Kanaka cuisine (Kanaka Maoli Meaai) refers to a cuisine that has developed in the Hawaiian climate and society. It is also called “Real Hawaiian food” as opposed to Haole mainlander cuisine and Hawaii regional cuisine. It has the characteristic of using the original taste of food and valuing the sense of the lands conditions and uniqueness. In a broad sense, it includes meals that are derived from Hawaii and are made and eaten on a daily basis by people who live a more traditionalist lifestyle. It is based on vegetarian dishes and Aha’aina dishes as well as social and ceremonial event dishes.
Cooking (Ho’omo’a), the Hawaiian word for “cooking” is “Hoʻomoʻa” which is made from the prefix Ho’o- that means “causation” and -mo’a which means “cooked”. This refers to food processes in the area where the food was to be prepared before the actual serving, but the concept of cooking varies greatly depending on the time point of reference and land-associated in Hawaii while it was it’s own country. It has an emphasis on techniques from Pacific Oceania with people having their own idea of limitations of what is accepted or not from the Native Hawaiian community. Etymology, there are various theories about the origin of Kanaka food as a way of describing Hawaiian food culture centered on taro and seafood, a theory is that it was a way to separate foods with specific limitations to food in order to be associated less with modern descriptions of “Hawaiian Food” that can be confused for Hawaii Food or foods developed after the overthrow of the Monarchy. It is thought by some to be a alternative to the terms “Native Hawaiian Food”, however it is different due to allowing ideas of innovative techniques of native dishes to change from strict academic records and limitations, but its own set of limitations, and ideas of culinary direction of the Kanaka that is blood rather than Hawaiian, which could also be Nationality. Another theory is that a small Hawaiian sovereignty group in the 1990’s would cast themselves as “kanaka” to occupied Hawaii with foods that reflect the wishes of the Kanaka Maoli population in which many historical stories are still orally told. While there are certain projects or activities of Kanaka Maoli continuity distances itself from the Modern definitions of highly developed Hawaiian Food. It is seen as a not colonized cooking style that followed a way of cooking that had older generation influences with more of a essence of the culture in the food with foods written in “Olelo” (Hawaiian Language) to keep the culture by keeping the food names within the language. From the perspective of a interviewed chef of Hawaiian cuisine, when looking at Hawaiian food menus made with: Awa (drink), Lomi (massaged), Poke (cubed), Poi (pounded), Paiai (mashed), dried dishes, fire heated dishes, and Lawalu Dishes (wrapped) are established. Depending on the day the menus for the day are made up of what is sustainable for the season of ingredient rather than the season of the western calendar. There are foods that can be grabbed by hand and eaten alone or dipped for an enhanced flavor to add a sense of sharing and togetherness. The bowl is very important as it hold ingredients, stocks, pastes, and dips that can be used for cooking or eaten from. According to Oxford Encyclopedia there is no 2022 description of Kanaka Food, however for “Hawaiian Food” it is associated to the Hawaiian people and food of the native islanders. Academics will often discuss the characterization of canoe plants and the diet being made up of poi and seafood as main ingredients and that meats and fats would often be separated in their own specialty dishes. As far back as the Post-contact era the influence of western culture would have many Kanaka traditions rapidly decrease as things became more Western and the ancient ways began to disappear or left unrecorded in a written form. Differences between Kanaka Food and Hawaiian Food, the words “Native Hawaiian Food” and “Kanaka Food” were used to correspond to “Colonial Food” and “Haole Food” that came into Hawaii as boats came in to harbors and people began settling on Hawaiian lands. While “Kanaka cuisine” has an image of low-class cuisine offered by Hawaii sovereignty movement activists, there is an opinion that “Kanaka Food” is more appropriate as a term that describes a section of Hawaiian Food culture, including its own style of home-cooked food. Hawaiian Cuisine was generalized by the Hawaii Tourism industry along with “Local Cuisine” coming later and Authentic Hawaiian Food slogan "Kanaka Cuisine” appeared after. These Tourism Definitions marketed to the global market place would conflict with the Hawaii Definitions. Both had their own definition and were different from one another, but with usage from the english speaking world, both definitions would still be seen as viable as different definitions under the same words. This caused confusion between the tourists, the locals, and groups of people asking what really was Hawaiian cuisine and Local Cuisine. Different groups had different ways of perpetuating food in Hawaii and caused even more specific terms and descriptions to appear to separate different ways of cooking and have comparisons among different cuisines in Hawaii that were similar, but not the same.
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