Captain Create has escaped the snow for sunny beaches and tropical fruits for his snacks! This week he is on the island of Viti Levu, which only one of over 300 islands in the archipelago (group of islands). The Fijian capital city of Sevu is on Viti Levu, and it’s a beautiful city with traditional Fijian and British Colonial architecture, an international airport, and busy sea port.
Fiji is unique, and so is the food, and because of the long period of British Colonial rule, which changed the architecture and food of the islands drastically, there are lots of different influences on what they eat today. Lots of people from India were brought to Fiji with the British, and they combined their recipes with the local Fijian recipes to create something new and delicious, and you’ll find flavors like garam masala and curry, which are from India, mixed in with Fijian food. The islands have lots of tropical fruits, roots, and vegetables that are unique to that area, as well as lots of tasty fish available nearby.
The Fijian Islands are steep and mountainous, with lots of tropical jungle in the interior, and beautiful rocky beaches with patches of white sand near the ocean. Fishing is popular, as well as raising small animals like chickens and pigs to eat.
Kids and adults do lots of things to stay active including the rough and tumble favorite sport of rugby, as well as play soccer, swim, surf, and hike. Traditional dancing is also popular, and people learn and dance from the time they are small as they learn their cultural history.
The Fijian Government even published a really pretty cookbook to help folks living in the islands eat locally and healthfully. You can find that book here if you are interested in more food from Fiji.
Let’s try an easy recipe from their book!
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