We Are Writing Our Own Food History

In an article for UK newspaper The Independent, New Zealander Molly Codyre, editorial assistant and food and drink writer for the publication, decides to find out what New Zealand cuisine really is.

“This is a question I’ve found myself asking – and being asked – with increasing frequency as I settle into a life away from home. It wasn’t something I ever thought about much when I lived in New Zealand,” Codyre writes. “We have such a thriving culinary culture and, despite our relative geographic isolation, can dine on almost any cuisine in the world all within the tiny island nation.

“While I’ve been pining for the dishes of home, chefs have been redefining what it means to cook in Aotearoa. Spearheaded by people like Hiakai’s Monique Fiso, Charles Royal and Joe McLeod, indigenous ingredients and cooking methods have been seeing an increased understanding and respect throughout the mainstream food world.

“‘After many years studying other cuisines, I realised I knew very little about my own,’ Fiso tells Codyre. ‘That sent me on a quest that I am still on today.’”

Original article by Molly Codyre, The Independent, October 22, 2021.

Photo by Hiakai.