I'm in the remote Lao Island which is one of the most beautiful places in all of Fiji Talk about convenient coconut trees. You just pick one right off without climbing anything. Oh wow, that water is unbelievable. Crystal clear.

so refreshing too. We're on a cruise with Captain Cook cruises going from Island to Island and we've been invited to a number of villages where they specialize in authentic Fijian food so we're going to see some of the process. We're gonna enjoy the extreme natural beauty and eat some truly traditional authentic Fijian Food Hey everyone good morning it's Mark Wiens We have arrived this morning to the Gilagila islands which in English is known as the Bay of Islands. These are extremely beautiful islands in the loud group of islands in remote Fiji and we are about to jump on a small boat.

We're gonna go through some of the islands to the main village The Village the people who are the traditional land owners of this island and we're about to jump on a boat to go to the Village What? Ellie What do you have cover and will that be for for the chief? Yes! so it's important to bring Kava always. It's a gift asking permission for all the guests to swim in their Waters and oh okay Wow! Beautiful morning and we're on our way to the main village. Thank you! Voila! The gentleman that welcomed us is my uncle. Oh so you have some Roots here? Yeah my bloodline started here Andy Are you related to everyone in Fiji I Think so Hola! So we are here in the village of Dalivoni and this is on the beautiful island of Vanumba Lava.

This is one of the beautiful island attractions in the LA province. We are going to ask for permission to dock the ship here as well as ask for a mission to be able to film and to be able to enjoy a locally cooked meal here in the village. Oh all right and so that was a ceremony of asking for permission with the Elders of the village and presenting them with some Cava as a ritual. But in this remote Village things are still I mean and throughout Fiji things are still very much traditional.

I mean just fantastic how they have preserved the culture. The Traditions Okay, thank you very much and so we are all approved. So we're about to get started cooking foreign from this island here. it originated from this Village on this island and I think you can make it with a variety of different leaves.

They said cassava leaves sometimes but today though, we'll be making it with Moringa leaves as she's slicing those Moringa leaves. Really? that vegetal Aroma just comes out of them and then it's going to be cooked with coconut it's going to be cooked with. There's going to be fish as well as these local shellfish that stick to the rocks that they harvested. for this dish.

that's all going to go into it when we cook it we cook it. with everything. The this part This person. okay, foreign.

What is the process of the fermented coconut? Yes, two weeks in the sea, two weeks it will become soft so that's quarter what we call it. Yeah, coconut cream is so essential in Fijian Cuisine and always made fresh. extra thick, buttery, creamy. But then they also have a special fermented coconut grated fermented coconut which is going to go into the recipe as well so we'll have to see how that goes into the recipe.

Good. so that will boil first. Yes, okay. Do they call the Fish locally? Everything is from here from the land.

Barracuda Line cut the shells, the Moringa leaves. Everything is local. Everything is from right here. So they're just deboning the the Barracuda Now what is it? Those Moringa leaves are so durable and she's just rinsing them out and like ringing them out and kind of like mashing them into a paste by hand squeezing them.

Is this a dish that you eat very often or only on special days? Yes, special days, it's uh on. Sundays Okay, okay. we are having our summer ceremony. Okay, Foreign.

thank you. Ready to cook How long the liquid for? uh, half an hour? Okay, okay, and that's everything. You will add anything else or that's no. that's everything is together now and it will all combine together.

Yeah, so they're just cooking that down until the coconut milk breaks, until the it hits the oil point so all of the like extra creamy richness until it thickens and brings out the full flavor potential of that fresh coconut milk. But it is smelling extraordinary again. it has a really incredibly green Aroma to it from those Moringa leaves plus the sweetness of the coconut milk and so the dish is ready. The cassava is steamed as well as we have a baked cassava and we're moving from the community center where they cooked to the backyard and by that I mean the beach to eat.

This might be the world's most beautiful setting for a meal prepared with what just ingredients right from this island that they've grown that they've harvested that they've fished themselves. This is truly an honor to be here. This is unbelievable. Oh haven't done Andy Let's go for it.

Fresh chilies from the village so put down some chilies, put down some chilies on the on the plate. Oh these are little squeezed Oh they're so juicy so you want to squeeze this onto your plate first. Then we got these small limes. thank you.

