The following highlights some of the popular Traditional Northern Mariana Islander Foods. If you manage to be in an Northern Mariana Islander restaurant or you are visiting Northern Mariana Island, I recommend the following:
1. Spanish Empanadas
Empanadas themselves are pies and pastries filled with hundreds of delicious ingredients. These spicy pastries are traditionally filled with onions, peppers and minced meat. However, other versions of empanadas are easy to make by simply replacing the ground meat with ingredients such as chicken, spinach, cheese and more vegetables.
2. Kelaguen
Kelaguen is a Chamorro dish traditionally served as a main course, appetizer or side dish. Seafood, fish or meat is often marinated in lime juice, salt and chilli, a practice brought to the Mariana Islands during Spanish times. Chicken and fish are often enriched with freshly grated coconut, and at Chamorro feasts, cabbages are served according to the ingredients used in them, so seafood is traditionally served after grilled fish, whole chicken cabbages are served after grilled meat.
3. Korean Kimchi
These spicy, salty, sweet and sour vegetables known as kimchi, served as a classic appetizer or side dish, are thinly sliced, bundled and served in a marinade of chilli, salted fish sauce, chives, ginger, sugar and garlic. Originally called chimchar, which literally means kimchi, because kimchi was previously only soaked in brine or beef stock, but in the 12th century other ingredients and spices began to be added to the pot.
4. Guyuria Cookies
These traditional Chamorro biscuits have a firm texture, hence the name surprising Cookies Chamorro. They are made from flour, salt, sugar, butter and coconut milk. Guyuria biscuits are usually fried and then coated with a thick syrup that hardens as it dries.
5. Filipino Pancit
A common Filipino dish for many holidays and celebrations, pancit consists of fried noodles and vegetables such as chicken, pork, shrimp, celery, carrots, onions, garlic and cabbage. These dishes are often prepared for birthday celebrations because they symbolise longevity and good health.
6. Red Rice
Eneksa agaga, or Saipan red rice, is a staple of Chamorro celebrations. The short-grain rice is typically cooked in water tinted with annatto seeds, which give the dish an unusual and vibrant orange-red colour. It can also be spiced up by adding other ingredients such as onion, garlic, peas or bacon. Eneksa agaga is traditionally the first course, followed by flatbread, breadfruit, taro root and bananas in coconut milk.
7. Kå'du Fanihi
Kå’du fanihi originally comes from the small island of Guam and is a completely unique speciality. This dish is made with mariana fox fruit (chamorro fanihi) in a coconut milk soup. The bat is boiled alive, with all parts intact, and served with coconut milk, preferably with vegetables. It should eat everything except skins, teeth and bones. Because of the way this food is prepared, care should be taken with its consumption, as there are serious diseases that can be transmitted to humans.
If you found this list useful, here are some more Traditional Oceanian Foods to try out on my Pinterest channel.