Tasty Hawaii Restaurants

Poke - Local Hawaii Delicacy

Poke (pronounced po-keh) Hawaiian food is a local Hawaii treasure and one of the island's favorite foods. Poke literally means to slice or to cut, and in its most basic form, poke is simply raw, fresh fish (usually ahi) cut into bite-sized morsels, seasoned with seaweed, Hawaiian salt and some kukui nut relish or paste (called inamona) and served as an appetizer or snack. However, there are as many variations of poke as there are of another raw-fish based staple, sushi.

The wide variety of poke styles can be attributed to the annual poke festival started by famed Hawaii chef Sam Choy in 1992, which has fueled an explosion in the worldwide popularity of poke. The contest, now called the Aloha Festival's Poke Contest, has a myriad of categories that encourage experimentation and innovation, and only the best in Hawaii take the poke fame and prizes. New styles of poke use some of the freshest available seafood available (aku, tako, sea clams, snapper, lobster), local spices and seasonings (shoyu, sesame oil, green onions, chili pepper water, Maui onions, etc.), international flavors and spices (any and all Asian flavors, Mexican, Caribbean and other South Pacific flavors) and whatever else sounds like it might taste good (even beef or tofu instead of fish). Read more Poke - Local Hawaii Delicacy...