Oh it's like a kumquat vacas into the seasonings. onto the plate, The coconut cream, the richness, all of the fish in there, All of the Moringa leaves. oh that looks delicious. Okay then I'll take a piece of the roasted cassava.

this is and this is yellow yellow cassava roasted underground. Okay, dig in, mix it with the the kumquat juice, the chilies, the green chilies at the bottom there. Wow. Good yeah oh that is so fresh.

Oh that's delicious. Oh that combination of the sweet coconut milk, the vegetal green Moringa leaves the the richness or the like kind of starchiness of the fish. and then those um those shellfish which are a little bit chewy, kind of like a texture of Abalone very similar to Abalone and texture I think oh the coconut milk just squeezes out. Um it's so healthy.

It's chill, nutritious and flavorful. Put a smile to my face already. That is happiness. Happiness in Fiji Discover What is it? Discover happiness.

Fiji's where happiness finds you. Refugees who are happiness finds you. Brings happiness instantly to your face. I Think we have I Think happiness has found us? Absolutely absolutely.

Next up I'll try the steamed cassava. Um I Think that that initial seasoning as well with the the lime juice with the chilies that brightens it up brings out the flavor Already finished. Oh it's empty. This is so good.

Nicely done. Oh nicely done. It's so good. It's so fresh.

Load up a bit more than church with a green jelly. um oh wow oh no. The combination of a fish sea snail Abalone like creatures is wonderful. The textures.

Oh and now to finish our amazing meal fresh coconuts right off the tree! This coconut tree is literally like Steps from the sea so you can already tell it's going to have some of the best flavors. Some of the best coconuts come from here with the mix of salinity foreign oh that's refreshing, sweet oh that hint of saltiness. There's few things better in life. So after lunch we're just taking a little walk to get a up the hill, a little bit to see a little bit of the island in the village but coming across lots of Moringa trees.

this is where lunch came from. Getting some nice views of the island and the village now and look at this mango tree. Huge really old. Talk about convenient coconut trees.

We could just pick one right off without without climbing anything. This is a Tropical Paradise Oh man it's beautiful. It's so Lush and green. so fresh and clean.

Okay, that completes our time in Daliphoni. Village It's been unbelievable. The hospitality, the friendliness, the warm welcome, the delicious local food, and the natural beauty. We're gonna jump back on the boat and we are heading uh on a tour of the Bay of islands which is one of the most beautiful iconic views and natural landscapes in Fiji Okay oh that brings our time on Balavu to an end.

What an island! Bye-bye thank you! So we're we are within the Bay of islands, all the water is unbelievably clean and pure and the Limestone Cliffs and formations. so we're gonna just take a swim and enjoy the water here for a little bit. Foreign, refreshing and that cave inside of there just to be a site for the ancestral gods of Fiji Thank you good morning! We've been sailing all night Seas were pretty rough last night actually but we have arrived to the next Island which is called Fulaga Island. This is known to be one of the most beautiful islands in Fiji in all of the South Pacific and we're just about to arrive this early morning, we're gonna take another boat to the island to the next village where they are going to prepare a local delicacy the next meal.

We're on our way and we're with captain. We're with a crew and again we'll have a ceremony where we ask for permission to park the ship as well as permission to film and cook within the village. Thank you! So we've come up to the beach. Tons of shells on this beach, have a clam or cockle and actually that's partly.

uh they have that in abundance here. that's what we're going to be eating one of the Delicacies but from here we have about a 20 minute hike to the Village through the rainforest so we are approaching the village now and to show respect as well. As for the Customs, we have now put on the Sulu which is a wrap around to enter the village. Thank you! It's just incredible how so much respect is shown and given to the traditional land owners.

and so we met with the chief and we have his permission to start filming and to be here in this Village Really an honor to be here! Our local contact here also mentioned that I will be the first Foreigner to ever film anything in this Village So a huge huge honor to be here. What is the the name of the village and how many people live here at the moment? It's close to 80. Okay the village foreign for me. Okay he has the coolest straws I think it's the the papaya stem.

oh that's sweet. oh that's so good. and the the Coconuts are really like pressure packed. when he pops that open it just sprays out.

oh oh wow that's a good coconut. Now the best part of the coconut that flush yeah sweet creamy coconuts and Fuji Goldberg foreign. Next up we've come out to the beach. unbelievably beautiful, some of the clearest turquoise water and they're gonna go right out here and harvest some of the local clams kind of like cockles to be able to make the the local dish for us.

