Food of Cook Islands

Cook Islands cuisine uses fresh fish, coconut, taro, breadfruit, and tropical fruit, with raw fish in coconut cream (ika mata) as a signature dish. Feasts are cooked in an umu, and sweet puddings called poke use banana, papaya, or pumpkin with arrowroot and coconut cream.

Ika mata
National dish

Ika mata

Raw fish in lime juice and coconut cream.

Staples

  • fish, coconut, taro, breadfruit, banana, papaya

Signature flavors

  • coconut cream, lime, taro leaves, chili

Main dishes

Ika mata
Ika mata

Raw fish in lime juice and coconut cream.

Key ingredients: fish, lime, coconut cream
Rukau
Rukau

Taro leaves cooked in coconut cream.

Key ingredients: taro leaves, coconut cream
Mitiore

Fermented coconut and fish dish.

Key ingredients: coconut, fish
Umu feast

Earth-oven pork and root crops.

Key ingredients: pork, taro
Fried fish

Fresh catch.

Key ingredients: fish
Chicken curry

Island style.

Key ingredients: chicken, curry

Breakfast

Pancakes

With tropical fruit.

Key ingredients: flour, banana
Fresh fruit

Papaya and pineapple.

Key ingredients: papaya
Coconut bread

Sweet loaf.

Key ingredients: flour, coconut

Street food

Fish burgers

Local snack.

Key ingredients: fish, bread
Fried donuts

Sweet.

Key ingredients: flour, sugar
Island-night grill

Barbecue fish and chicken.

Key ingredients: fish, chicken

Soups

Fish soup

Coconut broth.

Key ingredients: fish, coconut
Pumpkin soup

Creamy.

Key ingredients: pumpkin

Salads

Coconut salad

Tangy and fresh.

Key ingredients: coconut, lime
Ika mata
Ika mata

Fish salad.

Key ingredients: fish

Desserts and sweets

Poke

Banana or papaya pudding with coconut cream.

Key ingredients: banana, arrowroot, coconut cream
Coconut pudding

Sweet.

Key ingredients: coconut
Pineapple cake

Moist.

Key ingredients: pineapple, flour
Banana bread

Soft.

Key ingredients: banana, flour

Drinks

Coconut water

Fresh.

Key ingredients: young coconut
Tropical juice

Passion fruit.

Key ingredients: passion fruit
Noni juice
Noni juice

Traditional.

Key ingredients: noni
Tea

Island tea.

Key ingredients: tea

Fruits and produce

Coconut
Coconut

Staple.

Key ingredients: milk, waterFull guide →
Papaya
Papaya

Sweet.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Banana
Banana

Many kinds.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Pineapple
Pineapple

Juicy.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Breadfruit
Breadfruit

Starchy.

Key ingredients: roastedFull guide →
Passion fruit
Passion fruit

Tangy.

Key ingredients: juiceFull guide →

Dish guides from Cook Islands

Banana
BananaFruits
Breadfruit
BreadfruitFruits
Coconut
CoconutFruits
Papaya
PapayaFruits
Passion fruit
Passion fruitFruits
Pineapple
PineappleFruits
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More cuisines of Polynesia

About this page

Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.

Photo credits
  • Poisson cru au lait de coco: Eric Chan, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Luaulau: Chedlund808, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia): Wilfredor, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cocos nucifera - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-187: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Carica papaya - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-029: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT: BANANATEX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • കൈതച്ചക്ക: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Artocarpus altilis (fruit): Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Passiflora edulis forma flavicarpa: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)