The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Micronesian Foods. If you manage to be in an Micronesian restaurant or you are visiting Federated States of Micronesia, I recommend the following:
1. Coconut Chicken Curry
It is one of the most popular dishes in Micronesia. This delicious dish features grilled chicken and vegetables in a creamy coconut curry. It is usually prepared with fried chicken nuggets, potatoes, carrots, peppers, onions, ginger and garlic cooked in coconut milk flavoured with curry powder. The onions, ginger and garlic are usually sautéed before mixing with other ingredients to enhance the flavour of the dish. This dish is usually served with steamed white rice.
2. Chicken Micronesia
Micronesian chicken is a local speciality, but is also famous in other parts of the world. It consists of grilled chicken breast marinated in lemon juice and marinated in a mixture of beer, soy sauce, chopped onion and garlic for at least three hours. This hearty dish is served during the holidays, but can also be ordered in restaurants.
3. Koakihr
koakihr is a Micronesian dish consisting of sweet potatoes soaked in coconut milk. This dish is traditionally cooked in an iron pot called oampwoat and is prepared with ground yam and yam cubes boiled in coconut milk until soft. This dish is typical of Pohnpei, where yam is one of the main crops.
4. Uter
Taro balls are eaten all over Micronesia and have various local names. They are usually made from boiled and grated taro root mixed with grated coconut and are formed into balls of various sizes. Today, this traditional Micronesian dessert is often loaded with sugar and can vary in consistency from soft to firm.
5. Pihlohlo Mwehng
Pihlohlo mwehng is a traditional Micronesian dish composed of taro root and coconut water syrup. This dish is made from a mixture of boiled and ground taro root, starch and sugar. The taro mixture is then formed into ovals and added to a pot of caramelised coconut milk syrup to cover completely.
6. Breadfruit
Breadfruit is a staple of Micronesian cuisine. Because of its powdery texture, it is used in a variety of dishes. But there are other ways to enjoy fruit in Micronesia. It can be, for example, steamed, baked, ground or mashed. Baking in the oven is a popular way to enhance the flavour of the breadfruit. Micronesians also like to use it in salads. Traditional recipes for fruit salad with bread also include meat, beans, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes and cabbage.
7. Uht Sukusuk
This traditional Micronesian dish consists of mashed or mashed plantains mixed with coconut milk. Uht sukusuk, which means mashed plantain, is usually topped with coconut milk and is usually cooked and eaten on palm leaves.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional Oceanian Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.