Miti hue is a traditional sauce in Polynesian cuisine made from the flesh of the coconut and salt water mixed together and fermented.

Preparation

Miti hue is prepared from the young coconut known as 'omoto, a stage where the flesh of the green coconut starts to harden and begins losing its water. The flesh of the 'omoto is cut into pieces and placed in a calabash vessel, with salt water and the heads of freshwater prawns. The mixture is left in the sun for a few days to ferment. ^{[1] [2]} Miti hue is served as an accompaniment to traditional Tahitian dishes, most notably the fermented fish dish Fafaru. ^[3] The preparation of Tai monomono is also similar to Miti hue, though crushed crustaceans are entirely absent from the recipe. ^[4] Flavourings like lemon, lime and chilli can also be added to Tai monomono, with the addition of chilli being known as Tai oporo. ^{[5] [6]}

Fermented coconut sauce is also eaten in Tonga, the Samoan islands and the Polynesian island of Rotuma, but the process differs from Miti hue as the sauce is a byproduct of converting coconut shells into containers, a practice that was common in the West Polynesian islands. ^[7] A mature coconut has a hole drilled into it and the water inside the nut is removed, replaced with sea water. A stopper is placed into the hole and is left to ferment for a few weeks, resulting the inner flesh breaking down into a gruel. ^{[8] [9]}

Names

• Cook Islands: Tai monomono
• French Polynesia: Miti hue
• Rotuma: Tähroro
• Samoa and American Samoa: Samilolo ^[10]
• Tonga: Hami

See also

• Taioro – A fermented paste made from coconut meat, eaten in Oceania.

References