Did you know, however, that Hawaii’s food also makes the trip worthwhile?

Hawaii has lots of fantastic gastronomic offerings, and there is no better place to experience a traditional Hawaiian mean than at Helena’s Hawaiian Food in the capital of Honolulu.

This restaurant opened back in 1946, when Honolulu native Helen Chock opened a restaurant to show off her preparations of traditional foods. More than 60 years later, the restaurant is still in the family, as her grandson Craig Katsuyoshi has taken over.

If Helena’s has a specialty, it is probably their take on the famous Kalua pig. This pulled pork dish is cooked in an underground traditional oven before being served with side dishes such as cabbage, rice, and macaroni salad.

Do you love ahi poke? While this dish might just be bursting onto the international food scene, Helena’s has been serving up its own marinated raw fish dish for decades. This is definitely one of the best places to try it on the island.

If you find yourself in Honolulu, be sure to check out this legendary restaurant!

The post Helena’s is Honolulu’s Best Spot for Hawaiian Food appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

The tree is jokingly called the Genghis Khan of macadamia nuts as it spread its DNA across the world. The researchers collected DNA samples from hundreds of trees in Queensland and compared them to the DNA of commercially grown trees in Hawaii, the world’s biggest macadamia nut producer that fulfills 70% of the world’s needs for these nuts. As it turns out, all the Hawaii’s macadamias share the same distinctive markers with a small group of trees in Gympie, which tells us that 70 percent of all the macadamia varieties found in the world can be linked to a single tree in Australia.

As one of the researchers, Craig Hardner, told ABC News, “a small collection of seeds were taken to Hawaiʻi at the end of the 19th century and historical records suggest that there was maybe six trees grown from that sample of nuts that were taken by Robert Jordan and planted in his brothers’ backyard in the suburbs of Honolulu in 1896.”

The post Nearly Three-Quarters of All Macadamia Nuts in the World Originate from One Tree appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

Haupia

Since Hawaii is a series of tropical islands, it’s no surprise that coconut is used in many of their dishes and desserts. Probably the most well-known dessert you’ll find is called haupia, which is a coconut-based custard that can be eaten on its own, stuffed into other desserts, on top of cakes, and more!

Malasadas

Even though this dessert actually comes from Portugal, malasadas ended up being an integral part of Hawaiian desserts through immigration and colonization. Malasadas are one of the best desserts you can find in Hawaii because it is essentially a donut, but much richer and more flavorful since they are made with evaporated milk, eggs, and other very rich ingredients. You can find malasadas usually stuffed with a sweet custard such as haupia, which really puts them over the top.

Lilikoi Chiffon Pie

This pie just tastes like a tropical day in Hawaii. Lilikoi chiffon pie is like a regular pie, but instead of a boring filling, you can a tangy passion fruit one, and for the topping, expect chantilly cream, a marshmallow-like product, or something in between. Once you taste this simple-looking pie, you will never go back.

The post These Hawaiian Desserts Will Knock Your Socks Off appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

This food, originating in the Hawaiian Islands in the United States, is a savory combination of seafood, delicious vegetables, and rice.

Poke is the base of the dish. This ingredient is composed of sliced or diced raw fish, most commonly yellowfin tuna.

The raw fish, before being served, is marinated in a mouth-watering sauce consisting of many fundamental staples of Pacific cooking: soy sauce, sea salt, sesame oil, chili peppers, and sometimes, seaweed.

Poke mania has spread to the rest of the world thanks in large part to the poke bowl.

This delicious dish consists of poke, to which rice vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice have been added, along with avocado, cucumber, ginger, sesame seeds, and either rice or sesame noodles.

Since yellowfin tuna is not always easily available, especially in inland locations, many times, poke bowls are made with high-quality salmon instead of the traditional base of the dish.

Have you tried a poke bowl yet? If not, take a look at the restaurants in the city. Poke bowl mania is in full force, and chances are that you can try this fantastic dish at a place near you.

The post Say Aloha to the Poke Bowl appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

Did you know, however, that Hawaii’s food also makes the trip worthwhile?

