This morning we were up early to have a light breakfast and made our way to Restaurant Chez Tara to watch them prepare their buffet which we would be enjoying for Sunday dinner - Pig Roast, Polynesian Style.
When we arrived the huge fire pit was already smoldering and the chefs were preparing the various local dishes that would accompany the pork, all of which gets cooked in the ground - Coconut Bread, Banana Bread, Chicken and Callaloo Stew, Stewed Red and Yellow Bananas, Roast Chicken, Breadfruit. Depending on the dish being prepared it was either wrapped in palm leaves smeared with coconut milk, placed in baskets woven from palm leaves, placed in large steel pots or just placed "as is" on bamboo in the huge metal rack.
Once that was all neatly packed into the metal rack, the sections of pork were added and the whole lot was covered with moistened palm leaves. The fully loaded rack was then lowered into the pit to rest on the
smoldering coconut husks which had been sprinkled with sea sand to reduce the temperature slightly. The final process included the pit being covered with numerous layers of varying materials to ensure the heat was trapped, following which the cooking process of roughly three hours began.
By this time we were all hungry and definitely looking forward to the final results. We were not disappointed. With additioms like Poisson Cru and various desserts added to the buffet, as well as the beautiful setting of our table on the waters edge, the live music and the garlands that we were presented with, the day far exceeded our expectations. We were most definitely treated to an authentic Polynesian feast and a wonderful experience.
5c504ce8-2329-437d-a7a5-0ba2d3e93084-1070549097 8c77a28e-7951-4c00-8cbe-036425b5a21c-1834134565