Where Does Palusami Come from?

Making palusami (PAW-loo-SAW-mee) is the man's job in Samoa as is most of the traditional cooking. Anything that goes into the umu (oo-moo), a type of above-ground oven that uses red hot lava rocks to cook the food, is handled by the men. Palusami is one of the most delicious parts of any traditional Samoan meal.

What is Palusami made of?

The website Cooking Hawaii defines it as: “A traditional Samoan dish of wrapped bundles of taro leaves with a coconut and onion filling. Sometimes made with chicken, … fish [or corned beef] along with the coconut. Very similar to our Hawaiian lau lau.”

What is taro Samoan?

The Samoan word for taro (talo) is remarkably similar to the Samoan word for money (tala).