Food & Drinks

1. Kokoda

   Ko-kon-da

   Kokoda (raw fish salad in coconut milk and lime)

   Usage

   Fiji's national dish — fresh fish "cooked" in lime juice then marinated in coconut milk. The South Pacific's answer to ceviche.

   Grammar Note

   "d" = "nd" so "Kokoda" = "Ko-kon-da". A traditional dish showcasing Fiji's ocean bounty, popular with tourists.

2. Lovo

   Lo-vo

   Lovo (earth oven feast)

   Usage

   Food cooked in a pit with heated stones, wrapped in banana leaves. Served at celebrations and welcoming feasts.

   Grammar Note

   The lovo is central to Fijian tradition. "Lovo nights" at resorts are popular tourist events — meat, fish, taro, and vegetables all cooked together.

3. Cassava cake

   Ka-sa-va keik

   Cassava cake (tapioca cake)

   Usage

   A popular Fijian sweet. A baked cake made from cassava (tapioca) often with coconut milk.

   Grammar Note

   Cassava is a staple crop in Fiji. In Fijian English, "cake" is often pronounced "keik".

4. Rourou

   Ro-u-ro-u

   Rourou (taro leaves in coconut milk)

   Usage

   Nutritious taro leaves cooked in coconut milk. A valuable green vegetable dish in Fijian cuisine.

   Grammar Note

   "Rourou" specifically refers to taro leaves in Fijian. Used like spinach, it's nutritious and commonly eaten.

5. Palusami

   Pa-lu-sa-mi

   Palusami (corned beef wrapped in taro leaves with coconut cream)

   Usage

   Corned beef, onion, and coconut cream wrapped in taro leaves, baked in an oven or in a lovo (earth oven). The word itself is Samoan in origin, but it is a loanword current in Fiji, so it is safe to use. The Fijian words for the ingredients are rourou (taro leaves used as a green vegetable) and lolo (coconut cream).

   Grammar Note

   Eaten across Pacific islands. Canned corned beef became widely available and adopted after WWII.

6. Yaqona

   Yang-go-na

   Kava / Yaqona (traditional pepper drink)

   Usage

   Traditional ceremonial drink made from kava root and water, drunk from a "bilo" (bowl). Visitors are often invited to participate.

   Grammar Note

   "q" = "ngg" so "yaqona" = "yang-gona". You say "Bula!", drain the bilo (bowl) in one go, and clap (cobo) once you have finished. The cobo after a bowl of kava is three claps, or five in Kadavu. It is made with the hands cupped and crossed, not parallel, to give a deep resounding sound — a different gesture from European applause. Note also that in the Colo highlands "cobo" is a vulgar word for the rectum, so people there say "'obo" instead.

7. Fiji Gold

   Fi-ji Gould

   Fiji Gold beer (local lager)

   Usage

   Fiji's local lager. Available at resorts and local bars — crisp and refreshing in the tropical heat.

   Grammar Note

   A lager brewed in Fiji. Along with its sibling "Fiji Bitter", it's one of Fiji's signature beers.

8. Vua dina

   Vu-a ndi-na

   Fresh tropical fruit

   Usage

   Fiji offers abundant fresh tropical fruits — papaya, mango, pineapple, banana, and more.

   Grammar Note

   "d" = "nd" so "dina" = "ndi-na". "Dina" means "real/true/fresh". Fruit is vua ("vua ni kau", "what the tree bears"). "Fua" is not a Fijian word. Markets in Fiji offer abundant tropical fruits at low prices.

9. E gaga?

   E nga-nga?

   Is it spicy?

   Usage

   Checking spice level. Fijian cuisine is generally mild, but Indo-Fijian dishes can be quite spicy.

   Grammar Note

   Spicy/pungent is "gaga". The Fijian alphabet is a b c d e f g i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w y; h appears only in English loans, so a form like "hika" is not used. The g is [ŋ], so it sounds like "nga-nga". Fiji has a large Indo-Fijian community with a spicy curry culture. "E" precedes adjectives in questions.

10. E tiko na kakana vegetarian?

    E ti-ko na ka-ka-na ve-je-te-ri-an?

    Is there vegetarian food?

    Usage

    Asking for plant-based options. Fijian food is often meat/fish-heavy but has plenty of taro and vegetable dishes.

    Grammar Note

    "Vegetarian" is an English loanword, handled the same way as "vegan" in the Dietary & Allergies category. "Kai vuravura" means people of the world / foreigners and has nothing to do with vegetarian. "E tiko na …?" = "Is there …?".

11. Vinaka saraga!

    Vi-na-ka sa-ra-nga

    Very delicious! / Excellent!

    Usage

    Complimenting a meal. "Saraga" is an intensifier meaning "very/truly".

    Grammar Note

    "Saraga" is "sara ga" written as one word. "Sara" is the intensifier that follows an adjective — "levu sara" very big — and "ga" is "just, only, indeed". Note that g = [ŋ], so "saraga" is "sa-ra-nga", not "sa-ra-ga": the romanization is showing pronunciation, not adding a letter absent from the text (fj romanization is a pronunciation guide, not a transliteration).

12. Na raisi

    Cooked rice

    Usage

    Ordering cooked rice; a different word from raw rice

13. Na madrai

    Bread

    Usage

    Use when buying at a shop

14. Na vuata

    Fruit

    Usage

    Point at it in a market or eatery

15. Na dalo

    Taro

    Usage

    Order or check this staple

16. Na tavioka

    Cassava

    Usage

    Order or check this staple

17. Na lolo

    Coconut cream

    Usage

    Check whether a dish contains it

18. Droka

    Raw / not cooked

    Usage

    Point at it to check whether food is uncooked

19. Kamikamica

    Sweet

    Usage

    Describe or check the taste

Browse all TravelPhrases languages