ExploFood · Oceania
What to eat in Vanuatu
Three dishes to try in Vanuatu, the most typical first. One is vegetarian.
Three dishes to try in Vanuatu
Laplap
Grated yam, taro or manioc baked in banana leaves with coconut cream, often with meat.
How to have it: The national dish; buy slices at Port Vila market or try it at a village feast.
Kava
Earthy, numbing drink made from the ground root of the kava plant.
How to have it: Drunk at dusk in nakamals; it is stronger than in other Pacific islands, so start with one shell.
Coconut crab
Large land crab cooked in coconut milk, with rich sweet meat.
How to have it: A specialty on Santo and outer islands; check the size limits and avoid undersized crabs.
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Questions
What food is Vanuatu famous for?
Laplap (grated yam, taro or manioc baked in banana leaves with coconut cream, often with meat) comes first on our list, followed by Kava and Coconut crab.
What is the national dish of Vanuatu?
Ask ten people and you get several answers. The dish we put first for Vanuatu is Laplap: grated yam, taro or manioc baked in banana leaves with coconut cream, often with meat. The national dish; buy slices at Port Vila market or try it at a village feast.
Which dishes in Vanuatu are vegetarian?
One of the three on this page is vegetarian as usually made: Kava. Recipes vary, so ask about stock, lard or fish sauce.
What do people drink in Vanuatu?
Kava: earthy, numbing drink made from the ground root of the kava plant.
How reliable is this list?
The dishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, where you can also tick off the ones you have tried. Recipes vary by region and by family, so take it as a starting point.
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Tick off every dish you try in Vanuatu
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Get ExploDishes are hand-picked from general knowledge in the Explo app, with links to Wikipedia. Recipes and names vary by region.