Travel Tips Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Tasting Kauai
 

Top Navigation

Archive | Travel Tips

Hanapepe Walking Tour Launching In October!

The Tour

We here at Tasting Kauai are excited to share with you that our newest tour of Hanapepe town will be launching officially Friday, October 19th.  Come join us for an afternoon strolling the quiet streets of historic Hanapepe to learn about the town’s past, present and future through its food. We have curated tastings with the town’s best chefs who will help us paint the picture of Hanapepe’s plantation era roots, including traditional Hawaiian foods, Japanese cuisine, locally sourced organic baked goods, Portuguese style street food and culturally steeped Hawaiian sea salt focused demos.

The History

Hanapepe has a rich cultural past when it comes to food. Long before Captain Cook made landfall in Waimea, Hawaiians were farming this fertile valley. Kalo (taro), sweet potato, sugar cane, and bananas were all staples in this area. This was also one of the main areas for sea salt production, which later became Hawaiian’s first source of trade with seafaring voyagers. During the tour, you will learn about not only the traditional roots of the area but also the history of the Plantation Era beginning in the 1830s that brought contract laborers from Japan, Portugal, China, and the Philippines. The 20th century brought a U.S. Naval port up the road, changing the fervor and volume of business in the self-made town.

The Food

With all of these cultures (Hawaiian, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese) the flavors and landscape of food changed. We will get to try many of these styles of food, and learn about their roots. The tour will include generous tastings, as well as chef demos and recipes and treats to take home with you.

Hanapepe Town

Once the tour is over – don’t despair! Hanapepe Town has a weekly Friday Art Night starting at 5 p.m. so once all the delectable tastings have wrapped up you can walk the streets and experience more of the culture of Kauai’s Biggest Little Town. With over 16 art galleries open to the public, you will get the chance to meet Kauai artists and enjoy local music on the street. So come join us on the West Side for a full afternoon of all the cultural richness that Kauai has to offer.

We look forward to seeing you here in Hanapepe!

 

Tropical fruits not to miss at Kauai’s markets

Fruit Knowledge: Kauai Style

The history of fruit in Hawaii takes us all over the globe, beginning with the canoe crops of the Polynesian voyagers  brought here around 450 A.D. Today, you will find fruits that hail from the Americas, SE Asia, Africa, India and China. This year has proven to not be a bumper crop for mangoes.With the high rainfall and floods of the winter, many flowers never made it to fruits. But don’t despair, mango is not the only luscious fruit found here!

Apple Bananas & Pineapple

Here are a few of our funky favorites not to miss:

  1. Soursop -First on the list, and a personal favorite. Also known by the name Graviola, this green spiky fruit is packed with nutrients. Some say it tastes like a combination of banana and pineapple, with citrus back notes. You can slice in half, remove the seeds and use the white soft flesh in smoothies or just eat by the spoonful! It boosts immunity, has cancer fighting properties and is rich in Vitamin C. Our friends at Rising Sun Organic Farm almost always have a beautiful soursop fruit for you to try.
  2. Dragonfruit – Pitaya or dragonfruit is indigenous to the Americas, and resides in the cactus family. Don’t be intimidated by the green flame shaped spikes atop the bright pink skin. This fruit is very mild and easy to consume! Think of a refreshing kiwi mixed with the texture of a pear. Its health perks include calcium, carotene and high fiber content.
  3. Mountain Apple – also known as Rose or Malay apple, this fruit hails from Malaysia. Not to be confused with mainland apples, this refreshing fruit is perfect for summertime. It has a light pear texture and very nice floral or rosewater flavor. Polynesian voyagers first introduced this fruit centuries ago, the Hawaiian name is Ohi’a ‘ai. Eat this one for the history and the taste! Our friends at Monkeypod Jam make a great Mountain Apple Pepper Jelly if you feel the need to take some home.
  4. Mangosteen – Purple Mangosteen is a very elusive fruit. Traced back to SE Asia, the tree can take 10 years to start bearing fruit. However, once it gets going it will continue to produce until it is  over 100 years old.  Mangosteen is said to have the perfect balance of acid and sugar. Inside the leathery maroon skin are almond size and shaped segments of soft white fruit. Queen Victoria is said to have offered knighthood to anyone who could bring her this exotic fruit in edible condition (no one was successful). This fruit is not allowed to be shipped to the mainland United States – so I suggest if you find one of these hidden gems do not hesitate to try it out!
  5.  Starfruit – aka Carambola. Aptly named by its five pointed shape, as it creates perfect stars when  sliced into pieces. This fruit is one that friends and neighbors will try to drop off on your porch by the bushel. It has a mild, sweet flavor. Try to look for one that is more orange, these will be sweeter than if you get them more green and yellow! Sliced on top of a bowl of yogurt and drizzled with local honey is a great way to start your day on the island.

