Search Results for: Palau

How did Palau get its name?

The name Palau comes from the Palauan language.  Belau, is the word for village, as is beluu or aibebalau, which relates to a creation myth. The name in the English language took a journey from the islands’ heritage.  The Spanish called it Los Palaos and then the Germans named it Palau.  Today, the official name is the Republic of Palau.

Where is Palau located?

Palau officially became a sovereign state on October 1, 1994.  Palau is made up more than 200 volcanic and coral islands, many of them surrounded by a single barrier reef in the western Pacific.  It is part of the larger island group of Micronesia and shares its maritime boundaries with Indonesia, the Philippines and the Federated States of Micronesia.

A Brief History of Palau

The first inhabitants of Palau date back to 2500 BC where they are believed to have come from present day eastern Indonesia.  They perfected their fishing, farming and developed complex social systems.

Captain Henry Wilson from England, became the first westerner to visit the islands when his vessel shipwrecked off shore in 1783.  In 1885, the Spanish asserted claims to the islands but that was short lived as the Spanish sold the islands to Germany in 1899.  The Germans did much to exploit the islands’ natural resources.  Phosphate mining began and coconut plantations popped up everywhere and cultivated for export.

When the Germans were defeated after World War I, the Japanese took over the islands.  Their reign only lasted until they lost the war in World War II.  A fierce battle between the US and Japan took its toll on the islands of Palau.  Many ship wrecks resulted, which are now dive sites, as well as too many lives lost, on both sides.  In 1947, Palau became a United Nations Trust Territory under the US administration until their Independence in 1994, as did several other Pacific nations.  Today they are independent under the Compact of Free Association with the US.  The US is responsible for their defense and financial aid and the US has the right to operate military bases on the islands.  The US dollar is the official currency of Palau and English is the official language, along with Palauan.

Palauan Culture

Despite all these outsider influences on the islands, monoliths and other relics are reminders of ancient culture and traditions that once thrived on the islands.  Today, Palauans hold strong to their heritage.  Although there are over 200 islands, only a few are inhabited.  The Koror Island is the hub where 2/3rds of the 21,000 inhabitants call home. The ethnic makeup of the islands is a mix of Micronesian, Melanesian, Asian and Western elements.  Koror is the main city and the economic hub and was also the former capital.  However, in 2006 the capital was moved to Ngerulmud, which is located on the nearby island of Babelbaob.  The other two satellite islands are Malakai and Ngerkebesang.  Tourism is the main economic driver for Palau.  Subsistence farming and fishing are also contributors to their economy.

The government is by far the largest employer on the islands.  A traditional government operates in conjunction with the federal government which sometimes creates conflicts, mainly over land rights.  Traditional matrilineal practices remain prevalent in nearly every aspect of Palauan life.  This is especially seen in funerals, marriages, inheritance and the passing of traditional titles.  One of Palau’s most important cultural symbols is the bai.  This is an impressive thatched, gable-style building that is the center of political and social life.  The beams are decorated with carvings that depict the life and the histories of the villages.  Today replicas called storyboards are sold to tourists as wonderful mementos of the islands.  Shell jewelry, watercolors and weavings are also popular tourist items.  Traditional dance, especially by women formed in two lines, is considered an art form. The men’s typical line dance includes war stances using sticks.

Why you should visit Palau

Palau is home to the most pristine waters in the world.  Most people go there to dive or snorkel and enjoy the breathtaking, white sand beaches that dot the islands’ coastlines.  Palau was the first country in the world to establish a shark sanctuary, in 2009.  They are also home to a lake called Jellyfish Lake.  It is located on the island of Eil Malk which is part of the uninhabited Rock Islands in Palau’s southern lagoon.  The Rock Islands’ southern lagoon was listed into the UNESCO world heritage sites in 2012.  The unique Rock Islands are rounded knobs of forest-capped limestone that plunges steeply into the sea.  Jellyfish Lake is connected to the ocean through fissures and tunnels in the limestone of an ancient Miocene reef.  It is a place where you used to be able to snorkel with the golden-colored jellyfish, that don’t sting. The lake is currently closed to visitors as the jellyfish were beginning to decline due to environmental issues.  They hope to be able to reopen it when the jellyfish are replenished.

