Tropical Polynesian party menu

Since the first flashy Polynesian-themed tiki lounge opened in Los Angeles in 1933 after the end of Prohibition, the exotic tiki esthetic (named after the ancient carved stone idols of the Polynesian islands) took America by storm.

The tiki craze came to full bloom in the '50s and '60s, with lavishly decorated tiki bars gracing the basements of many suburban North American homes. Hawaii's statehood in 1959 made "Polynesian" food even more popular. (I remember a "Hawaiian sparerib" recipe my mother prepared at my request for a Grade 2 luau, which featured a class hula dance.)

In truth, the "Polynesian" cuisine served in tiki-style restaurants was North American-Chinese food embellished with lots of tropical fruit and sweet-and-sour flavours. Popular fare featured items such as crab and cream cheese croquettes (incongruously named after Rangoon, then capital of Burma and thousands of kilometres away from Polynesia, but exotic-sounding enough), saccharine-sweet glazed ribs, meat and poultry skewers, and sweet-and-sour pork in red-coloured sauce with canned pineapple.

Real Polynesian food has little similarity to tiki lounge offerings, yet it is true that part of the region's cuisine is a fusion of Chinese and native Polynesian flavours – with Indian, American and Filipino influences – reflecting the population mixes and histories of the many island archipelagos.

In these modernized and refined recipes, we hope to capture the fun mood and original flavour of the tiki lounge, while retaining a contemporary respect for the tastes and methods of actual Chinese and Polynesian cuisine.