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Polynesian Chinese cuisine is the fusion of ingredients and cooking styles of Chinese immigrants and the various cultures of Polynesia. Many Chinese emigrated to the Polynesian islands of Hawaii, French Polynesia and Samoa to work as labourers within plantations as well as New Zealand as miners during the gold rush. As the majority of the Chinese dispora within Polynesia originated from the Guangdong province, Polynesian Chinese cuisine has been influenced mostly by Cantonese and Hakka cuisines.
History
editDuring the late 19th century and the early 20th century, European and American powers had colonised large parts of Oceania. Many plantations were established on the high-lying pacific islands, producing various commodities such as sugar, copra, cacao, vanilla and cotton. With the need for labour, many of the colonies brought indentured labour from China to work, as many of the indigenous populations of the islands refusing to do the work. The Chinese labourers were brought to over to many parts of Oceania. Not all of them worked in plantation fields, the Chinese in New Zealand, New Caledonia and Nauru were contracted to work as miners.
Chinese labourers utilised many Polynesian ingredients that were familiar to them such as pork, chicken, taro and sugar cane as well as importing their own foods such as rice, noodles, soy sauce
Dishes
editThese are the Chinese dishes found throughout the Polynesian islands.
- Cake noodle – Cooked noodles, fried and cut into squares, usually served with vegetables and sauce.
- Char siu bao – A steamed bun containing pork filling. It is known as Manupua in Hawaii, Keke pua’a in Samoa and Chao pao in French Polynesia.
- Chicken long rice – A Hawaiian soup made with flavoured chicken broth containing vermicelli noodles.
- Chop suey –
- Chow mein – A stir-fry dish of vegetables, meat and noodles.
- Gau gee – A fried dumpling with a rectangular shape, containing an assortment of fillings.
- Jook – Porridge made from rice boiled down in water. In Hawaii, a version made with turkey is made around Thanksgiving.
- Mā’a tinito – An assorted mixed dish containing pork, beans, cabbage and noodles.
- Moa fa’asaina – A Samoan chicken dish cooked in a flavoured soy sauce, often served with Coconut rice.
- Pua’a choux –
See also
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