Hawaii has lots of fantastic gastronomic offerings, and there is no better place to experience a traditional Hawaiian mean than at Helena’s Hawaiian Food in the capital of Honolulu.

This restaurant opened back in 1946, when Honolulu native Helen Chock opened a restaurant to show off her preparations of traditional foods. More than 60 years later, the restaurant is still in the family, as her grandson Craig Katsuyoshi has taken over.

If Helena’s has a specialty, it is probably their take on the famous Kalua pig. This pulled pork dish is cooked in an underground traditional oven before being served with side dishes such as cabbage, rice, and macaroni salad.

Do you love ahi poke? While this dish might just be bursting onto the international food scene, Helena’s has been serving up its own marinated raw fish dish for decades. This is definitely one of the best places to try it on the island.

If you find yourself in Honolulu, be sure to check out this legendary restaurant!

The post Helena’s is Honolulu’s Best Spot for Hawaiian Food appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

The tree is jokingly called the Genghis Khan of macadamia nuts as it spread its DNA across the world. The researchers collected DNA samples from hundreds of trees in Queensland and compared them to the DNA of commercially grown trees in Hawaii, the world’s biggest macadamia nut producer that fulfills 70% of the world’s needs for these nuts. As it turns out, all the Hawaii’s macadamias share the same distinctive markers with a small group of trees in Gympie, which tells us that 70 percent of all the macadamia varieties found in the world can be linked to a single tree in Australia.

As one of the researchers, Craig Hardner, told ABC News, “a small collection of seeds were taken to Hawaiʻi at the end of the 19th century and historical records suggest that there was maybe six trees grown from that sample of nuts that were taken by Robert Jordan and planted in his brothers’ backyard in the suburbs of Honolulu in 1896.”

The post Nearly Three-Quarters of All Macadamia Nuts in the World Originate from One Tree appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

Haupia

Since Hawaii is a series of tropical islands, it’s no surprise that coconut is used in many of their dishes and desserts. Probably the most well-known dessert you’ll find is called haupia, which is a coconut-based custard that can be eaten on its own, stuffed into other desserts, on top of cakes, and more!

Malasadas

Even though this dessert actually comes from Portugal, malasadas ended up being an integral part of Hawaiian desserts through immigration and colonization. Malasadas are one of the best desserts you can find in Hawaii because it is essentially a donut, but much richer and more flavorful since they are made with evaporated milk, eggs, and other very rich ingredients. You can find malasadas usually stuffed with a sweet custard such as haupia, which really puts them over the top.

Lilikoi Chiffon Pie

This pie just tastes like a tropical day in Hawaii. Lilikoi chiffon pie is like a regular pie, but instead of a boring filling, you can a tangy passion fruit one, and for the topping, expect chantilly cream, a marshmallow-like product, or something in between. Once you taste this simple-looking pie, you will never go back.

The post These Hawaiian Desserts Will Knock Your Socks Off appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

This food, originating in the Hawaiian Islands in the United States, is a savory combination of seafood, delicious vegetables, and rice.

Poke is the base of the dish. This ingredient is composed of sliced or diced raw fish, most commonly yellowfin tuna.

The raw fish, before being served, is marinated in a mouth-watering sauce consisting of many fundamental staples of Pacific cooking: soy sauce, sea salt, sesame oil, chili peppers, and sometimes, seaweed.

Poke mania has spread to the rest of the world thanks in large part to the poke bowl.

This delicious dish consists of poke, to which rice vinegar, sugar, and lemon juice have been added, along with avocado, cucumber, ginger, sesame seeds, and either rice or sesame noodles.

Since yellowfin tuna is not always easily available, especially in inland locations, many times, poke bowls are made with high-quality salmon instead of the traditional base of the dish.

Have you tried a poke bowl yet? If not, take a look at the restaurants in the city. Poke bowl mania is in full force, and chances are that you can try this fantastic dish at a place near you.

The post Say Aloha to the Poke Bowl appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.