Many states have their own staple food. With barbecue from Texas, blue crabs from Maryland, and salmon from Alaska, it’s relatively easy to forget some great things the 50th state has to offer.
Hawaiian food just recently became universally popular. Right now, a Hawaiian dish poke is the most popular fast-casual food you can find in the States as Poke restaurants are all over the country. For anyone who hasn’t tried it yet, poke can be described as a sushi-like meal. It consists of raw tuna (sometimes other fish), marinated in sesame oil, hot sauce, or soy sauce, served over some rice or green veggies.
Kauai Visitors Bureau’s executive director Sue Kanoho spoke about the hype: “Food sites like Yelp and other social media outlets have contributed to the mainland’s recent love-fest with poke. I think that the food scene in Hawaii has grown significantly in the past five years, but quite frankly, poke has been a part of Hawaii for decades.”
Why is poke so popular? The answer may lie in its similarity to sushi. People love trying out new things, but prefer them to be similar to something they know and love. And with sushi getting more and more buzz in the recent years, it’s not too surprising that many people are loving poke.
Have you tried it?
