Hāngī is one of the few remaining traditional dishes. Hāngī is not cooked everywhere but only in those places where there is a special earthen oven. This simple structure allows baking food on hot stones. Hāngī is kumara, pumpkin, and pig or chicken meat cooked in such an oven. Sometimes seafood is added to this dish. Many local residents cook Hāngī on their own on weekends. They bake the ingredients for several hours in a conventional oven. However, the taste of the modern analog is slightly different.
Kumara is a popular vegetable among the locals. This is a New Zealand variety of potatoes, characterized by a sweet taste. Kumara is most often baked or fried. It is served with sauce as side dish for fish or meat. The attitude is reverent to sauces in Auckland. Few dishes will be served without them. Even the steak that the locals love is served only with sauce. It is interesting that only men cook the steak traditionally. There is no discrimination here. This is just a tribute to tradition. Local chefs also love barbecues. Everything is cooked on it - from meat to oysters and vegetables.
Read further...