stew, made with pork, chicken, beef, fish and coconut cream

Tuna

Tuna

Umukai

Umukai

Polynesian feast in which meats and vegetables are cooked in an earth oven

Ungakoa

Ungakoa

A type of shellfish

White crab

White crab

Bread

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Bread

Chutney

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Chutney

Preserved fruits and vegetables made into relishes, dips, sauces

Coconut

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Coconut

Nu, komoto (young coconut)

Coconut sauce

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Coconut sauce

Sauce made with grated coconut, coconut water, lemon or lime, onion, may be fermented

Fruit

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Fruit

Avocado, bananas, carambola (starfruit), coconuts, custard apple, durian, guava, kuri-papa (breadfruit), lemons, limes, mango, musk melons, oranges, passionfruit, pawpaw, pineapple, soursop (graviola)

Green bananas

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Green bananas

Mainese

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Mainese

Potato salad with beets, mixed vegetables, chow chow and hard boiled eggs

Moina tai

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Moina tai

Coconut cream sauce made with grated coconut flesh, salt

Pawpaw salad

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Pawpaw salad

Green papaya salad, made with lettuce or watercress, onion, mint

Poke

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Poke

Sweet fruit pudding with coconut cream, made with banana, lime, mango, mape, orange, pawpaw, pumpkin, arrowroot (cassava, maniota), kanaka, uto, kuru-papa (breadfruit)

Rice

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Rice

Steamed white rice

Root vegetables

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Root vegetables

Seaweed

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Seaweed

Tai monomono

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Tai monomono

Fermented young coconut (komoto) sauce with salt water and onion (optional), used with grilled fish, pork, taro

Tai oporo

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Tai oporo

Spicy fermented coconut sauce made with coconuts and chilies, serve with meats, fish

Taki'i

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Taki'i

Taro leaves with coconut cream and pawpaw

Vegetables

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Vegetables

Arrowroot (cassava), cabbage, cucumber, eggplant, kumara (sweet potato), lettuce, onions, pumpkin, rukau greens, squash, tomato, taro