Processes in food preparation

To understand the methods of preparation and kinds of food used, it is necessary to enumerate the actual processes employed and to give the exact meanings of the Samoan words used.

To cut: po and tipi are the common words for cutting ordinary material. To cut up a pig into the parts established by custom for rank and status is penga; polo, to cut up a bonito into its ceremonial divisions. The term penga may also be applied to a bonito.

To tear: fasi is to divide a fowl with the hands. It was never cut.

To peel: fofo'e is peeling, as with green cooking bananas or cooked breadfruit, for the taufolo.

To slice: fisi means to slice off the outer skin as in removing the outer part of the ta'amu species of talo. The ta'amu was never scraped.

page 104

To scrape: vavalu is to scrape off the outer part of talo, breadfruit, and yam with a 'asi scraper.

To grate: valu is to grate as the meat of the mature coconut with a tuai grater set on an ausa'alo wooden support. Note the difference between valu and vavalu. The term olo (to grate by rubbing on a rough surface of coral, as with talo for fa'ausi) is also used for grinding stone adzes.

To pound or mash: tu'i is pounding as of cooked breadfruit for taufolo, and is also applied to the modern method of pounding kava. Tu'itu'i is pounding more gently or kneading as with the fists in preparing ripe bananas for poi.

To squeeze: o'omi is with the hands as in making poi; palu with each hand separately as in poi; lomi or lomilomi, to squeeze lightly with the fingers as in poi; nguti, to crumble by light squeezing as in preparing masi.

To pinch off: fifi is done quickly as in pinching off pieces of hot mashed bread fruit in preparing taufolo.

To rub' vavau means rubbing as of the immature coconut meat in the alava strips of coconut leaf midrib in preparing vaisalo.

To wring: tatau is to squeeze, as wringing the liquid out of grated coconut with a tauanga strainer of fiber; also used in preparing kava, vegetable dye, and coconut oil.

To strain: fa'amama means strain; though wringing and straining are the same process, the words are distinct.

To split: tofi is used as in splitting uncooked breadfruit with a wooden to'ipua implement.

To stir: tolo is stirring with a wooden stirrer as in preparing vaisalo or piasua.

To wrap up in leaves: ofu means to wrap up small parcels in leaves for cooking as talo leaves in palusami; fa'apapa to wrap flat parcels as in fai'ai talo; fa'ataisi, to wrap larger bundles as in talo fa'ataisi; afifi, to wrap up fish—the bundle is an afi; fa'alaui'a is to wrap up fish in a coconut leaf and plait the leaflets round it.

To cook in oven: tao is cooking on hot stones covered with leaves.

To cook uncovered: tunu is cooking on embers or hot stones not covered with leaves.

To husk coconuts: soso'a is to husk with a pointed stick.