Food of Palau

Palauan food draws on abundant seafood, taro, cassava, coconut, and tropical fruit. Fruit bat soup is a traditional specialty, but most daily meals feature reef fish, crab, rice, and taro cooked in coconut milk. Japanese and Filipino influences show up in sashimi, noodles, and adobo-like stews.

National dish

Fish in coconut

Fresh fish simmered gently.

Staples

  • taro, cassava, fish, crab, coconut, rice, sweet potato

Signature flavors

  • coconut milk, lime, ginger, soy sauce

Main dishes

Fish in coconut milk

Fresh fish simmered gently.

Key ingredients: fish, coconut milk
Mangrove crab

Large crab boiled or cooked in sauce.

Key ingredients: mud crab
Taro
Taro

Boiled or cooked in coconut milk.

Key ingredients: taro
Tapioca cassava
Tapioca cassava

Boiled or fried.

Key ingredients: cassava
Sashimi
Sashimi

Fresh raw fish.

Key ingredients: tuna, soy sauce
Chicken adobo
Chicken adobo

Filipino-style braise.

Key ingredients: chicken, vinegarFull guide →

Breakfast

Fried rice
Fried rice

Quick morning meal.

Key ingredients: rice, eggFull guide →
Sweet potato

Boiled.

Key ingredients: sweet potato

Soups

Fish soup

Clear and gingery.

Key ingredients: fish, ginger

Desserts and sweets

Cassava cake

Sweet and chewy.

Key ingredients: cassava, coconut milk
Taro pudding

Sweet.

Key ingredients: taro, coconut

Drinks

Coconut water

Fresh.

Key ingredients: young coconut
Tea

Sweet.

Key ingredients: tea

Fruits and produce

Coconut
Coconut

Staple.

Key ingredients: milkFull guide →
Papaya
Papaya

Fresh.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Breadfruit
Breadfruit

Roasted.

Key ingredients: roastedFull guide →
Banana
Banana

Many kinds.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Soursop
Soursop

Creamy and tangy.

Key ingredients: eaten fresh, juice

Dish guides from Palau

Adobo
AdoboMain dishes
Banana
BananaFruits
Breadfruit
BreadfruitFruits
Coconut
CoconutFruits
Fried rice
Fried riceMain dishes
Papaya
PapayaFruits
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More cuisines of Micronesia

About this page

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

Photo credits
  • Songe-Réunion: No machine-readable author provided. Thierry Caro assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Manihot esculenta - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-090: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhlers Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 241109 Shigaraki ware Koga Shiga pref Japan01s3: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Lomo en adobo-2009: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Koh Mak, Thailand, Fried rice with seafood, Thai fried rice: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0 (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)
  • Artocarpus altilis (fruit): Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT: BANANATEX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Annona muricata 1: Damien Boilley from suburbs of Paris, France, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)