Anyone who has experienced a contemporary Hawaiian lu'au
(feast) will find kalua pig a main part of the menu. Traditionally, the
pig was cooked in an underground pit and served in plaited baskets made
of coconut fronds or on large banana leaves. The shredded pork was just
as tender and moist as a pork butt roasted in an electric or gas oven.
The word kalua refers to the process of cooking in an earth oven (ka,
the; lua, hole).
Throughout Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and
even the Americas, traditional underground ovens have been utilized to
cook and steam food. The Hawaiians used a pit oven, called an imu, to
steam whole pigs, breadfruit, bananas, sweet potatoes, taro, chicken,
and fish. The imu was essentially an underground steam cooker. Due to
the amount of time and labor to prepare the imu, most earth oven cooking
was done for group meals, festivities, or religious ceremonies.
To
build an imu, a lua or round pit, about 2 feet to 4 feet deep with
sloping sides, is dug into the earth. The diameter and depth of the lua
will match the amount of food to be cooked. The pit must be large enough
to contain not only the food, but the rocks and the vegetation. Keep
the imu as compact as possible. Place the excavated dirt next to the
pit. Later, it will be used to cover the imu. Next, gather kindling
material, like twigs, small branches, and any other combustible tinder.
Place the kindling material in the bottom center of the pit. Larger wood
(preferably hardwood) is built around the kindling wood. Do not use
wood that will impart an unpleasant taste to the food. Stones, about the
size of a closed fist, are then positioned on top of the larger wood.
Vesicular basalt stones are ideal for imu cooking. These porous rocks
retain heat and are less likely to break. Stones that contain moisture,
which causes the rock to explode when heated, should be avoided. The
kindling wood is lighted and the blazing fire heats the pit and the
stones. As the wood turns to charcoal, the imu stones drop inward on the
hot coals. Firing time varies from 1 1/2 to 3 hours until the stones
are at their maximum heat. The hot stones are then leveled out with a
stick or wooden tongs to an even floor on top of the coals.
Since
the cooking process requires steam and not dry heat, green plant
materials are needed to create the steam. The Hawaiians utilized grass
and leaves for their imu cooking. Some of the traditional plants were
banana stumps, ti leaves, honohono grass, banana leaves, and coconut
palm leaf (see the section on "Modern Adaptations on Imu Cooking" for
plant substitutes). The common term used today to describe the green
vegetation material and its use is hali'i, which is used to mean "to
spread like the mat covering the floor".
Preparation is an
important process to ensure a successful cooking. While the stones are
being heated in the pit, gather and prepare any plant material you will
need. If you'll be using banana stumps, they will have to be cut into
sections smaller than the diameter of the pit. The sections are sliced
lengthwise, either in half or quartered, depending on the size of the
trunk. Then, the sliced stumps are pounded with a rock to break up the
fibers and to release the moisture in the stumps. If a whole pig is
going to be cooked, the skin and the inside cavity area are rubbed with a
small amount of rock salt. When the stones are about ready, place all
your food and vegetation materials near the pit. Also, lay your covering
material next to the imu. Traditionally, the covering material before
the final dirt cover were old lauhala mats or worn tapa cloth (see the
section on "Modern Adaptations on Imu Cooking" for contemporary covering
materials).
When the heated stones are ready, it is time to
layer the imu with green vegetation, food, covering material, and dirt.
The first layer of hali'i is laid directly over the hot rocks to prevent
the food from being scorched and to create steam for cooking. If you
have access to a banana trunk, use smashed banana stumps. Next, a second
layer of hali'i is placed over the first layer. In Old Hawai'i, the
green vegetation was ti leaves. This second layer is important in that
it touches the food and adds flavor to the cooking meal. The food is
placed on top of the ti leaves. If you are cooking a whole pig, a few
hot stones are also placed inside the body cavity to insure the pig is
well cooked. A third layer of hali'i covers the food. The old way used
ti leaves with young, whole banana leaves on top. The covering material
is then laid over the imu. The covering material must extend beyond the
diameter of the pit's opening. This will keep any dirt from falling into
the imu when the food is unearthed. The final layer is loose dirt,
which is shoveled over the entire covering material to prevent any steam
from escaping.
Estimating the time it takes to cook the food
depends on the heat of the imu, the thickness of the hali'i, the kind of
food, and the mass of the food. A large whole pig, in a good hot imu,
may take from 6 to 8 hours of steaming time. When the cooking is done,
brush away any loose dirt from the edges of the covering material.
Remove the dirt from the lauhala mats or tapa cloth. Carefully lift off
the covering material and avoid getting any dirt into the imu. Uncover
the layers of hali'i and serve up your delicious meal.
Modern Adaptations on Imu Cooking:
For
those who do not have access to any of the traditional Hawaiian plants
for imu cooking, there are vegetation substitutes that you can use. Any
plant that can provide steam, will not make the food taste bad, and is
not toxic can be used. You can get some of these plant materials from
the grocery store for free, like lettuce trimmings or corn husks. Just
ask your local grocery store and tell them what you need for your imu
cooking.
Below is a list of some of the plant substitutes:
1. Corn husks and corn stalks soaked in water
2. Cabbage leaves (be aware that your meat will have the taste of cooked cabbage)
3. Lettuce
4. Thistle
5. Watercress
6. Cottonwood leaves
Contemporary materials may be utilized for the imu cooking.
1.
Chicken wire to contain the pig. It makes removing a whole pig from the
imu a lot easier. Other foods can be wrapped together with chicken
wire.
NOTE: Do not use chicken wire that is made from galvanized
steel. Avoid chicken wire that has a chemical or metal coating that will
be toxic to your food.
2. Soaked burlap bags for the covering
material. The soaked bags can also substitute for some of the vegetation
materials to provide steam.
3. Plastic tarp or flattened cardboard boxes for the covering material.
The world is moving so fast these days that the one who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.
- Harry Emerson Fosdick
