Luau Party Planning Guide

Luau food has its origins in traditional Hawaiian culture. These are some food and drink recipes you could try at home for your Luau.

Pork with rice is a classic Luau dish. For the traditional Hawaiian, cooking preparations start early in the morning on the day of the Luau. Large wooden logs are placed in a pit dug in sand and covered with river rocks. The logs are set on fire, and the pig, along with sweet potatoes, is placed on top of the heated rocks and banana leaves. The pit is covered with sand for around 8 hours. It takes that long for the Kalua pig to be ready.

Other traditional foods at a Luau are poi, chicken long rice, lomi salmon, haupia or coconut custard, sweet potato, salad, fish, rice and tasty tropical drinks like pineapple daiquiris, mai tais, piña coladas or chi chis with fresh fruit garnishes and tiny umbrellas. You can add alcohol to these drinks to enliven the mood of the party. The serving table is usually decorated with leafy greens, fruit and vegetables.

A Luau meal could have the following menu: Kalua Pig, Poi, Sweet potatoes, Luau or laulau, Lomi salmon, Tropical fruit such as pineapple, mango and papaya, haupia, Mai Tai Drinks.

These are some common Luau recipes:
Luau Chicken
This is made by removing the skin and bones from chicken breasts and cutting the chicken into inch long cubes. Some oil is heated in a large pan and the chicken cubes are sautéed along with garlic, until light brown. Stock is added to this and cooked until chicken is tender. Spinach and coconut milk is added to this and cooked along with the chicken.
Long Rice and Chicken
Long rice is soaked in warm water for almost 30 minutes while boneless skinned chicken is cut into inch-long cubes. These are sautéed with garlic until light brown. Stock, ginger, soy sauce, mushrooms and long rice is added to this and cooked over low heat for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. It is served topped with green onion rings.
Pickled Onions Hawaiian-Style
A large bell pepper is deseeded and sliced into quarter inch long strips. These strips, along with small whole onions, are placed in a glass jar covered with rice vinegar, water, salt and crushed red pepper to taste. The jar is covered tightly and refrigerated overnight and it is ready to serve.
Haupia
This is made with sugar and cornstarch blended in water and stirred well. This mixture is added to coconut milk and cooked over low heat till the mixture thickens. This thickened dessert is chilled and cut into little squares.
Mai Tai
This classic Hawaiian cocktail is made by filling a large glass with an ounce of light rum, half an ounce of orange Curacao, half an ounce of candy syrup and juice of one fresh lime. The glass is then topped with orange juice and ice. It is served garnished with mint leaves and a pineapple slice.

The Hawaiian word ‘Lu’au’ means ‘a feast’, which has interesting origins in folklore. In ancient Hawaii, women were not allowed to eat their meals with men. Women, no matter who they were, and commoners of both sexes, were forbidden by the prevailing religion to consume certain delicacies. All this changed in when King Kamehameha II abolished all kinds of traditional religious practices in 1819. He hosted a feast where he ate with women as symbolic act to end retrograde religious practices and this historical feast was called the Luau.

The name actually originated from the most popular dish at these feasts. Leaves of the Taro plant, when cooked with Chicken and baked in coconut milk, were called Luau. Traditionally the Luau feast was eaten sitting on the floor, on rolled out mats with a large decorative bouquet of leaves, ferns and native flowers along its length. Clean Ti leaves were used as plates to set out dry starters like sweet potatoes, roasted meat, dry fish and salt, along with bowls filled with poi – a dish made from pounded taro root. The guests were expected to eat with their hands at Luau, as no cutlery or plates were used. Poi, meaning ‘finger’ in Hawaiian, gets its name from the number of fingers required to eat it – depending upon the consistency it could be eaten with three, two or even one finger.

In ancient times, the royal Luaus tended to be huge. It is said that King Kalakaua, who was known as the Merry Monarch for his love for parties and dance, invited more than 1500 guests to his 50th birthday Luau. It is said that the Guests had to be fed in batches of 500!

In the modern times, the Luaus are just as much fun but the concept has changed to allow cutlery, and of course they are no longer as huge. For the natives of the Hawaiian Islands a Luau is a meeting of family and friends to have fun and enjoy good food and good times. It is usual to throw a Luau party on birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. The Luau is characterized by the familiar family warmth and spontaneity where there may be impromptu singing and playing of an instrument. The Luau is filled with jokes and laughter, and of course the famous Hula dance.

For others all over the world, Luau is an occasion for some casual fun and a lot of tropical color. The theme has so much potential – for decoration, menu, music, clothes and dancing….If you love to party, you should try a Luau, and see if you aren’t hooked on it for good!