I will attempt to explain the different kinds of food found in Hawai`i. Hawai`i is a unique place with literally a melting pot of cultures. You can read a brief lesson about the culture in Hawai`i here. The food has a lot of heavy Asian influences as immigrants from many different Asian countries came to Hawai`i to work in the sugar cane fields in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Once you’re finished reading this, continue on to my recommendations for places to eat on O`ahu.
Rice
- Rice is usually the starch in many meals. The rice that’s served in Hawai`i is typically sticky and medium grain calrose/Japanese varieties. It is not dry or flaky.
- Rice is so ubiquitous in Hawai`i that it is commonly found in places that you wouldn’t typically expect to find rice like McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
- White rice is usually served but in recent years, brown rice has become an option at many places.
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Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad, brown rice, and fried chicken
- Macaroni salad is served with a lot of meals in Hawai`i. It is not your usual American or European salad.
- The macaroni is usually overcooked so it is soft but not mushy.
- It is heavy on the mayonnaise and salt. It doesn’t contain mustard or relish.
- There are a million variations as some may contain tuna, carrots, potatoes, or onions.
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Plate Lunch
- A plate lunch is literally a meal on a plate. It is traditionally served on a plate and packed in a cardboard box. Although these days, it can be served in a variety of containers.
- In Hawai`i, a plate lunch is a main course combined with rice and a scoop of macaroni salad.
- It can be heavy on the carbohydrates. It is possible to find a plate lunch with spaghetti, rice, and macaroni salad. Many places are making them “healthier” by offering brown rice and/or tossed salad instead of macaroni salad.
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Bento
- A bento is a boxed meal commonly found with Japanese food.
- In Hawai`i, it can be in separate compartments or in one big container.
- Bentos usually do not have macaroni salad but will have rice.
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Saimin
- Saimin is Hawaiian-style ramen noodles.
- The broth is lighter and toppings are more simple usually consisting of some green onions (aka scallions), Japanese fish cake, Chinese roast pork (char siu) and simple vegetables like napa cabbage.
- It is best eaten with soy sauce and spicy Chinese yellow mustard mixed together as a dipping condiment.
- Saimin is unique to Hawai`i and can be found at places such as Zippy’s and even McDonald’s (sadly the company that supplied their saimin went out of business when the owners retired in 2022).
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Manapua
- Hawaiian-style Chinese dim sum. Manapua is usually what the Chinese would call char siu bao (steamed bun filled with roast BBQ pork).
- The Hawaiian-style manapua can be steamed or baked.
- It is also stuffed with more choices than BBQ roasted pork. It can have ingredients like chicken or vegetables.
- The meats may have teriyaki or curry sauces too.
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Hawaiian Food
Rice, lomi salmon, and squid lu`au
- Native Hawaiian food is heavy on pork, taro, and coconut which were common staples in ancient Hawai`i.
- Today some common Hawaiian dishes are poi (mashed taro root), laulau (steamed meat wrapped in taro leaves), kalua pig (roast pig), chicken long rice (noodles in a chicken broth), squid luau (taro leaves cooked in coconut milk with pieces of squid), lomi salmon (tomato and onion dish with salted preserved salmon), haupia (coconut dessert)
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Portuguese Sausage
Portuguese sausage, eggs, and fried rice.
- A common breakfast to find in Hawai`i is Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice. Even McDonald’s has this on their menu.
- Portuguese sausage is a pork sausage similar to Spanish chorizo but smokier in flavor with less paprika.
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SPAM
- People in Hawai`i really love their SPAM. In case you didn’t know, SPAM is a canned, preserved pork meat product.
- The most popular way to eat it in Hawai`i is as a musubi. A SPAM musubi is like a SPAM sushi. A slice of SPAM is placed on a bed of rice and wrapped in nori (seaweed).
- Different places have their own variations of SPAM musubi as they cook it in different sauces.
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Poke
How you’ll find poke sold by the fishmonger in Hawai`i.
- Poke is properly pronounced as po-kay and NOT po-key.
- Poke in Hawai`i is not served in bowls with a million add-ons like on the mainland.
- It is usually bought from a fish monger from a quarter pound minimum to several pounds.
- Poke in Hawai`i is usually made with either raw fish (ahi) or cooked octopus (tako). It is prepared using soy sauce, sesame seed oil, onions, and sometimes seaweed. Sometimes a spicy mayo-based sauce or other things like garlic are mixed in as well.
- Most people eat it plain as an appetizer (or pūpū as it is called in Hawai`i).
- If you do see it as a bowl, most eat it simply over a bowl of rice.
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Pūpūs
- What people in Hawai`i call hors d’oeuvres.
- Poke is a common pūpū dish.
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Shave Ice or Ice Shave if You’re From the Big Island
- Definitely not your mainland “snow cone.” The texture of the ice is shaved finer and the syrups are not overly sweet.
- You can get shave ice topped with azuki beans, sweetened condensed milk, mochi balls, etc.
- Shave ice can also be mounded on top of ice cream and can be served in a bowl, cup, or cone.
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Fruit Punch
- It is not like the very sweet “Hawaiian Punch” you’ll find on the mainland. In fact, it is rare to find the brand “Hawaiian Punch” being served anywhere in Hawai`i.
- All fast food places like McDonald’s and Burger King serve fruit punch.
- Worth trying as an alternative to soda.
- Some of my favorites can be found at McDonald’s and Zippy’s Restaurants.
- If you’d like to take some home, brands like Malolo and Luau make syrups to make fruit punch at home.
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Hawaiian-Style Delicatessen
- Not to be confused with a mainland “deli” which serves sandwiches.
- Delicatessens in Hawai`i serve a variety of dishes which you can choose to fill a plate.
- A great place to eat if you want a variety of food to eat.
- The food typically has a heavy Asian influence.
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A Drive-Inn
- A Drive-Inn in Hawai`i is a casual eating place where you can get take out.
- There is typically a window where you can order and pickup your food.
- Plate lunches are what is usually offered at a Drive-Inn.
- There are a variety of plate lunches that you can choose from.