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The Best Hawaiian Luau Appetizers to Get the Party Started
A luau is a Hawaiian party, where traditional Hawaiian foods are served. There is often music and dancing and people might dress up in Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, and coconut bras. The food is a big part of a luau and making some great luau appetizers are sure to get the party started and make the night a success.
The word "luau" is believed to date back to 1856 or earlier. A luau used to be called an "ahaaina" or a "paina." The word luau comes from the most popular food served at these events, which is taro tops with coconut milk and octopus or chicken. "Pupu" is the Hawaiian word for appetizer.
Hawaiian culture is a mixture of different ethnic groups including Asians, Portuguese, Tongans, Filipinos, Puerto Ricans, Samoans and Native Hawaiians, and all these cultures have helped to define Hawaiian cuisine and influence traditional Hawaiian recipes.
Famous Luau Appetizers
Beef, pork, chicken, and ribs are popular at luaus and these appetizer recipes might be Asian inspired, like Teriyaki meatballs or sweet and sour chicken. There are Portuguese inspired Hawaiian meat recipes like bean soup or vinha d'alhos, which is a marinated pork recipe.
Huli huli chicken is a sweet and sticky combination of chicken, pineapple, catsup and more. Kalua pork is a well-loved Hawaiian slow roasted pork. Chicken cooked in taro leaves and coconut milk is a famous luau appetizer. Chicken adobo is the national dish of the Philippines and this pork and chicken mixture, which is sometimes made with shellfish or beef, comes in a soy sauce, garlic, vinegar and peppercorn sauce.
Asian style fish appetizers like shrimp tempura or Cantonese fish often appear as luau appetizers. Since a luau is a buffet, there are all kinds of dishes on offer including meat, poultry, or fish curries. Curries are traditionally served with various condiments on the side, including crumbled bacon, peanuts, raisins, green onions, coconut, hardboiled eggs, chutney, and pickles.
Authentic Hawaiian Staples
Poi is a Hawaiian staple food. This thick purple paste, which you can buy one or two days old, is made by pounding taro. The older the poi, the more bitter it tastes. It is served as a side dish at luaus or used in recipes. Poi is labeled one, two, or three finger, and this is used to describe its consistency. The thinner it is, the more fingers you would need to scoop it up.
Taro, which is also known as kalo, is either pounded to make poi or the leaves are used to wrap other foods. You can use spinach leaves to wrap fish or meat, if taro leaves are unavailable.
Sweet potatoes are found at most luaus, as are chunks of Maui Gold pineapple. Macaroni salad is popular too. Lomi lomi salmon, which is a mixture of cold, diced salmon, onions, and tomatoes, is popular at luaus and this dish is named after the Hawaiian words meaning to knead or rub.
The great thing about making luau appetizers is that anything goes. Where else in the world would you find Asian flavors and Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, and Korean dishes alongside Portuguese appetizers and Puerto Rican fare? Mixing and matching applies to buffets the world over but Hawaiian luaus offer a wonderful range of cuisines and dishes which are all very different but seem to go together perfectly.
