Miti hue is a traditional sauce in Polynesian cuisine made from the flesh of the coconut and salt water mixed together and fermented.

Miti hue
Alternative namesHami, Samilolo, Tähroro, Tai monomono
TypeCondiment
Place of originPolynesia
Region or stateAmerican Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Rotuma, Samoa, Tonga
Main ingredientsCoconut, Brine

Preparation

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Miti hue is prepared from the young coconut known as 'omoto, a stage where the flesh of the green coconut starts to harden and begins losing its water. The flesh of the 'omoto is cut into pieces and placed in a calabash vessel, with salt water and the heads of freshwater prawns. The mixture is left in the sun for a few days to ferment.[1][2] Miti hue is served as an accompaniment to traditional Tahitian dishes, most notably the fermented fish dish Fafaru.[3] The preparation of Tai monomono is also similar to Miti hue, though crushed crustaceans are entirely absent from the recipe.[4] Flavourings like lemon, lime and chilli can also be added to Tai monomono, with the addition of chilli being known as Tai oporo.[5][6]

Fermented coconut sauce is also eaten in Tonga, the Samoan islands and the Polynesian island of Rotuma, but the process differs from Miti hue as the sauce is a byproduct of converting coconut shells into containers, a practice that was common in the West Polynesian islands.[7] A mature coconut has a hole drilled into it and the water inside the nut is removed, replaced with sea water. A stopper is placed into the hole and is left to ferment for a few weeks, resulting the inner flesh breaking down into a gruel.[8][9]

Names

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See also

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  • Taioro – A fermented paste made from coconut meat, eaten in Oceania.

References

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  1. ^ O ́Brien, Frederick (1921). Mystic Isles of the South Seas. Outlook Verlag. p. 214. ISBN 9783732683284.
  2. ^ "Miti Hue (Tahiti)". BigOven. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  3. ^ "Fafaru - Gastro Obscura". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  4. ^ "Moina Tai – Coconut cream sauce - Cook Islands Recipes". www.ck. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  5. ^ Jeanne Jacob, Michael Ashkenazi (2014). The World Cookbook: The Greatest Recipes from Around the Globe, 2nd Edition [4 Volumes]: The Greatest Recipes from Around the Globe. ABC-CLIO. p. 306. ISBN 9781610694698.
  6. ^ "Moina Tai – Coconut cream sauce - Cook Islands Recipes". www.ck. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  7. ^ "Food – Ethnology of Tokelau Islands". NZETC - New Zealand Electronic Text Collection. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  8. ^ Fatiaki, Anselmo (1991). Rotuma, Hanuạ Pumue. University of the South Pacific. Institute of Pacific Studies. p. 2. ISBN 9789820200357.
  9. ^ Thomas Pritchard, William (1866). Polynesian Reminiscences: Or, Life in the South Pacific Islands. Chapman and Hall. p. 126. ISBN 9780712902878.
  10. ^ "Protoform: SAMI [PN] ??". POLLEX-Online.