Fiji Dining

Fiji dining is flavoured by the melting pot of cultures that makes up modern Fiji. The two dominant forms of meals in the Fijian Islands are Fijian and Indo-Fijian.

Traditional Fiji food is similar to other South Pacific islands, with taro, breadfruit, yams, cassava, fish, shellfish, chicken, pork, tropical fruits and the multi-talented coconut cooked with simple flavours and combinations. Kava is the traditional drink for Fiji, drunk at almost any occasion. Traditional meals are often shared with a local or at stalls near the markets at Nadi, Suva and Lautoka.

The pinnacle of Fijian dining is the Magiti or Fijian feast, often with food cooked in the Lovo or underground earth oven. These ovens are helped by the hot Fiji weather, as they are constructed out of doors. Meals cooked in lovus are wrapped in cloth or leaves such as banana and are baked for several hours over heated rocks. This creates tender and flavoursome meals with the slight hint of smoky flavour. Most resorts on the Fiji map offer regular Magiti.

Other traditional Fijian dishes include Kokoda- fresh fish marinated in lime juice and served in coconut cream, Palusami - taro leaves filled with coconut cream, onions and tinned meat, boiled cassava and rounds of bread fried in palm oil.

Fiji restaurants are more likely to be Indian, seafood restaurants or Chinese. Fiji Indian restaurants are common and provide economical meals for locals and tourists alike. Meals include curried fish, chicken or beef and vegetarian meals.

Nadi in Fiji and Suva are the main restaurant districts in Fiji while the dining in resorts is generally of a high international standard.