Field Notes

Notes from the Pacific pantry.

Long-form notes on traditional Polynesian foods, the people who grew them, and how to put them on your table this week.

Overhead Polynesian table spread on a woven raffia tablecloth — cast-iron skillet with seasoned greens and protein, rice noodles, slaw, and dipping sauce

Longevity

The Polynesian Diet: Why Pacific Islanders Once Lived Longer

Before processed food arrived, the diets of Tonga, Samoa, and Hawaii produced some of the lowest rates of heart disease ever recorded. Here's what was actually on the table.

2026-05-12

Traditional Pacific seafood wrapped in banana leaf — squid and greens dressed in a herb sauce

Ingredients

Breadfruit: The Superfood Hawaiians Have Eaten for 3,000 Years

Roasted, it tastes like a cross between a potato and fresh-baked bread. One tree feeds a family. Here's everything you need to cook with breadfruit at home.

2026-05-10

Balinese-style fruit and flower offerings on a woven raffia table, framed by large kalo (taro) leaves in a tropical garden

Ingredients

What Is Poi? A Complete Guide to Hawaii's Original Superfood

Poi is fermented, mashed taro — Hawaii's original staple food. Here's how it's made, what it tastes like, and why a probiotic root paste might be the most useful thing in your fridge.

2026-05-08