30 April 2010

A RECIPE BOOK THAT'S A MUST HAVE

ME’A KAI The Food and Flavours of the South Pacific

By Robert Oliver, Published by Random House $75.00

I met Robert Oliver when his new and first book was only a seedling of an idea, but I was immediately excited at the possibilities for his vision of recording South Pacific cuisine. It was a story waiting to be told. Two years later I have a copy of Me’a Kai and it is everything and more than I dreamed it might be.

The vibrancy and beauty of the South Pacific islands has been captured in Shiri Ram’s stunning photos, and the personalities of the people shine from the pages. But it is the recipes that will make this an important work, one which showcases the foods, the farmers and the cooks that provide the backbone of the unique cuisines of each of the island nations. Delicious recipes with wonderful tropical flavours made from the fresh foods that abound on every island. And the recipes are backed up by a wealth of reading. There are stories and tales that will entertain and inform, and hopefully will be taken to heart by everyone who loves the islands of the South Pacific.

For too long tourists’ view of food in the islands has been of meals cooked with frozen food flown in from New Zealand or Australia, but hopefully the recipes of Me’a Kai will convince local café owners and tourists alike in the islands that there is rich local cuisine waiting to be discovered. And it’s also a book to bring home to our own kitchens, for all the ingredients can be found in the cities on the Pacific Rim. The book is beautifully produced, possibly with the boldest use of colour ever seen, and deserves a place on the shelves of every cook who values living in the South Pacific.

Lauraine Jacobs