Work through the list in order. Hide the notes when you know what to do.
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Try kokoda
Fiji’s iconic raw fish ceviche features firm white ocean fish (usually walu or mahi-mahi) flash-cured in fresh lime juice, then drenched in rich coconut cream with bird's eye chilies, diced onions, and tomatoes. It is frequently served inside a halved coconut shell.
Found across coastal eateries on Viti Levu; genuine kokoda must be served thoroughly chilled with crispy cassava chips.
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Try an earth-oven lovo feast
An ancestral banquet cooking method where marinated pork, chicken, fish, and root tubers are wrapped in banana leaves and slow-steamed underground over red-hot volcanic rocks. The food emerges incredibly tender with an unmistakable smoky aroma.
While resorts host weekly lovo nights, the most authentic earth feasts occur in local villages during communal Sunday gatherings.
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Try palusami
Young taro leaves wrapped into tight parcel bundles stuffed with seasoned coconut cream, onions, and minced garlic, slow-baked until melt-in-the-mouth soft. Variants often include savory corned beef inside.
Taro leaves must be cooked thoroughly to eliminate natural calcium oxalate crystals that cause throat irritation when undercooked.
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Try rourou
A comforting staple of young taro greens gently simmered down in salted coconut milk with grated ginger, garlic, and chilies. The texture resembles a velvety, aromatic creamed spinach.
Rourou is naturally vegetarian unless cooked with tinned fish; it is routinely paired with steaming chunks of boiled dalo.
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Try Indo-Fijian goat curry
A rich, deeply spiced stew made with bone-in goat meat slow-simmered in toasted cumin, mustard seeds, fresh curry leaves, and fragrant local masala. The gravy is thick, intense, and profoundly warming.
Order this at modest family-run curry canteens near central bus terminals in Nadi or Suva alongside hot roti.
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Try nama (sea grapes)
Tiny, bright emerald clusters of edible seaweed known as sea grapes that pop delightfully on the palate. They are served raw as a crisp salad tossed in fresh lime juice, chilies, coconut cream, and fermented coconut paste (kora).
Nama is harvested fresh from barrier reefs at low tide; buy it early in the day at Suva Municipal Market before afternoon heat wilts the delicate pearls.
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Try duruka (Fijian asparagus)
Unopened flower heads of a wild pitpit cane, affectionately called 'Fijian asparagus'. The crumbly, nutty vegetable shoots are gently braised in turmeric coconut milk or roasted over hot embers in their husks.
Duruka is strictly seasonal, arriving between April and May; seek it out during these months when roadside vendors sell bundles tied with vine.
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Try ika vakalolo
Freshly caught whole reef fish or ocean fillets lightly pan-fried, then gently simmered in a luscious broth of freshly squeezed coconut cream, ripe tomatoes, ginger, and scallions.
This comforting dish avoids harsh spices, showcasing the sweet natural richness of fresh fish blended with creamy homemade coconut milk.
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Grab a street-style roti parcel
Fiji’s ultimate handheld street food: a pliable, freshly griddled flatbread tightly wrapped around dry potato curry, spicy chana, or shredded chicken curry. Cheap, filling, and found on every corner.
Locals grab these warm wrapped packets from roadside stalls and bus depot milk bars for breakfast on their daily commute.
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Taste boiled dalo and tavioka
The dual heart of the Fijian diet: dense, earthy taro root (dalo) and crumbly, starchy cassava (tavioka). Steamed or boiled plain, they act as the essential carb anchor replacing bread at every traditional meal.
Taro from the volcanic soil of Taveuni island is prized nationwide for its smooth texture and subtle nutty profile.
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Try crispy bhajia
Deep-fried vegetable fritters made from spiced chickpea batter laced with wild greens, thinly sliced onions, cumin, and fresh chilies. Served piping hot with tangy homemade tamarind dip.
A beloved teatime snack sold from paper cones at bus stations across Nadi and Lautoka in the late afternoon.
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Try kuita vakatavuro
Tender octopus slow-cooked in rich coconut cream until the milk reduces into a thick, slightly caramelized glaze infused with garlic, shallots, and ginger.
Seek this coastal delicacy in casual beachside eateries along the Coral Coast where village fishermen deliver the morning catch.
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Try vakalolo Desserts and pastries
A traditional steamed pudding made from grated cassava and fresh coconut flesh tightly packed in banana leaves, served drenched in a dark, sticky syrup made from caramelized coconut milk and brown sugar.
It boasts an addictive chewy, mochi-like texture infused with the herbal fragrance of the banana leaf wrapper.
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Try babakau fry bread Desserts and pastries
Puffy, golden-brown triangular pieces of deep-fried yeast dough. Eaten hot for breakfast, split open and spread with butter, local papaya jam, or drizzled with sugarcane syrup.
Order these before 10 AM at traditional breakfast tearooms before the morning batches sell out.
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Try purini Desserts and pastries
A dark, dense, moist steamed cake made with burnt sugar caramel, thick coconut cream, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It is the customary dessert served at Sunday communal lunches.
Best enjoyed lukewarm, often topped with a dollop of butter or freshly churned coconut ice cream.
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Try baked cassava cake Desserts and pastries
A dense, chewy traybake prepared from finely grated cassava root, condensed milk, coconut milk, and shredded coconut, baked until the top develops a deep golden crust.
An easy grab-and-go sweet sold wrapped in clingfilm at local bakeries and bus station tuck shops.
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Partake in a yaqona (kava) session Non-alcoholic drinks
Fiji’s revered ceremonial drink made from cold water strained through pounded, sun-dried roots of the pepper plant (Piper methysticum). It tastes earthy and peppery, causing a distinctive, pleasant numbness on the lips and tongue alongside deep bodily relaxation.
Clap your cupped hands once and say 'Bula!' before drinking the bilo (coconut cup) in one continuous gulp, then clap three times to show respect.
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Drink fresh bu (green coconut) Non-alcoholic drinks
Chilled, electrolyte-rich water drunk straight from an unripened green coconut hacked open with a machete. Once finished, ask the vendor to split the shell so you can scoop out the sweet, translucent jelly inside.
Roadside stalls keep green coconuts submerged in cold spring water or ice chest coolers under makeshift thatch shelters.
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Drink draunimoli tea Non-alcoholic drinks
A fragrant local herbal brew made by steeping fresh wild lemon or mandarin orange leaves in boiling water with crushed ginger and cane sugar. It is light, citrusy, and deeply soothing.
Commonly served in homestays and village kitchens as a morning digestif alongside freshly fried breakfast pastries.
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Try Fiji Bitter beer Local alcohol
The island nation's flagship commercial brew, produced in Suva since 1957. A straightforward, malt-forward lager with a pronounced bitter hop bite, best enjoyed ice-cold under the tropical sun.
Locals affectionately call it 'The Stubby' after its squat, thick-necked 375ml amber glass bottle.
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Try local Fijian rum Local alcohol
Potent rum distilled in Lautoka from local sugarcane molasses and aged in charred oak barrels. Local labels like Bounty Rum offer deep molasses sweetness, vanilla, and subtle smoke, providing the backbone for island cocktails.
Artisanal spiced and dark varieties make fantastic duty-free souvenirs at Nadi International Airport before flying home.
