Basics - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 41

THE LOVO
In pre-European times, the Fijian islanders cooked food in bamboo strips on an open fire
but, with increased trade with the Tongans, the underground oven or lovo was adopted. To
make a lovo, a hole is dug in the soil, laid with wood over which black volcanic stones are
placed. A fire is lit, the stones are heated and the food, wrapped carefully in banana leaves
or tin foil, is placed on top. The main constituents are usually a whole pig at the bottom
with dalo , yam, chicken, fish and palusami laid on top in order to give each the correct
amount of cooking. The hole is covered with coconut leaves with soil spread on top sealing
in the heat and cooking the food slowly (anything from an hour to five hours depending on
size). Most Fijian families prepare a lovo early Sunday morning before heading to church
so it is ready for eating at lunch. Lovos also form the heart of ceremonial feasting at wed-
dings, funerals and any other communal gathering.
Seasonal fruit and vegetables
While they are available in supermarkets, imported fresh ingredients are often too expens-
ive for Fijians and the resorts have been encouraged by successive governments to source
more produce locally. The results are slowly being realized, giving Fijians a new source of
income.
The availability of fruit and some vegetables is determined by the seasons, with local pro-
duce extremely cheap when in abundance - bananas , pawpaw (also known as papaya) and
coconuts are available year-round. Expensive imports including apples, oranges and melons
bolster lows in productivity. The following is a list of fruits grown extensively in Fiji:
January Watermelon, pineapple, vi (Tahitian apple), avocado, vutu (small nut, similar to al-
mond), guava, lemon.
February Pineapple, vi , avocado, guava, lemon, Ivi (Tahitian chestnut).
March Guava, lemon, Ivi , mandarin, orange.
April Guava, lemon, lvi , mandarin, orange.
May Lemon, mandarin, orange, daruka (Fijian asparagus).
June Mandarin, orange, passionfruit, tarawao (small, round and crunchy with a hard seed),
dawa (Fijian lychee), watermelon, soursop (large spiky looking fruit with lots of hard seeds,
creamy in texture).
July Passionfruit, tarawao (tiny hard, sour fruit), dawa , watermelon, soursop .
August Kavika (wax apple), soursop .
September Mango, pineapple, kavika , soursop .