What to eat New Caledonia? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Despite a relatively long French presence on the island, metropolitan cuisine has had to adapt to the local resources, climate, various ingredients and other culinary methods. White bread, sensitive to humidity, was never adopted until recently. The same is true for cheese and butter, which only really made their appearance in Nouméa in the 1970s, with the improvement of transport and packaging. Conversely, rice is consumed without moderation, seasoned with the indispensable soy sauce. The important presence of Chinese, Indonesians, Vietnamese, Reunionese and West Indians has only amplified this trend.

In addition to starchy foods, a wide variety of vegetables are eaten: carrots, tomatoes, squash, cabbage, onions, green beans, sweet potatoes, etc. The chouchoute - better known in metropolitan France as the chayotte or christophine - is a cousin of the squash that takes the form of a green fruit with the appearance of a bumpy pear with a rather neutral taste, much appreciated in frying or in gratin in the manner of the potato. Taro, or madera, is the tuber of a plant with huge heart-shaped leaves, very rich in starch, with a slight nutty flavor, reminiscent of yam, also popular on the island. Here, the plantain is called "poingo".

The omnipresence of the ocean also has a natural impact on the local gastronomy. Fish (dorado or mahi-mahi, king mackerel, tuna, snapper, parrot fish, grouper, bonito, swordfish, etc.), shellfish and crustaceans are always prepared with finesse. Don't leave New Caledonia without having tasted the coconut crab, a huge shellfish with fearsome claws, which is usually eaten poached, served cold with mayonnaise. And let's not forget the lobsters, particularly appreciated, which can be eaten with all kinds of sauces: with mayonnaise, in sashimi, grilled or in salad. Mangrove oysters are also very popular and live in brackish water.

Beef, chicken, pork and deer are the main meat products. Deer makes an excellent and spicy sausage. The more adventurous can also try the Bancoule worm (huge white beetle larva, served crispy) or the snail of the Isle of Pines (bulime). This gastropod, usually cooked with garlic butter, is endangered in the wild, but it is abundantly farmed. Ask the restaurant owner about its origin. The same is true for the dogfish; this species of bat plays an important role in Kanak culture and gastronomy. However, it is becoming increasingly rare, and unless you are invited to taste it, usually as a stew, it is best left to the locals.

Created by chefs for chefs, the Pacific Food Lab is a new digital space. At the head of this project are several New Caledonian chefs, including Gaby Leviennois, co-manager of the famous P'tit Café in Noumea, already well known for his actions in favor of responsible and local cuisine. The objective of the Pacific Food Lab is very simple: to promote the well-being of New Caledonian food for a better self-sufficiency. This project is therefore intended for restaurant owners, caterers, canteens, etc., with the primary goal of incorporating local products into meals and thus increasing the turnover of New Caledonian agricultural production by producing and consuming locally.

In terms of food and eating habits, in Noumea you will be spoilt for choice between Asian snacks (soups, nems, pork with sugar...) and the many restaurants with French and international specialities (from Asia, South America and Europe). Also, Caledonians are very fond of barbecues in the middle of nature, at the campsite, at home. The restaurants of the major hotels in Nouméa offer themed buffets (Melanesian, Polynesian, French) with a fairly attractive quality/price ratio. Lunch times are generally from 11:30am to 1pm and dinner is served between 7pm and 9pm.

Of all the local dishes, the most emblematic is probably the bougna. Typically Kanak, this stew requires a long preparation. It is particularly recommended to taste it in the tribes of Grande Terre and the islands. Traditionally, the men first cut the wood, dig the sand and light a fire. On their side, women prepare the ingredients - vegetables, fish or meat and yam - which they cook in coconut milk. Everything is wrapped in banana leaf wrappers and placed on the embers, which are covered with earth, which explains the slow cooking process. On the Caillou as well as on the Loyalty Islands, the tribal lodges often prepare the bougna to order. This type of cooking in a pit filled with hot coals and/or stones is common in many parts of the South Pacific, such as ahi ma' a in Tahiti, hāngī in New Zealand, pachamanca in Peru or curanto in Chile.

