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The cuisine of Hawaii incorporates five distinct styles of food, reflecting the diverse food history of settlement and immigration in the Hawaiian Islands. Polynesian voyagers brought plants and animals to the Islands. As pineapple and sugarcane plantations grew, so did demand for labor, bringing many immigrant groups to the Islands between 1850 and 1930. This blend of cuisines formed a “local food” style unique to Hawaii, resulting in plantation foods like the plate lunch, snacks like Spam musubi, and dishes like the loco moco. Shortly after World War II several well known local restaurants opened their doors to serve “Hawaiian Food”. For centuries taro, and the poi made from it, was the main staple of their diet, and it is still much loved today.
In addition to taro the Polynesians brought sweet potatoes. These are believed to have come from Polynesian contact with the New World. The Marquesans, the first settlers from Polynesia, brought breadfruit and the Tahitians later introduced the baking banana. Most Pacific islands had no meat animals except bats and lizards, so ancient Polynesians sailed the Pacific with pigs, chickens and dogs as cargo. The early Hawaiian diet was diverse, and may have included as many as 130 different types of seafood and 230 types of sweet potatoes. Some species of land and sea birds were consumed into extinction. Mawaewae feast that was celebrated for the birth of a child.
Besides the pig, mullet, shrimp, crab, seaweeds and taro leaves were required for the feast. Prior to cooking, pigs and dogs were killed by strangulation or by holding their nostrils shut, in order to conserve the animal’s blood. Meat was prepared by flattening out the whole eviscerated animal and broiling it over hot coals, or it was spitted on sticks. Hawaiian earth ovens, known as an imu, combine roasting and steaming in a method called kālua. The intense heat from the hot rocks cooked food thoroughly—the quantity of food for several days could be cooked at once, taken out and eaten as needed, and the cover replaced to keep the remainder warm. Sweet potatoes, taro, breadfruit and other vegetables were cooked in the imu, as well as fish. The ancient practice of cooking with the imu continues to this day, for special occasions.
Hawaiian man pounding taro to make poi. In 1778, Captain James Cook arrived at the island of Niihau, leaving a ram goat, ewes, a boar, an English sow, and seeds for melons, pumpkins, and onions. American man named John Parker to capture and domesticate cattle. Many of the cattle were butchered and beef was introduced to Hawaiian cuisine. In 1813, pineapple was first cultivated in Honolulu by Don Francisco de Paula Marin, a Spanish botanist and advisor to King Kamehameha I. Although grape vines were introduced by Captain Vancouver around 1792, Marin is credited with the first Hawaiian vineyard in 1815 and planting the now rare Mission grape variety.
By the late 19th century, pineapple and sugarcane plantations owned and run by American settlers took over much of Hawaii’s land, and these two crops became the most important sources of revenue for the Hawaiian economy. Korean immigration to Hawaii brought kimchi and built barbecue pits to cook marinated meats. The Japanese brought bento and sashimi, and, although many of their vegetable seeds would not grow in the climate of the islands, they succeeded in making tofu and soy sauce. By the early 20th century, the Japanese were the largest ethnic group and rice became the third-largest crop in the islands. Puerto Rican immigration to Hawaii began in 1900, contributing spicy, Spanish-seasoned thick soups, casseroles, pasteles, and meat turnovers. Filipinos reached Hawaii in 1909, bringing peas and beans, the adobo style of vinegar and garlic dishes, choosing to boil, stew, broil, and fry food instead of baking, and eating sweet potatoes as a staple besides rice. Samoans arrived in 1919, building their earth ovens above ground instead of below like the imu, and made poi from fruit instead of taro.
The first restaurant in Honolulu was opened in 1849 by a Portuguese man named Peter Fernandez. Leon Dejean’s “Parisian Restaurant” at the corner of Hotel and Fort Streets. In 1872, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel opened on Hotel Street, and as one of the most refined hotels in the Pacific, catering to wealthy clients. The Royal Hawaiian dining room served dishes on par with the best restaurants in Europe, with an 1874 menu offering dishes such as mullet, spring lamb, chicken with tomatoes, and cabinet pudding. The massive pineapple industry of Hawaii was born when the “Pineapple King”, James Dole, planted pineapples on the island of Oahu in 1901. In 1922, Dole purchased the island of Lanai for a large-scale pineapple production. Carter, Territorial Governor of Hawai’i, promoted increasing local agricultural production, saying that “there was a time when Hawaii supplied California with flour, also potatoes and other vegetables.