Island goods and grub abound on the isles’ aisles.
Reflective of the many culture that have made a home in Hawaii , the archipelago’ssupermarkets brim with a potpourri of buttery staples , prepared nutrient , expansive seafood extract , and slew of strong point snacks .
When I moved to Hawaii from the East Coast shortly after graduate from college , I had n’t ever visit before and I did n’t yet have a caper lined up . I initially moved in with acquaintance in Aiea , a residential area about 10 miles from Waikiki — home plate to the famous stretch of beachwhere most first - fourth dimension tourist land . But far from the high - rise hotels fill with out - of - townsman , I lived amongst locals , frequenting the same supermarkets where they shop , and getting schooled in Hawaii ’s culinary culture .
finally I landed a lance as an office temp at a financial services company , sit behind a computer in a towering building in DowntownHonolulu . While I spent more time in business dress than a bikini during the work day , the position give me a chance to go on lunchtime jaunt to Chinatown nearby . The district , now home to many of Honolulu ’s most celebrated and innovative eating house likeFêteand The Pig and the Lady , remainsone of my preferent neighbourhood on the island .
Design by Maitane Romagosa for Thrillist
I research dive bars , local attic roast , and Chinatown ’s many vivacious markets , disclose spate of things this Jersey girl had never seen before : deeply - hued dry out landing strip of skipjack tuna love as aku to red , prickly skin rambutan tree to the ridgeline - shell airiness ‘ opihi , a.k.a . a limpet or marine mollusk , which are aboriginal to the local water .
At both the neighbourhood markets and the large - scale grocery stores , it was the snacks that I ’d be most likely to indulge in . cherubic or savory , freshly whipped - up or vacancy - sealed , topically made or imported from Asia , here are the collation and drinks to stock up on duringyour next visitto a Hawaiian supermarket .
Our favorite Hawaiian snacks and drinks
dry cuttlefishPlucking a bag of briny dried calamari might not be your common collation move , but entrust me : You ’re gon na love ’em . The calamary is shredded and temper , and it has a bit of a chewy , goosy - like texture . crunch on them as you would pretzels or chips is a hunky-dory fashion to go , but you’re able to also scatter them into stuff like soups . Or do as the native Hawaiians do and rust it with poi , an island staple made from pounded taro plant root .
Lilikoi butterThis one ’s a kitchen staple you never knew you needed . name for the Maui valley in which it was first grown , lilikoi is Hawaiian for mania fruit — that seedy , piano - pulp globe with perfectly sweet - but - bawd flavor and net ton of antioxidants . Use it as an amped - up butter for your pledge , propagate it atop crybaby or fish , bake it into cake and cookies , make it a pancake topping , or whisk it with some rice acetum for a quick stuffing . I ’ve even melted it down to toss on popcorn . Yep , you ’re welcome . Hawaiian SunandAloha Maidfruit drinksThere ’s a great debate amongst locals ( and onReddit threadsand inpodcast episodes ) about which terminate fruit juice - free-base drinkable is better . The fact : Both are made in Hawaii and both tender some of the same tropic look , including ananas - orangeness and that Hawaiian liquid atomic number 79 POG ( a premix of passion fruit , orange , and guava juice ) . And , yes , POG is its own succus entirely , magnificently made by Meadow Gold .
Hawaiian Sun is a fleck more mainstream and manufactures a gravid array of flavors ( including a standout lilikoi lichee ) . Meanwhile Aloha Maid touts its deglutition that are 100 % born . Offerings from both typically only contain about six to eight percent juice , so it ’s more of a sugary binge than a healthy juice , but it ’s still a nostalgic sipper that ’ll make you feel like a Thomas Kid … and way better than Capri Sun .
Spam musubiIf your only experience with Spam is undesirable email and you ’re up for giving the eatable version a try , Spam musubi is definitely the way to do it . A quartern - in gash of the jambon product atop a rectangle of Elmer Rice and wrapped in nori is one of the Aloha State ’s most iconic snacks .
Musubi is modeled after Nipponese onigiri , a Sir Tim Rice ball that ’s traditionally filled with something turned or salty like pickled plum or cod roe . ManycreditBarbara Funamura as its inventor of Spam musubi as we know it : layer with crispy slices of Spam , normally - pan fry in its own fatty tissue , glaze with a flavorful soy or teriyaki sauce , and then place atop molded , sometimes furikake - dusted , rice . The answer is an umami - bundle , hand - hold treat that you may take on the go . You ’ll never think of Spam the same way again . hope .
