Maori Kai
Growing and gathering traditional foods was a big change for the Maori Culture. The Maori ancestors brought many edible plants from their homeland such as kumara, yam, and taro, these crops then had to adapt to the new environment. In New Zealand, the climate was much colder than their home.
Maori had a very traditional way of cooking food for their families, which was called a Hangi (Earth oven), this method was very useful for cooking meals for large families or big gatherings. Maori did not make pottery, so for them to boil water was to place a red hot stone in a wooden bowl of liquid. Nowadays, people use ovens, stovetops, microwaves, and other cooking sources to cook food. Hangi's are still used but not as often as they did, but mostly used for special occasions.
Hi Jaz
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting blogpost to read. Māori kai was food they could get locally and they were very skilled at preserving it. Have you ever tasted food cooked in a hāngī? I liked the slides you included that show how kitchen appliances have changed.
The scone recipe we used is very simple but produces good results. Did your scones taste good?
We will be cooking some other traditional 'kiwi' dishes over the next couple of weeks.
Thanks Mrs Wheeler