F for Fiji

Fiji officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands, is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about 2000 km northeast of New Zealand's North Island. Its more immediate neighbours are Vanuatu to the west, France'sNew Caledoniato the southwest, New Zealand's Kermadecto the southeast, Tonga to the east, the Samoas and France's Wallis and Futuna to the northeast and Tuvalu to the north. Fiji has had inhabitants since the second millennium B.C. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Dutch and the British explored Fiji. Fiji was a British colony up until 1970; British occupation lasted almost a century. Because of the abundance of forest, mineral, and fish resources, Fiji is one of the most developed economies in the Pacific island realm. Today, the main sources of foreign exchange are its tourist industry and sugar exports. The country's currency is the Fijian dollar.

FOOD

Fijian food has a wonderful mix of the spicy curries that are influenced by the Indian people and the coconut, fish, sweet potato, cassava and other vegetables that the Fijians bring to the culture. Over time this food has developed and evolved to the current mix of flavours we experience now.

The people are extremely talented and are able to cater for their large families with very basic equipment and supplies. They often just have a gas hob, a large basic pot with no handle, spoon, bowl and a cast-iron Roti pan, something that all households seem to have. The country is also very traditional in the way they believe it is a women’s role to do the cooking. This often includes wadding out into the sea to catch a fresh fish for the meal. These ladies are amazing to watch, making delicious meals without measuring the ingredients, it is all done by taste and years of practice of cooking their Fijian food.