Thursday, June 5, 2008

Cuisine Of French Polynesia

The Cuisine Of French Polynesia
by: Peter R Stewart

Tahiti or French Polynesian food is known throughout the world because of its exotic fruits, fresh fish and vegetables which are prepared with a strong French influence underlying the Tahitian ingredients. Restaurants in French Polynesia are from a wide variety of backgrounds including and inevitably French and Tahitian, but also Chinese, Vietnamese, and Italian.

The sauces served in these restaurants often features sauces which contain home grown vanilla beans

However to taste the absolutely genuine Tahiti Food you need to find a way of sampling the Ahima’a otherwise known at Tahiti’s underground oven. It is usually prepared on a Sunday morning, or for a special celebration.

Firstly the oven is preheated with a wood fire, then the wood is placed in levels one on top of the other all criss-crossed. The porous volcanic rock is scattered over the wood until it is completely covered.. When the fire goes out, the rocks are leveled and the food placed on top wrapped in woven baskets of coconut leaves. Fish, pork, chicken and vegetables are prepared in this way. Banana leaves are then laid over the top, plus many layers of leaves from the purao tree to cover the ahima’a completely. Finally earth is shoveled on top so no heat can escape and the food is grilled, braised and steamed for 3-4 hours. The Polynesian food is spread out on a table cloth of palm fronds or banana leaves. You will eat with your fingers off traditional wood plates, dipping juicy pieces of roast pork, fish, breadfruit, taro, and other goodies in coconut cream sauce.

The celebrations are normally concluded with Polynesian dancing.

Other things to look out for are as follows.

Poisson cru (ia ota) which is the national dish of Tahiti and Her Islands. This quite divine snack consists of raw fish and diced vegetables marinated with lime juice and soaked in coconut milk.

Chevrettes are another popular Tahitian dish, and they are tasty freshwater shrimp

No amura’a (meal) is complete without a rich dessert inspired by the islands.

The ultimate Tahitian dessert is Poe, a sweet pudding made of taro root flavored with banana, vanilla, papaya or pumpkin and topped with a rich coconut-milk sauce.

Stop by the roulettes or rolling restaurants, are colourful, electrically lit vans that offer the best inexpensive dining in Papeete. Both locals and visitors can dine on a variety of dishes from roast pork and pizzas to chow mein and flaming crêpes.

About The Author
Peter Stewart writes exclusively for http://www.in-kenyasafari.com as well as http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com and he has in depth knowledge of the places he writes about

French Polynesia

As A Vacation Destination
By: Peter R Stewart

When you go to French Polynesia you will find a lot of different types of accommodation from world class, world famous resorts to small comfortable inns, and plenty of Bed and Breakfast places.

A lot depends on how you want to experience French Polynesia, and you must decide this before booking anything.

You will also need to bear in mind that in the more remote outer islands your hotel is bound to be the main focus of your activities.

Your choices will include beautiful thatched roof bungalows on stilts over an incredible blue lagoon, or located in a tropical garden setting amongst hibiscus and bougainvillea, right next to a beautiful white sand palm fringed beach, on the edge of a crystal clear lagoon. If you want to experience genuine Tahitian accommodation, then this is what you need to choose.

Everyone is different, so you may just want to relax on a white sand beach, even swim in the incredible cleat turquoise blue waters of a lagoon, stretch out in a hammock gently swaying in the breeze, or hike up an ancient volcano, then all this is possible in French Polynesia.

Tahiti offers an incredible opportunity to just relax or explore The choices open to you are vast. Everything from dolphin encounters, shark feeding, deep sea fishing, snorkelling, surfing, windsurfing, water skiing, outrigger canoing, para sailing. French Polynesia is a prime target for divers, so as you can imagine the snorkeling is pretty good too!!


In addition, hiking, golf, helicopter rides, horseback riding, and tennis are available to do. One of the great activities is walking and climbing the ancient mountain volcanic peaks. Many of the islands have hiring facilities for 4x4 wheel drive vehicles.


There is absolutely masses to do in French Polynesia apart from anything else you just need to sit and gaze in wonder at the sheer beauty of the place .

About The Author
Peter Stewart writes exclusively for http://www.in-kenyasafari.com/ as well as http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com/ and he has in depth knowledge of the places he writes about

Fun And Sun In Spain

What Makes Costa Blanca Capture Your Heart?
By: Lee Smith

For anyone that wants to enjoy some fun and sun in Spain, the Costa Blanca region that is close to the Mediterranean Sea would be the best place to visit. Costa Blanca is a part of the Alicante Province that begins with the little town known as Denia and ends up at Torrevieja, which is another popular tourist destinationor ‘has some very splendid beaches that both residents as also the many tourists come to enjoy.

On a visit to Costa Blanca you might want to check out a few important and well liked holiday spots where you can unwind on the beaches including Altea, Javea, Moraira as well as Benidorm, Torrevieja and Guardamar. And, there are many wonderful villas that serve as ideal accommodation and are a favorite among tourists with something of special interest in each one. To reach Javea that lies about ninety kilometers from Alicante on the east coast of Iberia and a hundred kilometers from Valencia, you can take a plane and land at one of the international airports in either of these two cities. Or, if you are planning to drive down, then you can travel the A-7 from any part of Europe.

Javea is particularly exciting and well worth visiting having some of the best mountains including the peak of Montgo along with many wondrous landscapes and of course the excellent beaches. Such is the attraction that Costa Blanca holds for tourists that millions of them converge here to enjoy the beautiful beaches every year, especially the towns of Denia and Javea. You would also find Elche another attractive hot spot and this place is known as the palm capital of the world.

Traveling the entire Costa Blanca is possible using the Carretera National Highway that follows the coast and provide you with the opportunity to also stop and take a break at the many small villages along the way. Among the more tourist oriented places, you would like the entertainment park known as Terra Mitica that is situated at Benidorm and there are also the bays of Altea as well as a place called Calpe. There are also the smaller towns that are very attractive and among them you should check out Villajoyosa that is close to Benidorm and to its south having an old town and plenty of yummy chocolates as well.

Anyone that wants to enjoy a good round of golf in these parts would love the Costa Blanca golf resorts of which there are many and you can locate individual ones by studying the maps that are available at the Airport or in downtown Alicante. Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of the Costa Blanca would no doubt emanate from the sea villages. Costa Blanca is also a place where tourists are tempted by the more than two hundred kilometers of coastline and rather unsurprisingly the tourist industry here is well developed and Costa Blanca is a hot favorite for many British and also German tourists and many other nationalities including the sun-starved Scandinavians that flock here for the ample warmth and plenty of sunshine that is available here.


About The Author
Lee Smith writes about Costa Blanca, A Paradise in Spain http://www.lovealicante.com/