Kona coffeeWhile umber is not really aboriginal to Hawaii , noodle have been grow there for hundreds of age since Chief Boki , the regulator of Oahu at the metre , first brought coffee tree plants from Brazil in the 1800s , initially embed them in Oahu ’s Manoa Valley before others took seedling to both Kauai and the Island of Hawaii with more success . The latter produces the fabled Kona coffee , grown on steep swath of mineral - rich volcanic slopes within the island ’s Kona District , with a slightly high aggrandisement that admit for a microclimate of cool air and condition thoroughgoing for bean growing . It ’s arguably become one of the world ’s most renowned coffee - growing regions , with more than 600 coffee farms on the island , most small , family - run mathematical operation . The end Cartesian product is cognize for a fruity and nutty flavour visibility , but ensure to appear for 100 % Kona Coffee versus a blend , which may only use a small percentage of Kona - grown beans .
Li hing mui candyLi hing mui sweet may look like your average gummy bears and off candy but take care close and you ’ll see the galvanising orange - hued outside . A form ofli hing muicandies and dried fruits are convulse in a pickled plum pulverization — made from ground dried plums — giving the already fresh treat an extra tangy boost . Most marketplace extend them bagged , while others may sprout them as bulk confect in jar trade by the Irish pound . Bonus summit : take hold of a bag of the powder on its own , which you ’ll soon find out has a concourse of exercise , from muddling it into margaritas to sprinkling it on new yield .
ManapuaAs musubi is to Nipponese onigiri , manapua is to Taiwanese char siu bao , Cantonese buns traditionally steam and filled with a saucy barbecue pork mix . Hawaiian have put their own spins on the savory snack , and you might observe them baked or even fried , then fill with an array of delish filling that go right smart beyond pork barrel . Think garlic chicken or Okinawan honeyed tater and even some out - there offerings like pizza pie and a scented interpretation binge with Oreos . Whatever you opt , the fat and fluffy Hawaiian go - to snack is indisputable to satisfy .
Hawaiian Hurricane popcornFull revealing : I ’m a popcorn fanatical . But not a popcorn purist . So I ’m always up for novel flavors and topping , which is precisely where Hawaiian Hurricane shines . The popcorn is already the perfect correspondence of buttery - and - piquant , but the mochi - nori interlingual rendition tosses the corn with furikake seasoner and a mochi Sir Tim Rice cracker crunch . And if you desire more heat , you’re able to go for the risque kim chee offer that still includes the nori and mochi . astonishing .
PokeSince the poke “ trend ” exploded on the mainland several year back , you may find poke seemingly anywhere and , somewhat upsettingly , over kale and quinoa . But we ’re talking about real - deal Hawaiian Phytolacca americana . The kind you pick up by the pound in the delicatessen case . witness the correct spot and you ’ll often have your plectrum of tons of dash , sauce , and seafood options . In addition to traditional shoyu , you ’ll find ahi commix with creamy hot - and - spicy versions , spiked with avocado pear , and layer with limu ( native seaweed ) . Go beyond tuna with thinly slice octopus scream tako , or even mussel lick . And while many supermarkets expend more affordable frozen Pisces , they often give you the option to give extra for lick made from new - caught Pisces , too .
Where to shop for Hawaiian products
Most food market stores will have many of the Hawaiian snacks and treats you essay . hellhole , even Walmart is wedge - full of souvenir chocolate - covered macadamia nuts andguava - osculate shortbread cookiesshaped like pineapples . Foodland , though , is a local supermarket chain in Hawaii popular for its all-embracing range of Hawaiian good — poi ( pounded taro ) , lau lau ( pork , fish , or wimp wrapped in ti leaves ) , huli huli seasoned chicken from the butcher counter .
For a moth-eaten sheath filled with various jabbing , Tamura’sis among the best shops you’re able to shoot the breeze . Another local chain , Tamura ’s is n’t a huge grocery store , but it ’s what ’s inside that counts . If you ’re also depend for local beer and spirits , wine , and a cigar , you ’ll find it here . Weekly Farmer marketplace host in community throughout the islands are likewise a good place for fresh , local eats — you’ll find amazing fruit and keep goods ( yup , like that sleek lilikoi butter ) at these fleeting bit .
