American Samoa
Gastronomy in American Samoa
Local barbeque and stone hearth baked local foods such as breadfruit, pork, chicken, and bananas are available in most villages. Local specialties include a rich preparation called fia fia, which is the Samoan Feast. It is made up of ingredients such as suckling pig, chicken, fish, palusami (coconut cream wrapped in taro leaves and cooked in the umu, or pit oven), breadfruit, coconut, bananas, lime and mango.
The national drink is kava, which is drunk in sacred ceremonies that have elaborate rituals and are difficult to attend unless invited by a Samoan friend. Kava is drunk to usher in luck and the Samoans take the ceremony very seriously. It should not be considered equivalent to having a few casual drinks.
Restaurants in American Samoa offer a variety of cuisines, including American, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Polynesian.
