Papua New Guinea (Oceania) 27 December 2020

Papua New Guinea is located in the continent of Oceania. It has Guam to the far north, the Marshall Islands and Nauru to the far northeast, the Solomon Islands to the far east, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the far southeast, Australia to the far south, Indonesia to the west and Palau to the far northwest and sits in the Pacific Ocean.

The capital is Moresby.

The official languages are English, Hiri Motu, and Tok Pisin.

The climate is basically tropical but is also varied due to the terrain. There is much rain, lowlands and highlands producing daily and annual variations in the climate. The staples are fish, seafood, sago, sweet potato, taro, taro leaves, cassava, breadfruit, edible leafy greens, coconut, fruits, coconut milk and pork (http://www.diversicare.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Food-Project-PNG-Food-Profile..pdf).

https://www.britannica.com/place/Papua-New-Guinea

MUMU (https://www.internationalcuisine.com/mumu/):

•  1 Large Banana Leaf (for cooking only, not edible)
•  2 Bunches of Kale Taro Leaves
•  2 Taro roots, peeled and cut up
•  2 Green plantains, peeled and cut up
• 2 Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up
• 2 lbs Chicken, boneless skinless thighs, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 lbs Pork belly, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 Pineapple, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 can Coconut Milk
• 2 Limes, cut into wedges
• 1 TBSP Salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a large aluminum pan, place a layer down of banana leaf.
3. Next place a layer of Kale or Taro leaves.
4. Place the root vegetables and plantains over the kale/taro.
5. Next place the pork and chicken over the root vegetables.
6. Sprinkle with salt over the meat.
7. Put the pineapple over the meat.
8. Squeeze the lime quarters and throw them in as well after squeezing.
9. Pour over the coconut milk.
10. Cover with the remaining kale/taro leaves, and the rest of the banana leaf.
11. Cover completely with a piece of aluminum foil.
12. Place in the for about an hour.  Open to make sure that the meat is cooked through and root vegetables are tender.  It may take longer depending on how hot your oven is.
13. Serve hot and enjoy!!

BANANA CAKE PAPUAN-STYLE (https://recipes.fandom.com/wiki/Banana_Cake_Papuan-style):

• ½ C of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 medium size bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1-1/2 C of self-raising flour
• 1/3 C of milk, well enough to give it the right texture, wet, but not runny.

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees F.
2. Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy
3. Gradually beat in eggs and add mashed bananas.
4. Mix milk and bicarbonate of soda and fold into banana mixture with flour.
5. Pour batter into a round greased 8” deep-sided cake pan.
6. Bake for 45-51 minutes in a hot oven.