Hangi’ with the Maori

No, I did not mean “hanging with the Maori”, although I did some of that too. I spent six months living in New Zealand in 2006 and was able to enjoy some traditional New Zealand cuisine. Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand that settled and began life their before the Europeans came over. They are of Polynesian decent and have distinctly different cultures than the European people of New Zealand called Kiwis. The Maori believe that the earth is the giver of all life, therefore a traditional Maori meal is cooked in an underground oven; this is called a Hangi. Traditionally they would dig a hole in the dirt, place extremely hot and smokey stones and rocks at the bottom, then place the food wrapped in leaves on top and cover it all with dirt. The food sits in the smokey underground oven for hours, then it is uncovered and enjoyed as a feast. Today, a hangi is prepared the same way although they may use metal grills or aluminum foil instead of leaves. The foods typically used in a hangi include fish, chicken, pork, mutton, corn and root vegetables such as potatoes. The food has a very distinct smoked flavor.

While I was in the North Island of New Zealand I was able to have a true Maori experience that started with traditional welcoming dances and ended with a hangi feast. I enjoyed the opportunity to take part in the hangi experience starting with digging a whole in the ground. We then helped throw in the hot stones (with shovels!) and layer the food in the smoking hole. We covered it with dirt and spent the next several hours learning traditional dances from the Maori women. When the food was done cooking we all enjoyed a very tasty feast together Maori style. It was such a neat experience for me, I had never seen anything like it and I never imagined food would be cooked this way. What a great use of natural resources and wonderful new flavors it brought to my palate!

Sources:

Maori – Culture, Language, Art and Tattoo. (n.d.). Maori – Culture, Language, Art and Tattoo. Retrieved July 27, 2013, from http://www.maori.com/

Māori hangi – a real taste of culture > New Zealand. (n.d.). New Zealand Travel and New Zealand Business – The Official Website For New Zealand. Retrieved July 27, 2013, from http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/food-&-wine/maori-culture_maori-food_feature.cfm