So we're about to head out in the water to harvest some of the the seafood you got some here. Okay, okay oh wow, that water is unbelievable. Crystal clear, so refreshing, too cool that's as fresh as possible. plucked right from there and she's going to open them up right now.

Oh man, yeah, that is as fresh as possible. She uses the pliers to just pluck them open, spread the spread the shell, and then out comes that salinity sea water juiciness, brininess, and then plop them out closer. Plump? Yeah. Okay, so they've made two different versions.

I mean plucked straight from the sea. One version is just squeezed with the bush lemon. they marinated in that with onions and then one also includes coconut milk. One version.

thank you Foreign. some of the Citrus down there as well. Cheers everyone! Cheers! Oh yes, that's so fresh. Yes, the texture of it is incredible.

Look, you think it's going to be a little bit chewy and leathery, but then it just kind of starts to melt as you keep chewing. Oh, that's amazing. And then we have another one. This one might be even fresher.

Little at least came out of the ocean. Breadfruit is nice and spongy to absorb all of that coconut milk and the coconut flushes in there too. Mmm, Oh yeah. Oh wow.

Finger Licking Good Again, yeah, you can dish the smoke that's coming from the breadfruit, right? It adds another dimension. The breakfast is so fluffy, it really is like a fluffy, fluffy loaf of bread. Oh wow. So these cockles are really nice and plump and sweet.

Again, literally five minutes out of the ocean absorbed with the coconut milk and the onions. Oh, that's delicious. Oh man, that's extraordinary. And those cockles continue to marinade.

The texture transforms, they become like like meteor and leathery but just so bouncy and sweet. Just ultimate. Just fresh ingredients and everything from right here. Perhaps the most beautiful beach.

I've ever had a meal on the Moon Oh Oh wow. I mean look look at this. it is stunning. Foreign.

We're on our way to the next Island to the next Village for a special dinner the Lao Island Group. it's just Island after Island Pristine Ultra Beauty Crystal Clear turquoise. What's the name of the island? So the name of the island is Kambara and where we are right now is the village of Night Ke Liyanga. All right and this Village is famous for having this white pottery.

This beach is spectacularly yet again. Dinner tonight is going to be a Fijian level which is the traditional underground oven cooking using Hot Rocks which there are similar cultures around the world where they use this similar technique and right now they've lit the fire. As we've arrived to the Village they're burning logs and coconut husks and you can see there's probably lava rocks within the fire that are heating up and that's going to bake our dinner tonight. there's going to be pork and chicken.

There's gonna be tarot leaves. It's going to be a feast. We're going to be enjoying this Lobo altogether with the community with the village. So they're gonna wrap the chicken in coconut leaves in Fiji We Call We call it tally.

so it means putting the chicken in the cookie Leaf to put into the Lobo So he just cut down a coconut branch and he just immediately starts weaving it. Oh yeah. interesting. They just tally with a coconut Leaf Whereas here they're putting what we call the bow leaves.

these actors. Oh okay. the flavor. That was a fantastic wrapping technique.

All-natural 100 I Think everything else is ready to go. We're just waiting on the fire to heat up and the the rocks to heat fully. and then they'll load it all. so all the hot rocks at the bottom and now they they top it with leaves and now all the the food is going on top.

Some things have been wrapped in foil, some things wrap the traditional way, everything is loaded in and they pile it in a strategic way as it. Cooks So the tarot is on the top and now they're just loading it up with palm branches with leaves, a mountain of herbs and leaves and the steam is spewing out and now gunny sacks go on. A tarp, canvas goes on and is shoveled on top of that mountain of green seal. In all of the Steam and the smoke.

how long will it cook for you? Two hours? Okay, oh, just two hours. This technique of cooking underground using Hot Rocks is practiced by so many cultures around the world, yet there's different variations with the geography. With the natural vegetation with the Rocks makes each Place unique and slightly different from every other version. Foreign.

What are you doing? Okay here, it's my turn now. Okay yes it does have a like a peppery taste to it. peppery and kind of very earthy tasting. So most of the time people will will hang out with family or friends and elders and group covers.

Yeah, he's sort of. um we do past time and like socialize with all different family and friends. They get together. Okay yeah, the wait is over.

