{"id":2361,"date":"2024-05-14T15:35:42","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T01:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/?p=2361"},"modified":"2025-07-10T16:24:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T02:24:34","slug":"fafaru-the-famous-polynesian-dish-you-either-love-or-hate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/2024\/05\/fafaru-the-famous-polynesian-dish-you-either-love-or-hate\/","title":{"rendered":"F\u0101faru, the famous Polynesian dish you either love or hate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Editorial team: Mitinui SOMMER \/ Ruben CHANG<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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It’s the talk of the town when it comes to “eating local”. For some, it’s a challenge, a well-kept secret, and for others a culinary institution. It both repels and attracts, repelling and tantalizing the taste buds.<\/p>\n

What are we talking about? The f\u0101faru<\/em> !<\/h2>\n

If you come to Tahiti, don’t miss this must-try dish. As a precautionary measure, I’d like to warn you that a very special taste and smell experience awaits you.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0f\u0101faru<\/i> is a dish based on raw fish fillets and herbs macerated in seawater, and pressed shrimp heads.<\/p>\n

Reste-l\u00e0, ne t’en vas pas encore, je t’explique tout.<\/b><\/p>\n

Every culture in the world offers a unique palette of flavours. Polynesian cuisine<\/a> is based on very mild-flavored products. All dishes are generally drizzled with coconut milk<\/a>.\u00a0 Whereas elsewhere spices are legion, here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, for a change and to bring a little strength and taste to the traditional meal<\/a>, we have\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>f\u0101faru<\/em>. Although the smell may frighten you, it remains a renowned dish in the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Fenua<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(terres polyn\u00e9siennes).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the new generation is tending to say goodbye to the latter, the older generation still appreciates it and continues to prepare and sometimes even sell it.<\/p>\n

Want to know the secret recipe for f\u0101faru<\/em> ? In fact, the basic preparation of brine (miti f\u0101faru<\/em>) is quite simple. You pour collected seawater into a container and add local freshwater shrimp. Cover and leave to stand for 2 to 3 days at room temperature, then filter to retain only the juice. All that’s left to do is stir in the garnish a few hours before serving.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The topping<\/span><\/p>\n

You add the fish of your choice, whether from the sea or the lagoon, finely filleted, and leave to marinate for a few minutes or even hours. Some even use shellfish. Of course, the longer you marinate, the stronger the aroma.<\/p>\n

According to Papa ARON (video from Polyn\u00e9sie la 1\u00e8re<\/a>), this brine was born from a few fafa<\/em>, or taro (yam) leaves, forgotten in a jar filled with seawater. After several days, the famous jar was remembered. Out of curiosity, someone started to taste it, despite the special smell. Le miti <\/em>f\u0101faru<\/i> (saumure servant au f\u0101faru<\/em>) est n\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The miti<\/span> f\u0101faru <\/i>can be bought in shops, you’ll be able to find it easily as well as sealed bottles of seawater. For fresh fish, you can get it from the fishermen who sell it on the roadside, or visit the Pape’ete market<\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Topping appearance and texture<\/span><\/h2>\n
L’aspect et la texture de la garniture changent. After a few hours’ maceration in the miti f\u0101faru<\/em>, the flesh of fish fillets takes on a slightly white hue. Its texture also evolves, becoming soft and silky.<\/div>\n

The tasting<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some consume it directly, while others add miti hue<\/a><\/span>\u00a0(coconut milk-based condiment) or pure coconut milk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the palate? An explosion of flavours!<\/span><\/p>\n

Bonne app\u00e9tit! … or not!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Related website<\/strong><\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Discover the Chefs de Tahiti<\/a> website\u00a0. Its mission is to showcase local Polynesian cuisine around the world.
Featuring chef profiles, recipes, expertise, and the culinary flavors of Polynesia. Tahitian recipes and local products. <\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editorial team: Mitinui SOMMER \/ Ruben CHANG<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,312,76,302,319,88],"tags":[82],"class_list":["post-2361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-en","category-culture-en-2","category-eat","category-en-famille-en","category-explorateur-en","category-top-2-en-2","tag-culture-en","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"aioseo_notices":[],"builder_content":"

Editorial team: Mitinui SOMMER \/ Ruben CHANG<\/p>\n

It's the talk of the town when it comes to \"eating local\". For some, it's a challenge, a well-kept secret, and for others a culinary institution. It both repels and attracts, repelling and tantalizing the taste buds.<\/p>

What are we talking about? The f\u0101faru<\/em> !<\/h2>

If you come to Tahiti, don't miss this must-try dish. As a precautionary measure, I'd like to warn you that a very special taste and smell experience awaits you.<\/p>

The\u00a0f\u0101faru<\/i> is a dish based on raw fish fillets and herbs macerated in seawater, and pressed shrimp heads.<\/p>

Reste-l\u00e0, ne t'en vas pas encore, je t'explique tout.<\/b><\/p>

Every culture in the world offers a unique palette of flavours. Polynesian cuisine<\/a> is based on very mild-flavored products. All dishes are generally drizzled with coconut milk<\/a>.\u00a0 Whereas elsewhere spices are legion, here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, for a change and to bring a little strength and taste to the traditional meal<\/a>, we have\u00a0the\u00a0f\u0101faru<\/em>. Although the smell may frighten you, it remains a renowned dish in the\u00a0Fenua<\/em>\u00a0(terres polyn\u00e9siennes).\u00a0<\/p>

While the new generation is tending to say goodbye to the latter, the older generation still appreciates it and continues to prepare and sometimes even sell it.<\/p>

Want to know the secret recipe for f\u0101faru<\/em> ? In fact, the basic preparation of brine (miti f\u0101faru<\/em>) is quite simple. You pour collected seawater into a container and add local freshwater shrimp. Cover and leave to stand for 2 to 3 days at room temperature, then filter to retain only the juice. All that's left to do is stir in the garnish a few hours before serving.<\/p>\n

The topping<\/p>

You add the fish of your choice, whether from the sea or the lagoon, finely filleted, and leave to marinate for a few minutes or even hours. Some even use shellfish. Of course, the longer you marinate, the stronger the aroma.<\/p>

According to Papa ARON (video from Polyn\u00e9sie la 1\u00e8re<\/a>), this brine was born from a few fafa<\/em>, or taro (yam) leaves, forgotten in a jar filled with seawater. After several days, the famous jar was remembered. Out of curiosity, someone started to taste it, despite the special smell. Le miti <\/em>f\u0101faru<\/i> (saumure servant au f\u0101faru<\/em>) est n\u00e9.<\/p>

The miti f\u0101faru <\/i>can be bought in shops, you'll be able to find it easily as well as sealed bottles of seawater. For fresh fish, you can get it from the fishermen who sell it on the roadside, or visit the Pape'ete market<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Topping appearance and texture<\/h2> L'aspect et la texture de la garniture changent. After a few hours' maceration in the miti f\u0101faru<\/em>, the flesh of fish fillets takes on a slightly white hue. Its texture also evolves, becoming soft and silky.

The tasting<\/h2>

Some consume it directly, while others add miti hue<\/a>\u00a0(coconut milk-based condiment) or pure coconut milk.\u00a0<\/p>

On the palate? An explosion of flavours!<\/p>

Bonne app\u00e9tit! ... or not!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n[gravityform id=\"3\" title=\"true\"]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2361"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8119,"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2361\/revisions\/8119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anoe-tahiti.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}