Another popular area is called the Milky Way, also located in the lagoon, amongst the Rock Islands  This area is known for its white, limestone mud found on the water floor.  It is believed that it will make you look ten years younger if you lather it all over your face and body, let it dry and then rinse it off with a swim in the lagoon.

Palau’s economic growth is tied to its conservation legacy.  Its marine sanctuary ensures a vibrant future for the nation’s marine life and for its economy for years to come.  That is, as long as climate change doesn’t take its toll on the islands.  The President of Palau has to look no further than his own backyard.  When there is a full moon, due to rising sea levels, the garden his wife used to keep at the back of their house gets flooded with salt water by the high tide.  “We no longer have flowers.  We had to put them in a pot and when there is a high tide, we move them.”  According to data from the United Nation, low-lying, small islands in the Pacific are disproportionately at risk of losing land as sea levels are expected to rise by 10-32 inches by the late 21^st century.  Palau has begun looking for alternatives to relocate its population to higher ground, before it’s too late.

Food of Palau

As we look into the cuisine of Palau, it comprises what they are able to grow and catch in the surrounding Pacific Ocean.  Root vegetables like taro, pumpkin, and yams are prevalent.  Pandan, with its unique aroma  and sweetness is widely used in cooking and desserts.  Colorful, exotic fruits are plentiful, such as: dragonfruit, mango, passionfruit, breadfruit, the very healthful soursop and the queen of fruits, the rambutan.  Of course, coconut is abundant and used for flavoring everything from fish to soups.  Rice is commonly served at mealtime.  An interesting island tradition there, is that women are the only ones allowed to harvest taro.

One unique dish you will find in Palau is fruitbat soup where the fruit bat wings and head are cooked in a broth of coconut.  Fish from the sea are cooked in all different ways and also eaten raw.  The cuisine has influences from America, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other Pacific Islands.  A few specialties are: Tinola, a soup made with chicken, papaya and ginger, Ulkoy, a deep fried shrimp and squash fritter and Pichi-Pichi, a dessert made with coconut and cassava.

So let’s enjoy a few more Palauan specialties:

The Menu

Starter

Tuna Poke Salad

Main Dish

Grilled Snapper; Palauan Style

Dessert

Halo-Halo (Shaved Ice with Milk, Fruit and Beans)

We set the scene with plumeria. the fragrant national flower of Palau.  We decorated with a shark figurine and sea shells, representing the shark sanctuary and the stunning marine life.  A baseball glove represented baseball as the national sport, which was brought to the islands by Japan in the 1920s.  Lastly, we added tropical fruit and a grass cloth covering, along with tapa rounds to complete the island feel.

We began our meal with a tuna poke salad.  Tuna is abundant in the waters of Palau and I absolutely love raw tuna.  This dish is inspired from the Hawaii Islands in the USA.   It is an absolutely delicious salad and is very versatile.  It has avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, shallot, scallions and pea sprouts, with diced up, sashimi grade, tuna.  It is dressed with sesame oil, light soy sauce, lime, a hint of chili powder and black sesame seeds.  Heaven in a bowl.

For the main course we made a whole snapper.  It was grilled in a banana leaf and stuffed with kaffir lime leaf, garlic and ginger.  It was covered in a mixture of dark, mushroom-flavored soy sauce and sesame oil.  The fish was grilled for about 15 minutes (until tender and flaky.)  We served the fish whole, with white, steamed rice, flavored with the same mushroom, soy sauce and sesame oil.  The result was a quick, easy and sumptuous main dish that makes you feel like you are on a tropical island.  We loved it!

For dessert we enjoyed Halo-halo (pronounced hollow-hollow).  It is perfect for a hot, summer, tropical day.  It is a simple bowl of shaved ice that is covered with a bit of sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk.  It is then topped with nata de coco, which is a jelly-like square that comes in different colors and flavors.  It also has some sweet red, mung beans and jackfruit .  It is finished with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Halo-halo was a welcomed, cool and refreshing dessert to end our Palauan meal.  All in all we said “Ng ungil a chasi er ngii”  which means “It tastes good!”

After dinner we decided to treat ourselves to a mud spa.  Although I could not get the Milky Way mud, I did find a spa mud, in hopes of looking ten years younger.  If it doesn’t do the trick, a trip to Palau is in order.

