There are two places I’ve always dreamed of going, the Seychelles, which I’ve already talked about through the recipe for Kat Kat, and….
the Hawaii!!

Two destinations that are quite different in some respects but very similar in others: they are islands, they are wild (yes, even Hawaii has areas not yet touched by tourism!), they are expensive and exclusive!

The Hawaii, moreover, are the location of the TV series that introduced me to the wonderful world of television series (Lost) and are also one of the locations of the TV series I wrote (J e poi).

They are American and as you know, I make no secret of my deep love for the United States, and they are, at least on paper, a perfect blend of built and wild.

Lastly, and by no means least, in the collective imagination of us children of the ’80s, Hawaii has always been not just a myth, but THE myth.

The Hawaiian Islands are a volcanic archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean composed of eight main islands and many smaller islands.

The culture and religion of the archipelago are of Polynesian origin, in particular from one of the Society Islands called Havaiki.

On January 18, 1778, Captain James Cook of the British navy was the first European to reach these islands.

In 1898, after the United States’ war against Spain, in which the United States acquired the Philippines and Puerto Rico, the government of the Republic of Hawaii offered its annexation to the United States, which they accepted.

In 1959, the United States Congress accepted Hawaii as the 50th federated state of the Union.

If I had to choose the perfect itinerary, I would visit at least three islands: O’ahu, the set of Lost, where the capital Honolulu and Pearl Harbor are located, and where the majority of the island’s inhabitants live.

Maui because it’s the most famous (thanks in particular to a well-known brand) and finally Moloka’i, to enjoy the true Hawaii, those experienced by the locals, without tourism.

Even though it’s part of the United States, Hawaiian cuisine has its own local identity, born from a mix of other cuisines, particularly Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Polynesian, but also European.

The taro is the local tuber, imported long before the potato, and it is found almost everywhere, as is the saimin, a dish so iconic that it is sold even in local McDonald’s: a sort of Japanese ramen with boiled eggs, kamaboko (a compressed fish puree), green onions, noodles, pickles, meat, and cabbage.

But my choice could only fall on the Poke (sometimes spelled Poké to help pronunciation which is “poh-kay”), a word that in Hawaiian means “to cut into pieces”.

The Poke, masculine singular, and not “la Poke”.

In recent years it has become a trend for us, but it has existed since the 1800s and, thanks to the recent trend towards healthy food, poke is spreading widely everywhere.

According to some nutritionists, it is a healthy dish because unlike other raw fish preparations, like sushi, it does not use sugar for marinating. 

In Europe, the most common poke are those based on yellowfin tuna (ahu) or salmon, but what is eaten in Europe and America is not at all poke.

There is indeed an original poke, the Hawaiian one, and then numerous imitations exported abroad and adapted to local tastes.

Poke originated as a tradition among fishermen who used to eat raw fish cut into pieces and seasoned with the few things they had at their disposal, the original recipe does not include vegetables and much less fruit and the dish prepared by fishermen is certainly not “beautiful” and colorful to look at.

It involves seasoning with Hawaiian salt, seaweed, and grilled kukui nut pulp, fish skinned, gutted, deboned, and cut into crosswise fillets (see photo below aki poke).

The procedure for creating a poke is simple:
choose a grain base (sushi rice, basmati, black rice, or a mix of brown rice, farro, and barley, or quinoa) or a salad base.

Add the protein: raw fish – usually represented by tuna, salmon, octopus (he’e or tako – Japanese word) or shrimp – but also meat, or eggs, or tofu if you want to propose a vegetarian version.

Then add the vegetable and/or fruit side dish and an oil in the form of nuts and/or seeds.

Finally, the dressing: the base should always be soy sauce or ponzu sauce and sesame oil, to which you can add many ingredients to make it more special such as sesame seeds, bits of dried or fresh chili, seaweed, fish roe, fruit, and bits of onion…

It can be a marinade or the dressing once it’s ready.

My double homemade version was with: rice, pineapple, marinated salmon and shrimp, nuts, sunflower seeds and rice, mango, marinated salmon and shrimp, nuts, goji berries and caiani beans.

But you can have fun as you like in composing it.

Here’s my recipe.

Poke was also the star of the ViaggiandoMangiando on air April 23, 2021 event, the live video HERE.