Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Papuan recipes, part of Oceania. This page provides links to all the Papuan recipes presented on this site, with 11 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Papuan recipes added to this site.

The cuisine of Papua New Guinea comprises the traditional varied foods found in the eastern part of the New Guinea island. Approximately 80 percent of the population is reliant on subsistence agriculture, so a large percentage of food energy and protein consumed in Papua New Guinea is produced locally. The staple foods in Papua New Guinea include root crops, bananas, and sago. Papua New Guinea's diet is largely vegetarian, especially in the Gulf and Highlands regions.

These recipes, for the major part, originate in Papua New Guinea. Otherwise they are fusion recipes with major Papuan influences.

Papua New Guinea, (PNG), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea (Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini in Tok Pisin and Gau Hedinarai ai Papua–Matamata Guinea in Hiri Motu) is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia. It has a land border with Indonesia to the west and maritime borders with Australia to the south and the Solomon Islands to the east. Its capital is Port Moresby. The country's 462,840 km2 (178,700 sq mi) includes a large mainland and hundreds of islands.

The territory of Papua New Guinea was split in the 1880s between German New Guinea in the north and the British Territory of Papua in the south, the latter of which was ceded to Australia in 1902. All of present-day Papua New Guinea came under Australian control following World War I, although it remained two distinct territories. The nation was the site of fierce fighting during the New Guinea campaign of World War II, following which the two territories were united. Papua New Guinea became an independent Commonwealth realm in 1975. Representing the King is a Governor-General. Politics takes place within a Westminster system, with the government led by a Prime Minister. Members of the national parliament also serve as provincial leaders.

The population is highly rural, with only 14% living in urban centres in 2023. The persistence of traditional communities and lifestyles are explicitly protected by the Papua New Guinea Constitution. While official population estimates suggest the population is around 11.8 million, estimates using satellite data put the number closer to 17 million. The population is extremely diverse. There are 840 known spoken languages, making it the most linguistically diverse country in the world. Cultural practices are similarly diverse. Many cultural and linguistic groups are small, although English and Tok Pisin serve as common languages. This diversity has led to friction, especially in politics, and the government has struggled to combat violence against women. Most of the country is Christian, of many different denominations.

The rural and diverse population is a result of highly mountainous geography. The land supports around 5% of all known species, and the export-driven economy is also dependent on natural resources. Papua New Guinea is a developing economy where nearly 40% of the population are subsistence farmers living relatively independently of the cash economy. The country retains close ties to Australia, and has enhanced ties with both Asia and the Pacific.

Etymology: Papua is derived from a local term of uncertain origin, that may have referred to at least part of the island now called New Guinea. In 1526 Portuguese explorer Jorge de Menezes named the island Ilhas dos Papuas. The word 'Papua' has applied to various areas of New Guinea since then, with its inclusion in 'Papua New Guinea' coming from its use for the Territory of Papua.

'New Guinea' (Nueva Guinea) was the name coined by the Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez. In 1545, he noted the resemblance of the people to those he had earlier seen along the Guinea coast of Africa. Guinea, in its turn, is etymologically derived from the Portuguese word Guiné. The name is one of several toponyms sharing similar etymologies, which likely mean 'of the burnt face' or similar, in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants. Its use in the country name comes from German New Guinea, later the Territory of New Guinea, which was united with the territory of Papua.

Papuan Cuisine:

The cuisine of Papua New Guinea comprises the traditional varied foods found in the eastern part of the New Guinea island. Approximately 80 percent of the population is reliant on subsistence agriculture, so a large percentage of food energy and protein consumed in Papua New Guinea is produced locally. The staple foods in Papua New Guinea include root crops, bananas, and sago. Papua New Guinea's diet is largely vegetarian, especially in the Gulf and Highlands regions.

Mumu is a traditional method of cooking large quantities of food throughout Papua New Guinea, as well as other islands in the Pacific. It consists of an earth oven that is filled with hot coal or stones, that may be placed in different orientations, and subsequently cooked for a lengthy period of time. Despite the presence of advent ovens in Papua New Guinea, mumu is still prevalent at the household level.

Sago is a common and essential part of Papua New Guinean cuisine, as the starch ingredient is included in several traditional dishes, such as pancakes and pudding. Sago is in the form of flour usually extracted from the palm tree. Staples of the Papua New Guinean diet include karuka, sweet potato (kaukau), cassava, breadfruit (ulu), and coconuts. Coconut cream is a delicacy often found in numerous local dishes of Papua New Guinea. Coastal regions traditionally use coconut milk and cream as a cooking medium, while the Highlands regions do not. Coconut oil is used on special occasions in the coastal regions. Meat proteins are occasionally consumed in Papua New Guinea. However, for people residing in coastal areas, seafood forms a substantial part of their diet. Pork is regarded as a celebratory meat in Papua New Guinea, and is prepared on special occasions, including Christmas feasts.

Mumu is regarded as the national dish of Papua New Guinea. It is composed of pork or chicken, sweet potato, taro, plantains, with leafy vegetables. Mumu is an example of a balanced dish composed of the two bases, crops (including starch) and meat. The dish is named after the earth oven used traditionally. Wrapped in a parcel of banana leafs and, in modern times, aluminium foil. The composition of the mumu differs slightly from region to region with a type of fern being the preferred green in the highlands region, the NGI region uses a lot of coconut cream.
Chicken pot is a dish consisting of chicken that has been stewed with mixed vegetables and coconut cream.
Similar to mumu is a dish called Aigir made by placing hot rocks into a pot of coconut milk to which protein, usually chicken, is added with plantains and sweet potatoes and lots of leafy greens and ginger. The dish is cooked in as little as 30 minutes owing to the hot rocks
Kokoda is a dish consisting of fish that is cooked in a lime-coconut sauce. The dish is similar to ceviche. Kokoda is also present in Fijian cuisine.
Saksak is the local name for sago flour a local staple. In the sepik region it is mixed with boiling hot water to make Nangu a gelatinous dumpling that is eaten as the basic starch in many meals. Saksak is also pressed onto a hot pan, sometimes mixed with grated coconut, to make a tortilla-like pancake.
Dia is a dessert composed of a sago and banana dumpling steamed in a banana leaf wrapping. It is then served with clotted coconut cream. Sweet ripe bananas are used to lend sweetness to the dish. This dish is also known as Pariwa.
Lamb Flaps are Lamb trimmings that are often cooked on roadside grill stands. The Lamb is marinated with ginger, garlic and chicken bullion powder. Often accompanied with a salad made with cress, sliced raw ginger and onion, and plantains or sweet potato cooked on the grill plate.