Samoa Food & Eating Guide

Food & Eating Guide

As you might expect there is a lot of seafood on the menu in Samoa! There are many local restaurants who will typically have a number of moderately priced seafood choices as well as other meat based foods. The hotels on the islands have a range of cuisines to choose from in addition to the fantastic fish and seafood on offer. There are a range of take away choices in the main centres.

The traditional way of cooking in Samoa can also be commonly found and most hotels will offer choices of traditional foods on at least some nights. An "umu", or hearth of hot stones is used and whole chickens, pork and of course fish and other ocean bounty are wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in the stones. Often coconut milk is used with the fish and sometimes octopus is cooked in the coconut shell as well. Fresh taro and green bananas are also added to the mix of items as another treat. The result is deliciously moist and tasty meats with a lovely smoky flavour, a favourite of visitors and locals alike. Fresh tropical fruits are also commonly served with all meals, bananas, papaya and coconuts common among them.

Samoa has it's own locally produced beer, "Vailima", which is regarded as exceptional in quality and is the recipient of numerous international awards over the years. The name literally means "Water in the hand" and is also the name of the village where Robert Louis Stevenson lived in the latter years of his life.