Polynesian influences abound in New Caledonia, including the Tahitian salad, a sweet and savory appetizer also known as "Tahitian-style raw fish." Like ceviche, it consists of fish, usually firm-fleshed (most often tuna), which is "cooked" in lemon for a few hours. It is then mixed with chopped raw vegetables and sprinkled with coconut milk. This salad is normally presented in a coconut shell, a nod to one of its main ingredients. The Japanese presence has popularized sashimi, made of strips of raw fish served with soy sauce and wasabi. Trocas and jumbo salads are two appetizers based on shellfish.

If deer meat is used to make sausage, it is also appreciated in the form of a salad, called "salade du broussard": it is an appetizer based on diced raw deer meat marinated with lemon juice, then garnished with carrot, bell pepper, chili, fresh herbs, etc. Venison can also be enjoyed on skewers and in curries. Indeed, the presence of Reunion and West Indies has allowed the introduction of many recipes of dishes in sauce such as curry, which is declined with chicken, shrimps, fish, pork, beef, etc. The Creole black pudding, a kind of small black pudding richly spiced, is one of the heritages from Martinique and Guadeloupe, while the achards, vegetables and fruits in a brine very spiced with vinegar, are from Reunion and the Indian Ocean more widely. Stuffed chouchoutes (with a mixture of ham, cheese, egg and spices) are also known in the West Indies.

Many specialties of Asian origin have become Caledonian recipes in their own right. This is the case of egg rolls, with pork or beef, which can be found everywhere, especially in markets and shops. Pork with sugar is one of the most popular dishes in New Caledonia. It is similar to pork with caramel and is seasoned with caramel, soy sauce and nuoc mam (fermented fish sauce from Vietnam). In fact, everyone has their own recipe for sugar pork and the quantity of ingredients varies from one household or restaurant to another. Soy chicken is a specialty of this mixed Caledonian cuisine with Chinese and Vietnamese accents, made of chicken sautéed in a sauce of onions and soy sauce.

But there are also chicken and pork with pineapple, often topped with peppers in a rich sweet and sour sauce, as well as various noodle recipes. There is also a dish imported to the island by Indonesian workers, called bami. This term designates, in Indonesia, various specialties prepared with yellow wheat noodles, originating from China. In New Caledonia, it is cooked with soy vermicelli filled with chicken, shrimp, carrot, white cabbage, all seasoned with soy sauce of course.

Although New Caledonia is a French territory, the distance from the mainland and a very different climate means that many of the products available on our territory are rarely produced on the island and are therefore largely imported, especially from its neighbors such as Australia and New Zealand: fruit and vegetables from temperate zones, wine, cheese. French-inspired bread and pastries can be produced locally but with imported cereals, as wheat does not grow much in this climate.

Australian or New Zealand cuisine is not necessarily represented in the recipes commonly used, but rather by imported products consumed on a daily basis, such as cookies or sweets that are more readily available than those of French brands. For example, Milo chocolate powder, or Arnott's group cookies, such as Tim Tam (chocolate based) or Sao (a brand of crackers).

There are few desserts in New Caledonia. The best known, however, seems to be the po'e, which originated in Tahiti. It consists of a starch (banana, taro, squash, etc.) that is stewed for a long time with sugar and often vanilla. The whole thing is topped with coconut milk before serving. Nothing beats the flavor of exotic fruits bursting with sunshine. On the island, you will find banana, pineapple, mango, guava or even fresh coconut to crunch, without forgetting the lychees, very popular and that we enjoy in winter. Citrus fruits are not to be outdone, with the tangerine, which even has the right to a festival in the commune of Canala in July. The apple-cinnamon has a white pulp, particularly sweet, with a surprising flavor.

Of course, many juices are produced from all these delicious fruits. Beer is the most consumed alcohol and Number One is produced locally. Wine, on the other hand, is usually imported from Australia or New Zealand. For a truly local experience, try kava, a traditional Melanesian drink made from the roots of the wild pepper tree, or kawa-kawa. Its slightly anaesthetic and euphoric side classifies it as a narcotic in France, where it is forbidden, except of course in New Caledonia.