This was a difficult week! I struggled to find food from the Solomon Islands that I could make, even after asking on Reddit. I settled for a few dishes that are inspired by what I found when reading about Solomon Islander cuisine.
The Solomon Islands is, as you probably guessed, an island country, located in Oceania, north-east of Australia. It is made up of six major islands and over 1,000 smaller islands.
Based on archaeological evidence, the islands were first settled around 30,000-28,000 BC. The sea levels were lower back then, and some of the islands were joined as one landmass.
Over the years, various civilizations discovered and settled on the islands. Many of these settlers came from parts of Papua New Guinea. The people tended to live in small villages, and they were known for headhunting and cannibalism.
In 1568, the Spanish were the first Europeans to discover the Solomon Islands. An attempt was made to colonize the islands in 1595, but it failed due to disease and problems getting along with the native people.
A couple of centuries later, the British and French visited the Solomon Islands. Soon after, they established trade relationships with the islanders, but the Europeans and native people did not always get along. Eventually, islanders were ‘recruited’ (usually kidnapped) to work in poor conditions in the colonies in Australia, Fiji, and Samoa.
In 1884, Germany annexed nearby New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago (part of modern-day Papua New Guinea). They extended their rule to the North Solomon Islands, while the British kept their influence to the southern islands, eventually declaring a protectorate over them and establishing a colony. The British ended up ruling over most of the northern islands too.
After World War II, in which the Solomon Islands saw several major battles, there was a push for independence, which was achieved in 1978. However, the islands are still a part of the British Commonwealth.
The years that followed have been marked by economic difficulties, civil conflict, and corruption within the government.
What Do People Eat in the Solomon Islands?
Local ingredients make up the base of Solomon Islander cuisine, but there have been a lot of influences from colonists and traders over the years.
Traditional ingredients include taro, breadfruit, banana, sweet potato, cassava, coconut, and various other local fruits and vegetables. Fish and seafood are the main protein sources, and canned tuna seems to be particularly popular.
The Spanish brought cattle, which was adapated into the local diet. Various spices and different types of fruits and vegetables came from Asia.
Most restaurants on the islands serve a broad range of European and Asian dishes alongside local cuisine.
What I Made
Scroll down to read about other popular Solomon Islander dishes I didn’t make!
Green Pawpaw Curry
Pawpaw and papaya are names that are often used to refer to the same fruit, or pawpaw might be the name given to a certain variety of papaya. However, technically, pawpaw and papaya are different fruits. From what I can tell, it sounds like the Solomon Islands is one of many places which refers to papaya as pawpaw. So, this green pawpaw curry is actually made with green papaya!
I began by removing the skin and seeds from a green papaya, and cutting it into cubes.
I cooked diced onion in a little oil for a few minutes, then added garlic and a finely chopped serrano chili (in place of the Thai chili called for in the recipe). After another few minutes of cooking, I added curry powder, coconut milk, salt, and the papaya.
I let everything simmer for around 15 minutes, until the papaya softened. Then, I served the curry with white rice.
I have to admit that I was not really a fan of this. The papaya did not seem to have much flavor of its own; it just tasted like the curry powder. Maybe I didn’t get a good papaya; I don’t have a lot of experience with them so I’m not sure.
The recipe I used is from Global Table Adventure.
Taiyo and Vegetable Omelet
I came across this dish and a few others in an online cookbook with recipes from people in the Solomon Islands. I’m not sure if all the dishes are common meals, but I think the ingredients are at least representative of the food in the area.
This recipe calls for shallots, but I think it might mean green onions because it specifies ‘bottoms of shallots’—as in, the white/light green part of a green onion. I know in some places, green onions are sometimes referred to as shallots.
I began by chopping green onions, green bell peppers, and tomatoes, then mixed them with canned tuna (taiyo in the Solomon Islands) and a little salt.
I heated oil in a non-stick skillet, then poured in beaten eggs and tilted the pan so they spread evenly. Once the egg was just about cooked through, I topped half the egg with the tuna mixture and folded the other half over the top.
This was a very quick and easy recipe, since that was all there was to it. I love omelets and I enjoyed this one, but I think it could have used a sauce of some kind, or maybe some cheese.
This recipe is from page 20 of the ‘Local Vegetable Food “Kaikai” Recipes in Solomon Islands’ cookbook.
Taiyo and Cabbage with Coconut Milk
A common ingredient in the Solomon Islands is slippery cabbage, which is what it sounds like: a leafy green that gets a kind of slimy or ‘slippery’ texture when cooked. However, regular cabbage (referred to in the Solomon Islands as ‘ball cabbage’) is also used, so I chose to make a tuna and cabbage dish which is usually made with slippery cabbage.
I didn’t follow a recipe for this, but instead improvised based on other recipes in the cookbook I used for the previous dish. I knew the main ingredients would be cabbage, tuna, and coconut milk, so I went from there.
I began by cooking some onion in a little oil. Then, I added serrano chilies and tomatoes. After a few more minutes, I added shredded cabbage and seasoned everything with salt and pepper. When the cabbage had begun to wilt, I poured in coconut milk.
Finally, I stirred in canned tuna and adjusted the seasoning. After a few more minutes on the stove, my dish was ready.
This was actually really good! I could have used more cabbage (I never seem to remember just how much it shrinks when cooked), but overall, I was pleased with this dish.
Other Popular Solomon Islander Dishes
- Poi – made from taro root that has been boiled, then mashed with water, salt, and pepper. It can be eaten right away or left to ferment for a few days first. This is the country’s national dish, but I was just not in the mood to try it because I didn’t think it would be very good (sorry Solomon Islands!)
Final Thoughts
This was a light week, but sometimes it’s nice to have a bit of a break. My favorite dish this week was the taiyo and cabbage with coconut milk.
Next week, I will be cooking food from Somalia.