Marshallese Recipes
3 recipesThe Marshall Islands are coral atolls, so cooking has always relied on what the coconut palm, pandanus tree, breadfruit tree and lagoon provide. Fish and shellfish are eaten fresh, and coconut milk and grated coconut flavor starches and desserts. Breadfruit is roasted or boiled and, in the past, preserved in pits for lean months, while pandanus fruit is cooked into a sweet paste that keeps for a long time. Arrowroot is grated and cooked into jellied sweets, and pumpkin, bananas and taro are added when gardens allow. Imported rice, flour, sugar and canned meat are now part of almost every household, and dishes such as rice balls with coconut and pumpkin rice porridge show how those staples are used. A pig roasted in an earth oven appears at large feasts. Coconut water is the daily drink, and meals are plain, filling and shared among families.
Staple ingredients
- coconut
- breadfruit
- pandanus fruit
- fresh fish
- pumpkin
- arrowroot
- rice
- bananas
Side Dishes
Chukuchuk (Marshallese Coconut Rice Balls)MH40 minEasy
Pumpkin Rice Porridge with Coconut Milk (Marshallese Style)MH55 minEasy
Desserts
Common questions
What is Marshallese food known for?
Breadfruit, pandanus, coconut and fish, with imported rice and canned foods filling in. Dishes are simple, mild and often finished with coconut.
What is the national dish of the Marshall Islands?
There is no official one. Breadfruit and fresh fish with coconut milk are the staples most often named, and a roast pig is the centerpiece of big feasts.
Is Marshallese food spicy?
No. Seasoning is light, with salt, coconut and pandan leaf the main flavors. Chili is not a regular part of traditional cooking.