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Kalua Pig

Name: Kalua Pig
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Ingredients: 5 lbs pork shoulder; 2 tablespoons sea salt; enough to wrap liʻiliʻi (banana leaves); enough to line the imu ti leaves

Kalua Pig is a traditional Hawaiian dish featuring slow-cooked, smoky shredded pork, typically prepared in an underground oven called an imu. It is a staple at Hawaiian luaus and represents the communal and celebratory aspects of Hawaiian culture.

4 ingredients

smokysavoryearthysalty

Culinary DNA Preview

Hawaiian80%

Polynesian20%

Ingredients

pork shoulder
5 lbs
sea salt
2 tablespoons
liʻiliʻi (banana leaves)
enough to wrap
ti leaves
enough to line the imu

Method

Steps not available

Origin Story

Kalua Pig originates from ancient Hawaiian cooking methods where whole pigs were cooked in an imu, an underground pit oven, reflecting indigenous Polynesian techniques adapted to the islands' environment.

Culinary DNA

Ingredient ancestry breakdown

Hawaiian80%

ingredients+techniques

Polynesian20%

techniques

Techniques

slow cooking smoking wrapping pit roasting

Stories about this dish

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