Traditional American Samoan Food: 10 Foods to Try in American Samoa

One of the best ways to try a multitude of traditional American Samoan dishes is with an umu.

Umu is a traditional Samoan cooking method where food is slow-cooked in a hot-rock oven and covered with banana leaves.

You'll experience umu food at fiafia and to'onai events, while umu demonstrations are available at some tourist attractions.

See the 10 Best Foodie Experiences in American Samoa LINK#TTD042 to learn more about umu demonstrations.

Where to try: Tradewinds Hotel (Tafuna), Fitiuta Lodge (Fitiuta, Ta'ū) (and more recommendations to come).

An iconic Samoan food, palusami is taro leaves cooked in coconut cream to make a rich and creamy dish. It's traditionally cooked in a hot-rock oven called an umu.

The taro leaves have to be cooked and cut just right or else it can make the consumer ill! Don't worry, American Samoans know what they're doing when it comes to cooking palusami. What's more, it won't be difficult to find on restaurant menus and fiafia nights across the islands.

Where to try: Tradewinds Hotel (Tafuna) (and more recommendations to come).

A staple of American Samoa and many other Pacific nations, oka is raw fish marinated in coconut cream with a few other spices or chillis for extra flavour.

You’ll find oka available as an entrée at many restaurants across American Samoa LINK#TTD050, hopefully, presented in a coconut shell for a truly authentic island look!

Where to try: Sadie Thompson Inn (Fagatogo) (and more recommendations to come).

The turquoise or reddish tails of the reef worm released to the ocean's surface on the waning moon of October or November (or sometimes both) are a delicacy in American Samoa.

Palolo has a strong salty seafood taste, reminiscent of oysters, mussels, seaweed and caviar all condensed into a stringy noodle-like form.

Palolo is usually only available to try up to a few weeks after the Palolo Rising event, sold either in its raw or cooked form at the Fagatogo Market, or on the specials boards of restaurants if you’re lucky!

Where to try: Fagatogo Market (Fagatogo) (and more recommendations to come) when in season.

The Samoan version of chop suey, sapasui is a local favourite from Chinese influence.

There are many variations of this dish, usually made with pork (pua'a) or chicken (moa), taro leaves and carrots with a vermicelli noodle base and served with rice or taro (talo) on the side.

Where to try: Jade Express (Nu'uuli), Sunny's Chinese Restaurant (Nu'uuli) (and more recommendations to come).

Found on most entrée menus in American Samoa, sashimi is not only a popular choice in the Pacific because of the traditional reliance on seafood, but when you're staying in the town famous for its tuna canneries, well...

Expect thinly sliced raw tuna served on a bed of cabbage with a side of soy sauce and wasabi.

Where to try: Sook's Sushi (Fagatogo) (and more recommendations to come).

The savoury vegetables and fruit of American Samoa are also worth trying while you're here!

Starchy staples like talo (taro), ulu (breadfruit) and fa'i (green bananas) are often served as a side dish with Samoan meals, while some even star in their own dish like fa'alifu fa'i or fa'alifu kalo/talo cooked in coconut cream.

Where to try: Fagatogo Market (Fagatogo) (and more recommendations to come).

Whether it's for breakfast at your hotel/guesthouse/homestay or picked up from the market, fresh tropical fruit is in abundance and is a food that is well worth trying in American Samoa!

From the sweetest pineapples you ever did taste to the smoothest papayas, there's plenty to excite the senses!

Some to try include are papaya (esi), banana (fa'i), pineapple (fala'aina), breadfruit (ulu), mango (mago), avocado (avoka) and, although not technically a fruit, coconut (popo or niu).

Where to try: For breakfast at just about every accommodation that provides breakfast in American Samoa. Roadside fruit stalls and Fagatogo Market (Fagatogo).

I'a or "fish" has been the main source of protein in American Samoa for centuries. While many families have members catching fish from paopao or from the reefs, most will pick up fresh catches from the Fagatogo Fish Market.

Trying fresh fish in whatever form you prefer, whether raw sashimi style (see above) or cooked to perfection, is a must in American Samoa!

Where to try: Just about every restaurant LINK#TTD050 will have fish on the menu. You could even go on a fishing charter LINK#TTD034 to catch your own!

Love it or hate it, fast food chains like McDonald's and Carl's Jr. are present, as expected, in this American territory.

There are plenty of locally run fast food options too, with American influence, selling everything from pizzas to burgers to hot dogs and everything in between. See recommendations below, as well as in The Top Cheap Eats in American Samoa LINK#TTD048.

Where to try: McDonald's (Fagatogo), Carl's Jr. (Nu'uuli), Tropical Chicken and Pizza (Tafuna), Island Pizza (Tafuna), Dickies Diner (Tafuna) (and more recommendations to come).