Who Else Wants Delicious and
Creative Luau Food Ideas?

Are you hosting a luau party and are strapped for luau food ideas?

Here are some to get your party in full swing. However, before you whip up the ingredients, it is worthwhile reflecting on how a luau came about.

It was really a big party which took place when King Kamehameha took away the ceremonial taboo or kapu which forbade men and women eating together.

Kalua pig is the mainstay of a traditional luau.

If you cannot cook it in the traditional imu oven, there are some ways around it. There are recipes available for grilling a shoulder of pork in the oven, and rather than covering with ti leaves, cornhusks can be used as a substitute.

The key to preparing the pork is to liberally rub it with coarse salt, preferably Hawaiian sea salt, and pepper and leaving it to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Why not let Hawaiian Chefs do it all for you? They will freeze freshly cooked Hawaiian luau party food and ship it right to your kitchen counter.

Pineapple, a Luau Staple

The pineapple, known as the halikihiki, is the king of fruits and should feature prominently in your luau food ideas.

Stir bits of pineapple into your fried rice or create a tropical fruit cocktail with pineapple chunks, watermelon, grapes, mangoes and bananas in a hollowed out pineapple boat.

On a warm summer’s day, cool guests down with tall iced pineapple drinks with thinly-sliced pineapple spears as stirrers and sweeten their palates with pineapple sherbet.

Easy Luau Beef

Make your own version of luau beef with a pineapple-based sauce to pour over beef.

This is easily done with a can of pineapple chunks with juice, beef broth and steak sauce, cornstarch to thicken, ginger for flavoring and green peppers and onions.

Sauté the beef and reserve the pineapple chunks to be thrown in the sauce with some orange slices just before serving the dish.
This rendition of luau beef goes nicely with white rice.

If you are willing to experiment with some luau food ideas, how about a pineapple hibachi?

Skewer pineapple chunks onto bamboo picks, dip into a rum marinade and warm the chunks over a hibachi fire.

While your guests are out there exchanging gossip over the hibachi, bring out some teriyaki chicken for them to fire over the hibachi as well.

The chicken chunks should be marinated for a few hours in store-bought teriyaki or you can make your own with a little rice wine, grated ginger, some mirin and soy sauce.

Pineapple and Ham, a Luau Favorite

For luau food ideas that reflect the local food scene, you can't go wrong with ham.

You can make the following dish a couple of hours before the luau party starts as it is best served cold. Cut some ham into cubes and pair them with canned pineapple chunks.

Spear them together with a decorative toothpick – the ones topped with little umbrellas, seashells or flowers are excellent – and stick them into a whole pineapple.

Chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving. The pineapple acts as a centerpiece, adds the tropical accent and can be carved up later for a refreshing dessert.

Macadamia nuts and taro chips are good luau food ideas for snacks as are chilled slices of watermelon, especially for a summer’s evening.

And for desert? Take a look at our luau cake ideas, and luau drink recipes as well.

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