Food of Vanuatu
Vanuatu's national dish is lap lap, a pudding of grated yam, taro, or cassava with coconut cream, wrapped in leaves and baked in an earth oven. Island cooking uses root crops, fish, pork, coconut, and island cabbage, with French influences visible in bread and cafes. Kava, a mildly numbing root drink, is shared at gatherings.
Lap lap
Grated root pudding with coconut cream, baked in leaves.
- Main dishes (6)
- Breakfast (2)
- Street food (2)
- Soups (1)
- Desserts and sweets (2)
- Drinks (3)
- Fruits and produce (5)
Staples
- yam, taro, cassava, coconut, fish, pork, island cabbage
Signature flavors
- coconut cream, island cabbage, ginger, lime
Main dishes
Grated root pudding with coconut cream, baked in leaves.
Key ingredients: yam, taro, coconut creamSausage-like parcel of pounded root crops with meat.
Key ingredients: root crop, porkRolled taro leaf packages cooked in coconut milk.
Key ingredients: taro leaves, coconut milkFresh fish.
Key ingredients: fish, coconut cream
Prized shellfish.
Key ingredients: crab, coconut
Greens with coconut milk.
Key ingredients: island cabbage, coconut milkBreakfast
Sweet.
Key ingredients: banana, flour
French-style.
Key ingredients: flourFull guide →Street food
On skewers at markets.
Key ingredients: beefFresh.
Key ingredients: fishSoups
Coconut broth.
Key ingredients: fish, coconutDesserts and sweets
Sweet.
Key ingredients: banana, coconutSoft.
Key ingredients: coconut, flourDrinks
A, mildly numbing root drink shared in the evenings.
Key ingredients: kava rootFresh.
Key ingredients: young coconutLocal highland coffee.
Key ingredients: coffeeFruits and produce
Staple.
Key ingredients: milkFull guide →
Many kinds.
Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Sweet.
Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Juicy.
Key ingredients: eaten freshFull guide →
Roasted.
Key ingredients: roastedFull guide →Dish guides from Vanuatu
Explore Vanuatu on Geographical EffectMaps, capital and cities, population, climate, landscapes and landmarks.More cuisines of Melanesia
Descriptions written by Intercontinental Chef. Dishes are listed as commonly eaten today; many are shared across neighbouring countries.
- Laplap sosor: Lenzo Nimoho, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Coconut Crab Birgus latro: Drew Avery, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Abelmoschus manihot ssp tetraphyllus W IMG 2157: J.M.Garg, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Baguettes, Paris, France - panoramio: Nick Thweatt, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Starr 070515-7054 Piper methysticum: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Cocos nucifera - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-187: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
- 14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT: BANANATEX, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
- Carica papaya - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-029: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain (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)
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