As we say goodbye to this beautiful, tropical paradise, called Palau,  I leave you with a Palauan proverb.  “A ungil el merreder a ua chull el melemedem er a daob” Translated it means, “A good leader is like rain that calms the ocean.”

Until next time,

Thank you, (Ke kmal mesaul) Pronounced Kuk-MAHL-ma-SAHL

Darlene

If you haven't yet, please be sure to join the culinary journey around the world so you don't miss a thing, it's free!

The Federated States of Micronesia is the official name of this country, comprising 607 small islands and, an even larger number of atolls in the western Pacific Ocean.  The country is part of the area known as the Caroline Islands, which are thousands of small islands divided among several countries. Coincidentally, these islands are also part of a wider region also known as Micronesia. However, the Federated States of Micronesia is referred to as FSM or simply Micronesia, for short.

The name Micronesia stems from two Greek words, mikros, meaning small and nesos, meaning island.  The combined land area of this nation is only 271 square miles but it covers a longitudinal distance, from east to west, is about 1600 miles. However the islands occupy more than a million square miles of the Pacific Ocean.  The closest neighbors are New Guinea, Guam and the Marianas, Nauru and the Philippines.  The ocean area makes this country the 14^th largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world.  The country contains four states: Yap, Chuuk (also known as Truk), Pohnpei and Kosrae which are centered around one or more high islands.  Each state, except Kosrae, includes numerous outlying atolls.  The Capital is Palikir, located on Pohnpei. The entire population of Micronesia is only slightly over 115,000 people.

Micronesians’ ancestry dates back some 4000 years.  The Portuguese were the first Europeans to discover the islands while searching for the Spice Islands of Indonesia.  Then it was ruled by the Spanish in the 16^th Century.  The Spanish incorporated the islands as part of the Spanish East Indies and in 1887 founded the town of Santiago de las Ascension, which today is Kolonia, on the island of Pohnpei.  The Spanish sold the archipelago to Germany after their defeat in the Spanish-American War.  In 1899 it became part of German New Guinea.  It was then captured by Japan during World War I and became part of the South Pacific Mandate after that war.  The Truk Lagoon was an important station for the Japanese fleet during World War II.  It was in February of 1944 when Operation Hailstone, one of the most important naval battles of the war, occurred destroying many Japanese vessels and aircraft.  Following the war, Micronesia became part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, administered by the United States of America (USA.)

Micronesia gained independence on November 3, 1986.  They became part of the United Nations in 1991.  The USA is wholly responsible for the defense of Micronesia.  The relationship with the USA allows citizens of Micronesia to join the US military without having permanent residency or citizenship.  It also allows for immigration and employment for Micronesian's in the USA.  Micronesia is extremely dependent of the USA as its primary source of income, which remains a major concern for the nation.

The main economic activity revolves around subsistence farming and fishing.  Tourism plays an important role as well, but the lack of good infrastructure and the remoteness of the islands, makes it difficult.  The government employs a large segment of the population but unemployment runs very high, around 25%.  English is the official language, yet native languages are also spoken like: Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, and Yapese, to name a few.  It is a Christian nation, divided between Catholics and Protestants.  The Church plays an important role in society. The constitution provides for religious freedom and missionaries of many religions are present and operate freely there.

Each state in the FSM has considerable autonomy and is unique in their own culture.  However, there are also common bonds that are centuries old, like the importance of the traditional extended family and clan systems, that are found on each island.

The island of Yap may be the most intriguing in Micronesia, as it is steeped in ancient traditions, many of which are still practiced today.  Dance is how legends are passed down and how history is recorded.  Children from a young age are taught these important lessons through dance.  Grass skirts are worn by the women, made of banana fiber and hibiscus bark, and th’us, a type of loin cloth, is worn by the men.  These are still worn as clothing on this island.  They continue to live a traditional lifestyle where fishing, sailing and weaving are integral parts of everyday village life.  Yap has also become a world renowned diving destination, as this is the only place on earth where manta rays can be seen year round.  Yap is also known for its stone money.  Massive carved stones were transported from a quarry in Palau.  The value of stone money is derived from the oral history of each piece.  The canoe, made in all the states, is extremely important to all Micronesians, along with special navigational tools which are taught on Yap.  Each year a festival is held demonstrating Yap’s unique navigational talents, which can be seen nowhere else in the world.

