Poke (Hawaii)

Poke (pronEng|poʊːˈke|Po-KAY is a fish salad served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine. "Poke" is Hawaiian for "section" or "to slice or cut".

Ingredients

The modern form of poke consists of roughly one-inch cubes of raw fish garnished with a selection of the following:

* limu or ogo (seaweed)
* chopped scallions
* chopped negi (a type of green onion)
* chopped onion
* chopped tomato
* inamona (crushed roasted kukui nut)
* tobiko (flying fish roe)
* tofu
* sea salt
* roasted sesame oil
* shoyu (soy sauce)
* chiles or red pepper

Fish commonly used in poke include:

* ahi
* aku
* tako
* kimchi crab
* imitation crab
* mussel

Some modern versions of poke use half-cooked, seared fish (tataki) or add various forms of shellfish. The selection of condiments has been heavily influenced by Japanese and other Asian cuisines.

Raw fish dishes similar to poke, often served in Europe, are fish carpaccio and fish tartare. Poke should not be confused with raw fish dishes such as ceviche, ika ota, or kinilaw, which use vinegar or citrus juice to coagulate the fish proteins and chemically "cook" the fish.

History of poke

Native Hawaiians have long eaten poke, but not in the modern form. The traditional Hawaiian poke consists of fish that has been gutted, but not skinned or deboned. It is sliced across the backbone and served with traditional condiments such as salt, seaweed, and inamona. Hawaiians would suck the flesh off the bones and spit out the uneaten skin and bones. During the 19th century, recently introduced foreign vegetables such as tomatoes and onions were also served with poke.

According the food historian Rachel Laudan, the modern form of poke became popular in the 1970s. It used skinned, boned, and filleted fish, like the Japanese sashimi that had become popular in the islands, and added Japanese-style condiments such as soy sauce in place of the more traditional sea salt. This new form of poke was an immediate hit with all ethnic communities in the islands.

Purchasing or making poke

Poke is served in Hawai'i homes and restaurants as an appetizer or just as a snack. Sometimes it is home-made, from fresh-caught fish, but more often it is purchased ready-made from supermarkets or fishmongers. Sometimes the fish used is fresh; sometimes it has been flash-frozen (which prevents the formation of ice crystals) and thawed. Stores usually display a selection of pokes from which to choose.

ee also

*Cuisine of Hawaii
*Ceviche
*Carpaccio
*Tartare
*Tataki
*Sashimi

References

* Laudan, Rachel. "The Food of Paradise", University of Hawai'i Press, 1996
* Titcomb, Margaret. "The Native Use of Fish in Hawai'i", University of Hawai'i Press, 1972

External links

* [http://www.waimeagazette.com/sept97_poke.htm History of the poke contest]
* [http://morselsandmusings.blogspot.com/2006/10/ahi-poke.html Ahi Poke recipe]