Title: Papua New Guinea
Categories: Indonesian Australian Info Bbq Hawaii
Yield: 4 Servings

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The two popular traditional methods of cooking food in PNG are grilling the meat over an open fire while baking vegetables (sweet potato or taro) in the ashes, and the "mu-mu", whereby a pit is dug, lined with specially selected non-cracking stones, and a fire is built in it. More stones are placed on the fire until all are hot enough, then the fire and the loose stones are removed, a layer of banana leaves is placed over the lower hot stones, and pork or chicken or fish is laid on the leaves, then grated coconut meat, sweet potato, pumpkin, and lots of green leaf vegetable like pumpkin or choko shoots or aibika. More banana leaves to cover, then the hot stones are replaced and covered with earth and left for several hours, or until hunger becomes irresistably intense, then the whole thing is carefully opened up and the cooked food picked out and laid on fresh banana leaves for consumption. If everything is done carefully, and the cooking allowed to run its full course, this food is excellent, with the greens almost liquified and their flavour, and that of the coconut and banana leaves thoroughly permeating the meat and sweet potato.

I believe that a similar method is used in Hawaii and other Polynesian islands.

The effect is similar to crockpot cooking, so I suppose it could be referred to as "rockpot cooking".... (Sorry!) From: Glen Jamieson Date: 18 Oct 97

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