What is imu in Hawaiian cuisine?
What is imu in Hawaiian cuisine?
The imu is an underground oven and one of the simplest and most ancient cooking structures. Kālua, which means “to cook in an underground oven”, is a traditional Hawaiian cooking method that utilizes an imu. The word kālua may also be used to describe the food cooked in this manner, such as kālua pig or kālua turkey.
What can you cook in an IMU?
Throughout Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and even the Americas, traditional underground ovens have been utilized to cook and steam food. The Hawaiians used a pit oven, called an imu, to steam whole pigs, breadfruit, bananas, sweet potatoes, taro, chicken, and fish.
How does an IMU cook food?
Simply put, an imu is an oven created by digging a hole into the ground. While it may seem like an easy method of cooking, especially since it allows for large quantities of food to be slow-cooked at one time, there’s a reason why the imu is almost exclusively used for large ceremonies and parties.
Why Do Hawaiians cook pig in the ground?
The layers of vegetation covering the food must extend past the edges of the pit to ensure the food is not contaminated by the soil it is buried under. The meat is then left to cook in the pit for several hours.
How do you make Hawaiian imu?
To build your own imu, dig a round pit two to four feet deep and just large enough in diameter to fit the food, rocks and vegetation. Place the excess dirt next to the pit, as you will use it to cover the oven at the end.
How long does an IMU take to cook?
Place the rocks on top and then light the kindling, as the fire builds, the wood will turn to charcoal and the stones will heat; this takes approximately one and a half to two hours.
How do you cook a turkey IMU?
An imu is a temporary underground oven where you cook meat underground….Imu roasted turkey – Hawaiian style!
- Thaw Turkeys.
- Put turkeys in a heavy-duty disposable aluminum pan (the ones with handles makes it easier to handle).
- Season turkey to your liking.
- Double wrap the whole pan in aluminum foil.
- Bring pan to the imu.
Can you have a fire pit in Hawaii?
Bonfires are only allowed with approval from the Director of Health or the director’s designee. Please note that campfires and bonfires are illegal on all public beaches and parks, unless there is approval from the Department of Land and Natural Resources or the respective county having jurisdiction.
How do you roast a whole pig in the ground?
It’s one of the oldest methods of cooking. Dig a hole in the ground, fill it with fire, add a large animal, cover and cook. Most people recognize it as the Hawaiian Luau or more accurately, Kalua Pig.
How long does it take to cook food in an IMU?
Estimating the time it takes to cook the food depends on the heat of the imu, the thickness of the vegetation, the kind of food, and the mass of the food. A large whole pig, in a good hot imu, may take from 6 to 8 hours of steaming time.
How to prepare the IMU at home?
Whatever you want to cook: breadfruit, yams, pork, fish, chicken (roosters are good), turkeys To prepare the Imu: Dig the hole and keep all the loose dirt 2 feet from the hole, completely surrounding the hole, to be used to cover the edges of the tarps.
What is an IMU pig?
Pigs are cooked in an underground pit for hours, when they are removed from the imu, the steamed pork literally falls off the bone. It is then shredded and served with other traditional foods for group meals, festivities, or religious ceremonies.
How do you cook kalua pork?
Baking Kalua Pork with an Imu. According to Island custom, the preferred method to cook a pig is in an underground oven (called an imu [EE-moo]): A whole pig is placed over a fire in a pit lined with banana leaves and hot rocks, is covered with hot rocks, sand and dirt, bakes for a whole day and is removed at sunset for a community feast.
