The following highlights some of the popular Traditional New Caledonian Foods. If you manage to be in an New Caledonian restaurant or you are visiting New Caledonia, I recommend the following:
1. Vol au Vent Des Fruits de Mer
A seafood restaurant is a French-influenced patisserie. It is a bit like a seafood soup in a puff pastry box. It usually consists of mussels, New Caledonian prawns, fish fillets and scallops, combined in a cream sauce before being served in the pastry shell.
2. Ragoût de Venin
The mainland part of New Caledonia, Grande Terre, is practically famous for its deer. Deer hunting is extremely popular in New Caledonia, with Javan Rusa deer being hunted every year between July and October, as they are a major pest on the mainland. It is therefore not surprising that venison is a popular dish among the locals. It is often skewered, braised, put in a salad or made into a ragout.
3. Blue Prawn
It is a rare blue shrimp that has become a world-famous delicacy. The blue hue is believed to come from prawns that feed on plankton in New Caledonia’s turquoise lagoon. Blue shrimp farmed in New Caledonia must meet a strict set of criteria that include low-density farming and no antibiotics or other treatments to stimulate growth.
4. Bougna
Bougna is the most traditional dish you’ll find in New Caledonia and a great example of local Kanak cuisine, rather than French influence. It’s made from chicken, lobster or fish mixed with root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, yams and coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves. The parcels are placed in an earth oven where they are baked on hot rocks. This style of cooking is common in the Pacific Islands, although the ingredients vary from nation to nation.
5. Bulimé
On the island of Pinos, the local delicacy is a snail endemic to the island. Known as bulime, it is usually cooked in soups, added to bougna or simply with garlic and herb butter.
6. Huîtres de Mangrove Et de Crabe
Mangrove oysters and crab are commonly found throughout Caledonia. Like most seafood in New Caledonia, oysters are usually served plain with a simple vinaigrette, while crab is often served with mayonnaise or aoli.
7. Civet de Rousette
It’s Bat stew. It may not sound particularly appetising if you’ve never tasted a rousette (literal translation: flying fox), but bat stew is a popular dish in New Caledonia. Bat meat is often marinated in a red wine sauce before being prepared as a ragout.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional Oceanian Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.