On the island of Chuuk, there is a fun tradition known as the love stick.  Young men carve two sticks of the same design; a short one to be used for his hair and a long one for the woman.  When a man likes a woman, he uses the long love stick to poke into her hut.  If she likes him, she will pull on the stick signaling to him it is okay to come in.  If she pushes it out, she is not interested.  On Chuuk, the clothing is made from colorful, cloth decorated with island flowers, which is a favorite souvenir among tourists.

Pohnpei has the largest and tallest island in the FSM.  It gets lots of rainfall, which creates more than 40 rivers that feed into the rain forest.  Waterfalls are simply spectacular on this island.  This island is also well known for its diving around the hard coral reefs.  There are also the Nan Madol Ruins, called the Venice of the Pacific.  It is a man-made city with ocean-filled channels that once housed a thriving royal civilization.  Additionally, huge basalt pillars are still standing and believed to have formed the residences of kings.  These ruins are still being studied and explored for a better understanding of ancient Pohnpeian civilization.  This island is also famous for its drink sakau, similar to kava root.  The pepper plant is taken from the wild and a brew, made from its roots, is presented at a special ceremony. The relaxing, numbing drink, with effects similar to alcohol, is enjoyed in ceremonies and also in local bars.

Kosrae is the place to escape.  Mysterious, ancient Lelu ruins can be found there, along with wonderful hiking opportunities.  One is Mount Finkol, called the sleeping lady, where a series of gushing waterfalls can be found in the verdant jungle.  It is also known for its exceptional diving where visibility in these pristine waters is over 200 feet.  It is believed that Kosrae is home to some of the healthiest coral reefs anywhere in the world.  Kosrae is well known for its citrus fruits.  Oranges, limes, and tangerines can be found in all the street markets there.

As we look into the cuisine of Micronesia, the staple foods are taro, yam, bread-fruit, coconuts and bananas.  Rice is also an important imported staple.  The ocean provides fish, and shellfish of all varieties.  Almost every family on the islands of Pohnpei, and Kosrae, raise pigs and chickens, which are cooked for special occasions.

So let’s enjoy a Micronesian meal:

The Menu

Starter

Kelaguen (Raw Shrimp Cooked in Lemon Juice)

Main Course

Micronesian BBQ (Marinated Chicken and Ribs)

Served with

Sweet Potatoes and Bananas

Dessert

Micronesian Pudding (Coconut Milk Pudding over Cake)

We set the scene with the color blue, which represents the ocean on the Micronesian flag, along with four stars, representing each state.  Yam, bananas, citrus and coconut were placed to display what grows on these beautiful tropical islands.  A canoe and some sea shells completed the setting.

Our first course was kelaguen.  It is basically a ceviche or seafood cooked in lemon juice.  In Micronesia is can be made with shrimp, fish, beef, chicken and even spam.  The dish also includes salt, green onions, hot peppers and grated coconut or coconut cream.  Please note that if chicken is used, it is first barbecued.  Also spam would be served in the back kitchen not set out for guests.  It is stylish to serve multiple types of kelaguen on a separate table.  We loved this dish made with shrimp.  It was outstanding!

Next was the main course, chicken and pork ribs that were both marinated overnight in a Pacific island marinade and then barbecued.  Cooking over an open flame is what most families do in Micronesia.  The marinade really did have an island flavor, made with soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, onions and garlic.  This marinade is extremely versatile and would be delicious on just about anything.  We loved it on both the chicken and the ribs.

The barbecued meat was served alongside a sweet and savory side dish of bananas and sweet potatoes.  The potatoes were first boiled until tender and then combined with bananas and fried in butter.  The side dish was a delicious combination of flavors.

For dessert, we enjoyed a few more island flavors, called Micronesian pudding.  The pudding was made with coconut milk, vanilla, sugar, butter and cornstarch, combined to make the topping for a yellow cake.  It was then dusted with cinnamon.  It was a delightful end to our Micronesian meal.

As we say goodbye to the Federated States of Micronesia.  I simply like to dream about being on any one of those beautiful remote islands, simply known for their palm-shaded beaches and unparalleled coral reefs.

Until next time,

Darlene