Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Food in Fiji Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Fiji
gcanuck 05:58 UTC 05 Oct 2011 | I have a potential employment opportunity in Fiji and am wondering what the typical food is like there. I have never been to any Pacific Islands so am unfamiliar with the area. Most information I can find is tourism related. I am more interested in what I will find in restaurants and grocery stores in a regular town/village. What do Fijians eat? I understand there is a large ethnic Indian population, am I right in assuming they have a strong culinary influence? Thanks. |
mandja 12:32 UTC 05 Oct 2011 | WHERE in Fiji will you be working? Yes, large Indian community, so Indian food abounds. Chinese also available, Italian etc. Fijian food includes Tao, local fruits, veg, fish etc | 1
watsoff 17:12 UTC 05 Oct 2011 | Fijian food can also be hard to find, unfortunately. | 2
becks 21:09 UTC 05 Oct 2011 | Lots of curry (Indo-Fijian)! Chinese and western food is easy to find also, but yes, Fijian restaurants are thin on the ground, I guess as this is what people eat at home. Traditional Fijian food involves chicken or fish, often cooked in coconut milk, dalo or cassava, and an assortment of "greens" - again often cooked in coconut milk. Corned beef is unfortunately popular. Breakfast might be left over curry, or Fijian "pancakes" which are closer to what we would call doughnuts. Most things will be accompanied by a thick layer of Rewa butter. Between the markets, grocery stores and the "Cost-U-Less" aircraft hanger full of imported goods (in Suva) you can pretty much buy anything you might want, with the exception of fresh baby spinach / exciting salad stuff. Anything local is an order of magnitude cheaper than the imported stuff, but if you're in Suva / Nadi most things are gettable if you're willing to pay. If you're somewhere smaller, there will be less choice. Bananas, Pawpaw and Eggplant are cheap and ubiquitous all year round. Pineapples too. Other fruits are more seasonal. | 3
gcanuck 00:54 UTC 06 Oct 2011 | WHERE in Fiji will you be working? Just outside Nadi. | 4
mandja 01:22 UTC 06 Oct 2011 | Main St in Nadi , has variety of Indian, Chinese, Internatioanl places, plus market, Supermarket etc 10 min drive to Denerau for modern shopping centre with take aways, coffee shops, cafes etc You will eat well and cheaply by Canadian standards. The FJD is very low right now. | 5