ONCE WERE GARDENERS… IMAGINE New Zealand 500 years ago. Thick often inpenetrable bush…pristine beaches fringed in untouched sand…deep lakes bored out by huge volcanic eruptions… mountain ranges tipped with snow…wild winds whipping along the western borders…magnificent birdlife. Food – thanks to the temperate climates of the country – must have been plentiful for ancient Mãori. By analysing fish bones at different coastal sites, archaeologists have found snapper was the main catch in the North Island, with South Island tribes eating predominantly barracoota and red cod. Seashells and crayfish were also harvested, along with cockles which have been found in plentiful middens (ancient rubbish sites) near estuaries throughout the country. Other common foods included paua, pipi, tuatua, titiko (mud snails), mussels, limpets and cat’s eyes. Mãori dried their seafood, hung on poles in the sun, or baked before hanging. Ancestors of the Mãori brought edible plants from their homeland, including kumara, yam and taro, although growing them involved sophisticated cultivation techniques as their new home was colder than their homeland. Wild ferns, vines, palms, fungi, berries, fruit and seeds became important foods, along with kiore (the Polynesian rat) and kuri (the 12 NOVEMBER 2016 Polynesian dog). They also hunted a wide range of birds, including the moa. Dietary supplements included whitebait, karengo (seaweed), huhu grubs, pikopiko (fern shoots), karaka berries and toroi, a dish of fresh mussels with puha (sow thistle) juice. It all sounds like interesting culinary fare, but are we using the foods of the past to embrace the inclusion of Mãori ingredients into our local and exported foods as a ‘point of difference’? And, even if we wanted Other common foods included paua, pipi, tuatua, titiko (mud snails), mussels, limpets and cat’s eyes.
FT-Nov16
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