What are eating traditions in New Zealand?

Question

I'm doing a culture report on New Zealand. Are there any specific eating traditions they have there?

Answer 1

Hello Red

As you are probably aware, Maori are the indigenous peoples of New Zealand. They have a traditional style of cooking called a 'Hangi'. As with most other countries, Europeanisation has tended to dilute indigenous cultural practices, but from time to time people here still cook Hangis. Privately, they are still cooked in the traditional way, but commercially the practice is gradually dying out because of modern hygiene regulations. This website explains the process (which saves me having to explain in greater detail).

Other than the above, our food generally reflects that we are a highly multicultural society. Consequently, we eat a huge variety of ethnic foods from around the world. You name it we eat it. We even have some crazy food festivals where we eat grubs and all sorts of weird revolting stuff. :-) As a previous answerer has said a dish invented here in New Zealand is the Pavlova (a type of meringue cake) and we are keen BBQers.

Some foods indigenous to New Zealand - traditional Maori food if you want to phrase it that way include:

Kumara (a type of sweet potato)
Puha greens
Green mussels
Manuka (a type of tea tree)
Rewena pararoa (Maori potato bread)
Mutton bird
Various local fish (tuna (eel), kahawai, kokiri (leatherjacket), ara ara (trevally) and tarakihi)
Various types of local shell fish (pipi, tuatua and toheroa, kina, queen scallops and paua).

I hope this helps you complete your report.

Additional comment:

Claire makes a good point. When having a gathering of friends it is a common practice here to ask your guests to 'bring a plate'. This doesn't mean bring an empty plate (as some newly arrived immigrants have been known to do!! :-), but rather, it means - bring with you a plate of food to share with the other guests. The host will normally provide some food and drink to form the base of the meal, but what the guests bring will form the bulk of the evenings/days fare.

Answer 2

Yes, there are a few specialties:

A famous dessert is called "Pavlova" (basically what the French call "Baiser", but huge, and with cream and kiwi fruit on top); it's THE thing to bring when invited to some place with a New Zealand theme. Other than that, there's something called "Lambs Fry", which is lamb liver with gravy and bacon, sometimes served on toast (great for breakfast!).

Eating here is very important, and hanging out barbecuing is probably almost as big here in the summer months as it is in Australia, but due to the fact that New Zealanders are very polyglott and tend to have traveled extensively, they aren't too hung-up on specifically New Zealand things to eat or drink.

Maybe one quirk would be that Ketchup is called "Tomato Sauce" here. And one tradition which is pretty European is that meals are usually large in the evening, and accompanied by quite a bit of wine.

Answer 3

Just to add to the very informative replies already given, I would mention that the traditional Christmas meal used to be roast lamb, new potatoes and green peas!

Answer 4

new zealand is the only place where i've seen potatoes prepared two different ways on the same plate, eg baked AND mashed.

apart from that i believe they feed foreigners who make jokes about n zedders and sheep to the kiwis

Answer 5

european settlers=same kind of stuff as the USA
maori (indigenous people)=hangis (large feasts cooked on hot rocks in the ground) do a google search on the "hangi" (pronounced 'hungy')

Answer 6

We like to eat kiwi fruid.

Answer 7

You can eat anybody you kill with your bare hands, except a relative. It must be with your bare hands though, ie. no weapons permitted.

Answer 8

we eat much the same as you do. I think Maori are still cannibals

Answer 9

Ladies a plate please.