Papua New Guinean Recipes
6 recipesPapua New Guinea has hundreds of languages and just as many local food habits, but a few staples cover most of the country. In the highlands the sweet potato, called kaukau, is the daily starch, grown on steep garden plots alongside greens and beans. In the swampy lowlands sago is the main carbohydrate, made into pancakes and dumplings. Coastal and island communities add taro, yams, bananas, coconut milk and fish. Large gatherings are marked with the mumu, an earth oven where pork, chicken and vegetables steam under leaves and hot stones. Everyday cooking is simple: boiled or roasted roots, greens such as aibika (island cabbage) and pumpkin tips, and a protein when it is available. Rice and canned fish are widely eaten in towns, and grilled lamb flaps are a common roadside snack. Flavors are mild, with ginger, garlic, salt and coconut cream doing most of the work.
Staple ingredients
- kaukau (sweet potato)
- sago
- taro and yams
- bananas and plantains
- coconut milk
- leafy greens such as aibika
- pork and chicken
- rice and canned fish
Main Dishes
Mumu (Papua New Guinea Pork and Vegetable Earth Oven Feast)PG3 h 40 minMedium
Aigir (Papua New Guinea Chicken and Greens in Coconut Milk)PG1 hEasy
Grilled Lamb Flaps with Ginger and Garlic (Roadside Style)PG55 minEasy
Side Dishes
Breads
Desserts
Common questions
What is Papua New Guinean food known for?
The mumu earth oven, sago dishes, sweet potato and coconut-cream stews. Food is mostly starch with greens and a little protein, cooked simply in leaves, in pits or in one pot.
What is the national dish of Papua New Guinea?
Mumu is usually named as the national dish. Pork or chicken, sweet potato, taro, banana and greens are cooked together in an earth oven for a celebration.
Is Papua New Guinean food spicy?
Not generally. Ginger, garlic and salt are common, and chili is used sparingly, so most dishes taste mild, rich with coconut or earthy from slow steaming.