Food of Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea's food is built on root crops and starchy staples such as sweet potato, taro, yam, sago, and cooking banana, paired with greens, coconut, fish, and pork. Many dishes are cooked in a mumu, an earth oven where food steams in layers over hot stones, and coastal cooking adds seafood and coconut cream. Home cooking is simple, hearty, and shared.

National dish

Mumu

Earth-oven feast of pork, chicken, and root vegetables steamed with hot stones.

Staples

  • sweet potato, taro, yam, sago, banana, greens, pork, fish, coconut

Signature flavors

  • coconut cream, ginger, garlic, greens, chili, salt

Main dishes

Mumu

Earth-oven feast of pork, chicken, and root vegetables steamed with hot stones.

Key ingredients: pork, sweet potato, greens, banana leaves
Kaukau
Kaukau

Sweet potato, the staple, boiled, baked, or roasted.

Key ingredients: sweet potato
Sago pancakes
Sago pancakes

Starchy cakes made from sago palm.

Key ingredients: sago, coconut
Fish in coconut cream

Fish simmered with coconut milk and greens.

Key ingredients: fish, coconut milk, greens
Taro with coconut milk
Taro with coconut milk

Boiled taro in rich coconut cream.

Key ingredients: taro, coconut milk
Chicken and greens stew

Chicken cooked with island greens.

Key ingredients: chicken, greens, ginger
Kokoda
Kokoda

Raw fish in lime and coconut, popular on the coast.

Key ingredients: fish, lime, coconut creamFull guide →
Aibika stew
Aibika stew

Edible hibiscus leaves cooked with coconut milk.

Key ingredients: aibika, coconut milk
Lobster with coconut

Grilled crayfish with coconut.

Key ingredients: lobster, coconut
Pig in a mumu

Pork cooked in earth oven.

Key ingredients: pork, banana leaves

Breakfast

Boiled banana
Boiled banana

Green bananas boiled with salt.

Key ingredients: green banana
Sweet potato with butter

Mashed kaukau.

Key ingredients: sweet potato, butter
Pawpaw with lime

Fresh papaya.

Key ingredients: papaya, lime

Street food

Banana fritters

Fried ripe banana.

Key ingredients: banana, flour
Roasted corn

Corn grilled over coals.

Key ingredients: corn
Fried fish

Local fish fried and served with rice.

Key ingredients: fish, oil
Scones

Fried dough balls.

Key ingredients: flour, sugar

Soups

Fish soup

Clear soup with greens.

Key ingredients: fish, ginger, greens
Pumpkin soup

Coconut pumpkin soup.

Key ingredients: pumpkin, coconut milk

Salads

Coconut cucumber salad

Cool cucumber with lime and coconut.

Key ingredients: cucumber, coconut, lime
Island greens

Wilted greens with coconut cream.

Key ingredients: greens, coconut cream

Desserts and sweets

Banana in coconut cream

Sweet banana dessert.

Key ingredients: banana, coconut milk
Pineapple pie

Sweet pineapple pastry.

Key ingredients: pineapple, flour
Sweet potato pudding

Baked pudding with coconut.

Key ingredients: sweet potato, coconut

Drinks

Coconut water

Fresh from the nut.

Key ingredients: young coconut
PNG coffee
PNG coffee

Highland-grown coffee.

Key ingredients: coffee
Tea

Sweet black tea.

Key ingredients: tea, sugar
Fruit juice

Fresh tropical juice.

Key ingredients: pineapple, passion fruit

Fruits and produce

Banana
Banana

Hundreds of varieties; staple fruit and food.

Key ingredients: eaten fresh, boiled, friedFull guide →
Breadfruit
Breadfruit

Starchy fruit baked or boiled.

Key ingredients: roasted, boiledFull guide →
Coconut
Coconut

Used for milk, cream, and water.

Key ingredients: milk, waterFull guide →
Pineapple
Pineapple

Sweet tropical fruit.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Papaya
Papaya

Eaten ripe with lime.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Sugarcane
Sugarcane

Chewed fresh as a sweet snack.

Key ingredients: chewed, juiced
Mango
Mango

Ripe and sweet in season.

Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Pandanus fruit
Pandanus fruit

Red fruit used for its rich sauce.

Key ingredients: sauce, paste

Dish guides from Papua New Guinea

Banana
BananaFruits
Breadfruit
BreadfruitFruits
Coconut
CoconutFruits
Kokoda
KokodaSnacks and dips
Mango
MangoFruits
Papaya
PapayaFruits
Pineapple
PineappleFruits
Explore Papua New Guinea on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.

More cuisines of Melanesia

About this page

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

Photo credits
  • Ipomoea batatas 006: Llez, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Sago (Metroxylon sagu) in New Guinea: Toksave, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Songe-Réunion: No machine-readable author provided. Thierry Caro assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Poisson cru au lait de coco: Eric Chan, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Abelmoschus manihot ssp tetraphyllus W IMG 2157: J.M.Garg, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • 14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT: BANANATEX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Papua New Guinea raw arabica coffee beans: Ella Marie, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Artocarpus altilis (fruit): Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Cocos nucifera - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-187: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • കൈതച്ചക്ക: Suniltg at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Carica papaya - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-029: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Saccharum officinarum - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-125: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Mangos - single and halved: Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
  • Red Fruit: Paul from Working and living in Jayapura (Papua Province) and Jakarta, Indonesia, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)