Trying the Palauan cuisine

Foods: traditional Palauan foods are natural a mix from the land and sea. The popular pineapple, mangoes and coconut were actually an introduced crop during the years Japan governed the country (1920s to 1940s) under the Treaty of Versailles following WWI.  Some of the local Kororans told me that the prevalent taro plant was also introduced (not confirmed).

But the bounty of crustaceans and fish has long been provided by nature.

Some of the favorites I’ve tried, to date:

• Bananas sprinkled with a bit of sugar and wrapped in egg roll sheets then fried (photo).
• Ulkaeb – which is the meat of cooked land crabs mixed with coconut milk. Creamy!
• Taro soup – very similar to spinach soup, where the leaves are boiled (for a long time) and blended with cooked potatoes and a thickener.
• Given the long Japanese influence sashimi is common. And rice is served with almost everything.
• Bananas are small and have a little more tang than the American grocers’ variety. 

So much more to try!

Some folks also eat fruit bats. (Hmm...) Supposedly the wing membrane, when boiled for an exceptionally long time, is quite delicious. As are the brains. But that was according to one of my coworkers from Japan. Most Palaua natives cringed at the thought of eating bat.