Tahitian
Poisson cru à la tahitienne raw tuna in coconut-lime, poulet fafa chicken-taro-leaves, firi firi figure-8 coconut doughnuts, e'ia ota French-style tuna crudo, mahi mahi vanilla sauce, banana po'e, coconut bread — French Polynesia's 121 islands where French-colonial wine-and-bread traditions blend with Polynesian taro-coconut-tuna staples in a distinct French-Pacific creole.
Poisson Cru à la Tahitienne
Tahiti's national dish — raw yellowfin tuna cubes marinated briefly in lime juice, then mixed with coconut milk, diced cucumber, tomato, onion, scallions, and salt. Served chilled as appetizer or main.
View page →Tahitian cooking is the cuisine of French Polynesia's 121 islands — built on the himaa (earth oven, called ahima'a in Tahitian), French-colonial wine-and-bread traditions, and Polynesian taro-coconut-tuna staples. The signature dish poisson cru à la tahitienne (raw tuna in coconut milk with lime, onion, cucumber, tomato) is the Tahitian everyday meal, sold at every restaurant and made in every household. Poulet fafa (chicken with taro leaves) is the Sunday family meal. Firi firi (figure-8 coconut doughnut) is the morning treat. The French-Pacific fusion is distinctive — French techniques meet Pacific ingredients in a way no other Pacific cuisine has.
On the Map
Where this cuisine is found
The Palate
Start Here
Tahiti's national dish — raw tuna in coconut milk with lime, cucumber, tomato, onion.
Why start here · Poisson cru is the Tahitian everyday meal — sold at every restaurant from beach kiosks to upscale Papeete. The chopped-vegetable-and-coconut-milk combination is the signature.
Tahitian Sunday classic — chicken slow-cooked in coconut milk with chopped taro leaves.
Why start here · Poulet fafa is the Tahitian Sunday family meal. The dark-green silky-leaves-and-chicken combination is the household centerpiece.
Tahitian seared mahi-mahi in Bourbon-vanilla coconut cream sauce.
Why start here · This dish shows the French-trained Tahitian chef — applying French sauce technique to local fish + Tahiti's famous Bourbon vanilla. The modern Tahitian fine-dining signature.
Tahitian figure-8 coconut doughnuts — fried golden, lightly sweet, fragrant with coconut.
Why start here · Firi firi is the Tahitian breakfast street treat — sold from roulottes (food trucks) and bakeries across Papeete. The figure-8 shape is distinctive.
The Pantry
See all 38 ingredients›
Grains & Staples
Sauces & Condiments
Other
Regional Styles
Papeete & Tahiti
Main island and capital — French-Polynesian restaurant scene, market for fresh tuna, roulottes (food trucks) on the waterfront.
Bora Bora & Leeward Islands
Western coral atolls — luxury resort cuisine, French-trained chefs, vanilla and seafood specialties.
Tuamotu & Marquesas (Outer Atolls)
Eastern coral atolls and rugged Marquesas — traditional cooking, himaa earth ovens, deep ties to ancestral Polynesian techniques.
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
