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The New Zealanders love their meat - lamb, hogget (one
year old sheep which is tastier than lamb, but not as tough
as mutton), chicken, beef, and venison; barbecued,
roast, in pies, as sausages, the list is almost endless! If
you want to try something a little more unique, there is always
the Maori delicacy, mutton-bird (a type of game bird),
best described as fish flavoured chicken. However, it would
be a mistake to think that the Kiwi's are exclusively carnivorous.
The climate here means that they can grow fresh fruit and
vegetables all year round, and have many more exotic varieties
than are commonly found in the UK or America, common national
staples are the kumara, or sweet potato, and
the kiwifruit. They are also very fond of their desserts,
and favourites include Pavlova (meringue with fruit,
and whipped cream) and natural ice cream - artificial
additives are frowned upon here.
Seafood is a national speciality and although it can
be quite expensive, it is definitely worth the money - there
are many varieties unique to New Zealand, and the country's
island status means that its invariably fresh. There is an
amazing array of different types of fish, delicious battered
(the Kiwi's are equally enamoured with 'fish n' chips' as
the English) or cooked in a variety of other ways - oven baked,
grilled or fried. They also have a wonderful selection of
shellfish, including their famous green-lipped mussels,
which are said to have some unique healing properties, and
particularly good for rheumatism and other bone and joint
conditions, scallops, and best of all crayfish.
Crayfish
Known as koura to the Maori, crayfish are a type of
crustacean resembling small lobster, which grow up
to six inches long, complete with claws, and like their larger
counterpart, they also turn bright red when cooked. They are
usually prepared in similar ways to lobster, and if eaten
in a coastal town you can pretty much guarantee it'll be fresh.
A good crayfish has a delicate, slightly sweet flavour, and
a meaty, succulent texture similar to tiger prawns.
It shouldn't be cooked with a strong flavoured sauce, as this
will drown out its subtle flavour. Those fanatic about table
etiquette should steer clear, as crayfish are generally eaten
with the fingers, and picked or sucked out of its shell. They
can be bought from roadside stall/shops along coastal highways,
but best place to eat it is Kaikoura, which in Maori
means, 'to eat crayfish', where there are a small number of
restaurants specialising in it.
For those on a strict budget, or just curious to try cooking
their own, crayfish can be bought in supermarkets or from
fish mongers, and in some places you can have a go at catching
your own while diving or snorkelling, but be warned, this
isn't easy! To cook crayfish takes just twenty minutes in
boiling water, and although the traditional method with lobster
is to drop it live into boiling water, it is believed both
more humane, and to produce better results if the crayfish
is refrigerated until it stops moving, and then placed in
a pan with water and brought to the boil gradually. |
