Kālua

Kālua (Hawaiian: [kaːˈlu.a]) is a traditional Hawaiian cooking method that utilizes an imu, a type of underground oven. The word "kālua" ("to cook in an underground oven" in the Hawaiian language) may also be used to describe the food cooked in this manner, such as kālua pig or kālua turkey, which are commonly served at lūʻau feasts. The word lūʻau is the Hawaiian name for the taro leaf, which, when young and small resembles cooked spinach after being steamed for a few hours. The traditional lūʻau was eaten on the floor over lauhala mats (leaves of the hala tree woven together).

Cooking method

Traditionally, a hardwood fire is built inside a pit large enough to contain the food to be cooked, the stones, and the vegetation used to cover the food. Stones are placed on top of the fire in the pit, taking around two to three hours to reach their maximum temperature. Most important is the selection of stones that contain very little moisture to avoid stones exploding from the steam generated by the heat. Once the stones have become extremely hot, they are spread out over the coals and the pit is lined with vegetation, such as banana trees, that have been pounded to make them pliable. A layer of ti leaves (Cordyline fruticosa) is then spread over the layer of pounded vegetation and the food to be cooked placed on top. The meat to be cooked is salted and, if cooking a whole pig, some hot stones are placed inside the body cavity to ensure the meat is fully cooked.