It's actually been maybe four hours drinking Cava spending time together and now it's time to unearth the Lobo everybody. Oh as they uncover that and uncover that that sand, you can smell the the vegetation at the top of the Lobo Just that Aroma coming out of it, it's still hot. The sand around it is still very hot. Okay, the reveal reveal of the truth.

All right, Foreign. But what about that? Then even after four hours it's just smoldering hot. Still the Aromas coming out, you can now start to smell the meats, all of the different starches at the top and then also just embedded with the aroma of the smoke. I Mean this technique smokes, it bakes, kind of roasts all at the same time ready to dish it out.

Thank you very much. Yes, Get it. Is that lemon juice and chilies? Oh nice. Get on.

Yeah. Thank you guys. Thank you guys! Okay so first of all, thank you to everyone who has prepared this level. Feast It's really an honor to just have a meal here on the island to enjoy this beautiful level.

Feast The Lao way. The low way. Correct. The village Elders got suggested that we mix the lemon juice with the chili with a little bit of salt water because it sort of like gives it that really bread.

that's for dipping into it. that's your dipping sauce. Let's start with that fish. Yes oh still so hot and fresh and only fish are just the okay.

Dip it into the first bite of the Lobo Um Finger Licking Good Oh it's amazing. I mean even the fish has been baking for four hours and it's not dried out, the juices have been sealed into it. We can try what allowance eat which is called falawa so this is grated cassava some islands in Lao they can't grow root crops so this is a substitute for the root crops. You said it has sugar in it too, but it's just a little bit of sugar for Taste Coconut and flour.

Oh it's really like really dense, foreign that's really really hearty, thick and starchy. You taste the coconut in there as well. It's almost like doughy. actually.

yeah, kind of like a dough. It's like a dough. Yeah, you can tell that that's very filling. The chicken is just melting, melting off the bone after four hours.

And maybe do a combo with chicken with some of the falawa and of course a big dip. All right, very good. Oh, we have some friends in the back, the chicken just melts off the bone. again.

it's Smoky um because it's packed within that coconut. Leaf branch in a basket and then also those leaves they wrapped in that seals in the juices so it's sort of like as an insulation. It keeps the Heat and the flavors in the basket that it was put into. Definitely.

Definitely. And then Andy What is this dish here? So this is Palo Sam It's thorough leaves and it's stuffed with onions and tomatoes and coconut cream and the coconut cream is within there. Yes! and this is something that's a must for a little bit. It's a must for all over you have to have.

I mean a love is not complete with that palusami. Oh I Can't wait to try it. Go for it so you want to reach in. Oh very hot foreign.

It's so soft and tender and so juicy. The onions give it a nice flavor and uh I love this dipping sauce too. It's really good fresh. Citrus so the the the saltiness here is just with the salt water that's right off the beach.

Sea water. Sea water with lemon and nice chilies. that's right yeah yeah that makes it extremely tasty that it's juicy and tasty and just salty from the seawater. Yes oh that's impressively good.

Best dipping sauce Yeah yes it's because the allowancies the season low are pure. The she is so clean, clean, so clean you can use it as a dipping sauce. Oh what a meal! Thank you to everyone who prepared dish. The tarot leaves themselves have a really nice nuttiness in the flavor, the richness of the coconut milk to just bring it all together and everything is just embedded with the smoke and the steam from the lovo.

It's one of the great methods of cooking for a large group, but also one of the great culinary. Traditions Excellent! Wow, it is extremely dark. Once it gets dark here, there's just zero light pollution over the ocean. But uh, what an incredible time visiting the Villages of Lao remote islands of Lao group of islands in Fiji and learning about the culture, the food, the people have been so hospitable, so welcoming, so friendly.

And I mean these islands are so remote it would have been impossible to get here on our own. I mean this cruise is a fantastic way to be able to get to these remote islands and visit these unseen islands and experience them so huge! Thank you to Captain Cook Cruises for arranging this and for taking us here, for transporting us and for all the staff for everything they did to arrange all of these experiences. And a huge thank you to my friend! Andy Blake for putting it all together for arranging it and what a time we've had here in. Fiji Learning about the food and that's going to be it for this video I Want to say a huge thank you for watching? Please remember to give it a thumbs up.

Remember to leave a comment if you enjoyed it and remember to keep on watching lots more Fijian food videos. Thanks again for watching good Night from the remote Lao Islands Group and I'll see you on the next video.