There are many more than these to discover, don’t miss out on the aloha of the farmers here. Ask them questions at the market, and be adventurous! Buy from many different tables to try fun varieties. Whatever you do, get out of your comfort zone and take advantage of these exotic fruits you will not be finding at your local supermarket. Now, go forth and be fruitful!

Kiawe Roots – The Sunny South Shore’s New Favorite Eatery

Clearly, this is a restaurant we at Tasting Kauai are very excited about. We had already ramped you up for the opening, see earlier post for some information about Chef Mark Ruiz and wife Tricia, founders of Kiawe Roots hereThis  new local’s favorite hangout is located in the Shops at Kukui’ula above Tortilla Republic. This will be your new favorite place for local food in Poipu. Head over on a Wednesday afternoon to do your shopping at the culinary farmers market, then wander upstairs to try out some of their delicious happy hour cocktails and treats. A personal favorite – Coconut luau dip honoring the most iconic plant on Kauai, taro. Their dip is made with sauteed taro leaf and coconut milk, then  served up with fresh taro chips. Yum!

Beer + Pupus = A great afternoon

A quick side note on the name of the restaurant, and a few fun facts about what kiawe is here in Hawaii. Prosopis pallida is a perennial that belongs to the mesquite & mimosa family. It is commonly referred to by its Hawaiian name “kiawe” (pronounced “kee-AH-vay”). First introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the early 1800s by a Catholic  missionary, the Kiawe tree quickly took hold and spread. They require minimal rainfall to stay alive and have been a highly successful invasive species here on the islands. The wood is also one of the hottest and longest burning in the world. This is great news for all of the barbecue masters here on the islands!

Kiawe is open every day for brunch. I had the pleasure of trying out their Veggie Benedict – the vegetable of the day was charred kabocha. This was served over focaccia bread with a perfectly done egg and a light local green salad drizzled with lillikoi vinaigrette. My husband had the half rack of ribs, that fell off the bone, served with cantaloupe namasu, grilled squash and rice. These are just a couple of mouth watering (and affordable!) options on their daytime menu. Don’t miss your chance to try out their beautiful, simple fare that combines childhood comfort foods with modern culinary influences. There’s nothing better than supporting local people, making local food. From the friendly front of house service to the perfectly executed dishes coming out of the kitchen, this is a new stop you don’t want to miss on your next trip to Kauai! 

 

Processed with VSCO with m5 preset

Picture 1 of 5

5 Travel Tips From Frequent Flyers to Help You With Your Trip to Kauai

Tourists nowadays have access to scores of diverse resources, with each one—at least in theory— making travel just a bit easier and more convenient. Despite this embarrassing abundance of resources, however, the best recourse for travelers is still to do some serious research to find the right kind of information that will help them in their trips, especially to places like Hawaii. 

Here at Tasting Kauai, though, we always want to help out travelers like you, and that is why we are giving you a list of 5 travel tips for your trip to The Garden Isle. The best thing about these pointers is that they come from frequent flyers, which means each is tried and tested. So, let’s begin:  Continue Reading →

Join Our Mailing List

hvcbmemberbig