Beyond the Recipe

Tī Kōuka — Cabbage Tree Hearts

What the recipe doesn't tell you

Māori · Native Plant

Where This Comes From

Tī kōuka (Cordyline australis, NZ cabbage tree) hearts were an important Māori food. The growing tip and inner core of the stem were cooked in the hāngi — the heat converts the starch to sugar, producing a sweet, slightly fibrous food. Fiso pickles tī kōuka hearts as a sweet garnish. The same genus (Cordyline) as the Hawaiian ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa) used in laulau and lawalu — the Cordyline family runs the entire length of the Pacific migration trail.

The Context

Māori

The Principles Behind It

1. Sweet pickled tī kōuka hearts (Fisoʻs preparation) or hāngi-roasted for the traditional sweet starch.

The Right Ingredients

Cordyline australis

The Same Idea, Everywhere

— HI-5 — Tī kōuka (NZ Cordyline) connects to the Hawaiian ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa). Same genus, different species, different latitudes, same role as wrapping material and food. → HI-5 Laulau / HI-70 Lawa

— HI-70 — Tī kōuka (NZ Cordyline) connects to the Hawaiian ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa). Same genus, different species, different latitudes, same role as wrapping material and food. → HI-5 Laulau / HI-70 Lawa