French Polynesia is located in the continent of Oceania. It has the Pacific Ocean to the north, east and south, New Zealand to the far southwest, and the Cook Islands to the west.
The capital is Papeete.
The official language is French.
The climate is tropical (warm and humid). The rainy season is from November to April, and the cool dry season is from May to October.
The staple foods are suckling pig, fishes, chicken, crabs, banana, shrimp, taro, sweet potato, spinach, breadfruit and so much more (https://www.yestahiti.com/tourism_information/food-french-polynesia#:~:text=Suckling%20pig%2C%20fishes%20(mahi%20mahi,and%20put%20inside%20the%20oven).
https://www.britannica.com/place/French-Polynesia
POLYNESIAN CHICKEN FAFA (https://www.food.com/recipe/polynesian-chicken-fafa-457913):
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1/3 C onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 C coconut milk
- 2 C water
- 1-1/2 C long grain white rice, uncooked
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- One 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained
- 1/3 C unsweetened dried shredded coconut
- In a large, deep skillet with lid, over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
- Stir in the onion and garlic and cook 2 minutes.
- Mix in the coconut milk, water, rice, and chicken, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.
- Stir the spinach into the skillet and cook just until heated through.
- Sprinkle with coconut.
- Serve.
PO’E (https://www.whats4eats.com/desserts/poe-recipe):
- 6 to 8 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ C brown sugar
- 1 C arrowroot or cornstarch
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 C coconut cream
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Puree the bananas in a blender or food processor. There should be enough puree to make 4 cups.
- Mix together the brown sugar and arrowroot or cornstarch. Add this mixture and the vanilla to the bananas and process well. There should not be any lumps of starch. Adjust sugar to taste.
- Butter a 2-quart baking dish and pour in the puree.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the pudding is firm and bubbling.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled.
- Cut into cubes and place into a large serving bowl or in individual bowls.
- Top with a dollop of coconut cream, a little more brown sugar and serve.
Some variations:
- Try substituting papaya, mango, pineapple or other fruits for some of the bananas. Just make sure there is a total of 4 cups of fruit puree. Ripe plantains can also be substituted for the bananas. For juicier fruits, you will probably have to add more arrowroot or cornstarch,
- Try wrapping the pudding in buttered banana leaves and baking it for a more original presentation.
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