Samoan Food

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Sapa Sui
The best part of traveling to a new country or experiencing a new culture is the food! Or maybe that’s just me and my love for food. In Samoa, the traditional food that they eat directly resembles the landscape and culture of the country. Samoan meals are generally prepared in large quantities and families eat together. Fish, taro, and tropical fruit are the main staples of their diets.

The most popular food dishes in Samoa are:

  • Palusami- coconut milk and onions wrapped in taro leaves and steamed
  • Fa’alifu Kalo- cooked taro with coconut cream sauce
  • Faiai Eleni- fish, usually tuna or mackerel, with coconut cream. This is usually cooked and served in a coconut shell.
  •  Sapa Sui- meat, usually beef, chicken, pork, or lamb, noodles, and stir fry vegetables.
  • Falai Mamoe- stir-fried lamb with garlic onions and soy sauce.
  • Vaisu- whole fish roasted over an open flame, then simmered in coconut cream. This is the most traditional dish in Samoa and is usually served with a side of boiled taro.
  • Fa’apapa- this is a very dense heavy sweet coconut bread.
  • Fa’ausi- Fa’apapa bread covered in coconut caramel. This is very similar to bread pudding.
  • Kava- this is a beverage prepared by using the powdered root of the kava plant. It is believed to have the same effect that alcohol does and can help calm and relax people.  
    Palusami

Samoa has little to no imports of food and most of the food that is eaten in the country is local. Samoan agriculture occupies 43% of the land area of the populated islands and employs 65% of the population. The majority of the crops grown in Samoa are used in the country but there are some exports. The main crops grown are coconuts, taro, and bananas. These crops are sold locally and also exported to neighboring countries. The Samoan fishing industry is also a large export but some of that fish stays local and is consumed by villages. In recent years fishing restrictions and regulations have several decreased the intake of fish in the country and pork, beef, and chicken have taken their place in Samoan dishes. Aquaculture has helped stabilize the fish supply in Samoa however it is limited by the availability of land for ponds.

Fa’alifu Kalo
Most Samoan villages have their own agricultural lands that have been passed down throughout the generations. This land is cared for by the families in the village and acts as a community garden. There are also chickens, cattle, pigs, and sheep that are used by the villages for food. Tilapia farms are being added to help supplement the villages with fish. This community farm is what feeds the villages and brings them together. In some of the more traditional villages women from different families cook huge meals each day for everyone in the village. These meals are severed family style and the whole village eats in one place with everyone. Samoan culture places high value on family and taking care of the land around them, the food of this culture reflects this.

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