I-Kiribati cuisine

The cuisine of Kiribati is remarkable as an illustration of how people adapt and prosper in any situation they find themselves in. Fish, lobster, skipjack tuna, and any other seafood pulled in from the sea are the major dietary dishes. One of the distinctive features of I-Kiribati food is the scarcity of traditional recipes, which reflects the island's simplicity. Aside from fish, rice is a vital staple, therefore if there was a national recipe, it would be fish and rice. Sashimi is a thinly sliced raw fish that is popular on the islands. It's deliciously fresh since it's direct from the ocean to your plate.

What's fascinating is that foods considered common by the I-Kiribati, such as lobster with coconut sauce, are considered gourmet elsewhere. Toddy is a vitamin C-rich sap extracted from the flower spathe of the coconut. Toddy is used in the production of syrup, vinegar, and an alcoholic beverage. The customary breakfast is crated coconut (shredded white coconut) or tekabubu, a combination of a sweet powder derived from ripe pandanus fruit and tea. Many recipes contain coconut.

Kiribati's traditional diet is defined by innovation, and everyday life involves various activities centered on surviving off the island's resources. They include toddy cutting, breadfruit and coconut harvesting, and fishing. The government encourages spending some time in the outlying islands, where life has not altered much throughout the centuries, to properly appreciate the lifestyle.