LOVO !

Our lovo experience was at Naqalia Lodge - and it took all day to prepare. The family came and fetched us to watch the preparations at each stage. First they picked six breadfruits from around the resort.



Their cooking area was in the center of the family's house, apparently so the smoke repels insects and strengthens the roof thatching. They didn't have any mosquito netting at all, and the fire was on day and night. The breadfruits were baked whole.



The lovo is an earth oven — a fire made in a pit in the ground (it was like a giant sandpit) lined with heat-resistant stones. It was similar to the hangi here in New Zealand that the Māori have.



The stones were collected and piled up together, then the logs were lit underneath and we had to come back several hours later.





Once the stones were hot, and we knew this because they were white,the wood was removed and the food, wrapped in plaited palm leaves and also covered in green banana leaves, was placed in the pit.



This was fine, until they began to cover the leaves with sand and a wheelbarrow turned up with soil in, which also went on top.





We stood and looked at our dinner.



It was all left to cook for hours until it was dark, before being exhumed and the sand dug away and the parcels of food removed and eaten.
There were some burned fingers and our torch came in handy - a lot more of the soil was removed than would have been.. I think!





Some of the dishes cooked this way included palusami, parcels of taro leaves saturated with coconut milk, onions, and fish, chicken, & tubers of cassava.



This is taro in coconut cream!

Of course, the lovo began as a ceremonial cannibalistic ritual to make the missionaries tender enough to eat (including their leather shoes!)