Food

There are many restaurants throughout Apia and outlying areas. Most resorts and hotels have their own restaurants and smaller hotels will house a friendly cafe.

The staple Samoan foods include taro, breadfruit, bananas, coconut, fish and shellfish, chicken and pork. Spices are not heavily used and most foods are cooked in, or eaten with, coconut milk and cream. Fresh fruit is abundant and enjoyed with every meal.

Samoa has quite a rich ethnic mix, with people from Germany, China, Fijian Indians, and Chinese resulting in a lot of options to tempt your palate. Apia being the only city in Samoa means that this is the best place to find a wide range of quality cafes and restaurants. It’s also home to McDonalds if you’re ever in the mood to grab some modern fast food.

Outside of the city, most of the resorts and hotels will have you dining next to the beautiful beaches or lagoons.

 Umu’s

The traditional method for cooking food in Samoa is the Umu. The Umu is an above ground stone oven where lava rocks are heated by fire to a glowing red and the food then placed directly on the rocks, either wrapped in banana leaves or plaited in coconut fronds for cooking.

Generally, whole fish is coated with coco nut cream and wrapped in banana leaf, taros and bananas are tucked between the hot rocks and roasted, and octopus or mackerel is mixed with coconut cream and poured into half coconut shells.

The whole thing is then covered with banana leaves to seal in the heat. After a few hours the food is removed and transferred to the table. Little or no oil is used in this cooking and the smoky flavour permeates all the food giving it a unique flavour. Meat such as chicken and lamb comes out particularly juicy due to the slow cooking, and fish literally melts in your mouth.

As a general rule, Umu’s are usually used made on Sundays as a special treat or for large functions and other special celebrations. In rural villages, this is the only method of cooking as microwaves and stoves are non-existent. Umu’s are usually found out the back in a cooking fale.

Your first Sunday morning in Upolu will be like no other Sunday you have experienced – the smell of hundreds and hundreds of umu’s fills the air!

Drinks

Visitors are recommended to purchase bottled water. There are several quality brands of bottled spring water to choose from in the supermarkets and shops. Although the water in most hotels is safe to drink, it is advised to boil it first and chill it in the fridge.

The traditional drink of Samoa is kava, which is a ground up root mixed with water and has a relaxing effect upon the drinker. Some say it’s an acquired taste. If it’s not your cup of tea, fresh young coconuts can be purchased almost everywhere and are a refreshing, healthy thirst-quencher.
Other than that, supermarkets stock many different soft drinks and juices.

There are bars which serve alcohol, and can be found in almost all hotels and restaurants. There are also other nightspots and small bars to choose from if you enjoy a boogie with your drinks.