Pulaui Cuisine

A traditional Pulaui spread at an community Kitchen program.

Pulaui Cuisine can trace its roots to centuries prior to the native Archipelago, with the harvesting and domestication of rice developing in tandem with the utilization of citrus and coconut, both of which have enormous influences on Pulaui cuisine as a whole. After the engagement with Mutul in the 16th and 17th centuries, Pulaui cuisine expanded in using overseas ingredients to expand and develop its own complex profiles, which accentuated both spicy and savory flavors. While there are distinct regional cuisines, including in the separated Sina’Uia Peninsula, a centralized, Pulaui Cuisine has developed from a combination of regional recipes and cooking methods that integrated, and were spread throughout the Ozeros, thus hallmarking the cuisine as being wholly prolific to the entirety of the region- especially given the range of flavor and palate diversity found within the flavors created- and marking itself a key player in Ozerosi culinary engagement. All of this is why Pulau Keramat is considered one of the food capitals of the world.

Staples include mainly spice blends, such as Sambal, or the spices on their own for development, with key ingredients being Bird’s Eye and Finger Pepper, Lemongrass, Coriander, Turmeric, Coconut, and Palm Sugar, to name a few. In addition, the utilization of fresh flavors is considered crucial for many dishes, with citruses like lime, and the zest of lemons and oranges accentuating these flavors. Vinegar and alcohol are also largely used to this effect, and help compose many sauces and marinades used for this cuisine.

In addition, Pulaui cuisine can be divided into three major groups; of ‘Lean’, ‘Fatty’ and ‘Aquatic’ dishes, based upon the meat involved. Because the Archipelago never presented a major bovine/grazing mammal- with goats primarily being used for dairy production- meats are either very lean, or very fatty, such as represented in the split of Moa, versus the Ozerosi Bunyip. Meanwhile, ‘aquatic’ dishes utilize Crab, Shrimp, and a large diversity of fish such as Tilapia, Squid, Stingray, Shark, Mackerel, Milkfish and Snapper.

Main Ingredients

Nuts

Nuts are used primarily for sauces or to develop the savory taste profile, often found throughout Pulau Cuisine. Most common usage includes peanuts, pili nuts, macadamia, bunya nuts, and candlenuts. Many of these are often used as pastes, where they develop sauces, or are applied throughout the cooking process. Bunya nuts specifically compose a majority of the starchy profile needed for curries and thicker sauces, whilst raw peanuts often top salads. Some nuts are not used in the culinary world, and instead are chewed, such at the Darah Nut found sacred in N’nhivara.

Citrus

Calamansi juice, often served at breakfast in Kopiona Poi.

The most crucial citrus’ to Pulaui cuisine are the lime and calamansi, both of which are utilized for many purposes, especially flavoring. Limes are often used to portray the ‘fresh’ aspect of Pulaui cuisine, whilst calamansi are often flavor enhancers. However, both are also used in marinades for dishes such as Adobo, or preserves to create sweet jellies. In addition, other citruses such as lemons and oranges can be found, but are more subdued in their presence, with their zest being more commonly used then their juice or flesh. Various citrus based sorbets have garnered modern and popular appeal.

Spices

Pulau, as a tropical region, has an endemic population of many spices, that range in their utilization, and presentation. Many spices belong to individual islands, however some have become commonplace in which they are grown and used even abroad. The famous spice blend of the Pulaui Archipelago, known as Sambal, consists of numerous variants that distinguish between the peppers used, as well as the many secondary flavorings that can be present, with options including shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, palm sugar, lime juice, and many other ingredients. The intensity of heat, as well as flavor profile and texture, result in over three hundred different forms of modern Sambal. Often, Sambal is consumned on its own, with a variety of vegetables or fried meats served to dip into the spice blend itself, which is compositionally comparable to a paste or dry rub.

Complex

Complex spices are those that can match and work within several flavor palates, and are considered far more difficult to use, due to their presences either being disproportionately strong or delicate, thus needing training and special care when used. Spices of this variety include lemongrass, coriander, turmeric, and white pepper, as some examples.

Spicey

These spices are most often used to complement and develop the spicy flavors introduced by the peppers often used in Pulaui cuisine. Paprika largely defines this category, however many powders and pastes also are defined in this region. Pepper oils are also very popular to this extent, as all aim for the same goal of developing flavor beyond sensation.

Savory

These spices are most often used to complement and develop the savory flavors introduced by the nuts often used in Pulaui cuisine. Spices here include star anise, marjoram, bay laurel, ginger, fried garlic, Raji Basil, ‘Nuoc Mam’, and dried anchovy, with the last being contested by culinary critics as it’s effective usage is as a spice, regardless of its composition.

Meat

At any dinner table within Pulaui cuisine, there is a sharp distinction between the lean and fatty dishes, with flavors, bases, and textures changing between the primary meat used in each dish. The lean meats of Pulau Keramat are known for their minimal fatty content, and are often paired with noodles. Lean meats largely include kangaroo, moa, poultry, and most seafoods. The fatty meats of Pulau Keramat include Bunyip, Dugong, Tree Kangaroo, Babirusa, and some seafoods such as Oysters and a variety of fish.

Seafood

Seafood is the most prolific and important part of Pulaui cuisine, given its archipelagic nature. In every regional cuisine, seafoods compose a vast majority of what is produced and consumed, especially in dishes commonly attributed to workers and laborers. Used in all aspects of cooking and preparation, seafood is used for oils, seasonings, pastes, and sauces, with some kitchens often distinguishing ‘aquatic’ culinary families separate from the lean-fatty split. The most common utilizations of seafood come in stews, soups, and pastes, due to the abundant nature of the resource.

Rice/Noodles

These two grains are the hallmark facet of agricultural development within the archipelago, with a majority of noodles composed of either buckwheat or rice. Typically, rice will be consumed with fatty meats, whilst noodles will be paired with lean meats, however, often these carbohydrates are served on their own, or with sauces.

Peppers

An assortment of Raji Chili, harvested at different times of development in order to procure different flavors.

Peppers in Pulau derive from the Capsicum Litora genus, which is endemic to coastal environments. These are used to create the spicy taste profile famous within Pulaui cuisine, and is often a heavily ‘developed’ spicy flavor. This asserts that the spice is less of a direct ‘burn’, and more so a flavor paired with other ingredients and seasonings. However, this profile is often overlooked in cultures not accustomed to this genus of pepper. Peppers are heavily used in curries, stews, sauces, and seasoning fatty meats, especially tree kangaroos.

Dairy

A majority of dairy products within Pulaui cuisine come from goats due to a lack of native bovines, and are a cornerstone in curries and sauces, as well as the various desserts made throughout the archipelago.

Coconut

Coconuts are used as a flavoring and garnish in many fresh or sweet flavored dishes, however the most common usage is coconut milk, which is used in curries, marinades, and a majority of deserts. Coconut shells are also used as a serving mechanism, and are very popular in street food environments, where they are used to hold fried rice, or noodle bowls.

Salt

Salt is used as a base from which other flavors can be based upon, however unlike many other cultures, it is not used beyond this stage typically, as the flavor of salt is rarely emphasized, with some exceptions; including some variant dishes for Bunyip, due to it’s extremely fatty content.