hen Kupe the explorer first discovered and named Aotearoa (New Zealand), he brought with him the ancient cooking techniques of Polynesia. Most revered of all was the method of cooking large feasts in the ground, known to Māori as . This process requires patience as rocks in an earthen pit are brought to an extreme temperature from burning wood over many hours. The type of wood used is important in the hāangi process, as it changes the flavour profile of the (food). Fish, vegetables and meat are then placed into the pit, protected by wet leaves or sacking, and then covered with earth. The result is wonderfully succulent food with a distinctive smoky flavour that is impossible to replicate.
