10 Must-Try Foods in Fiji

Ask most people what they ate in Fiji and you’ll get a vague answer about resort buffets and grilled barramundi. It’s a shame, because Fiji has one of the most interesting and underappreciated food cultures in the Pacific — and most visitors never scratch the surface of it.

The reason Fiji’s cuisine is so compelling is that it draws from two entirely distinct traditions that have been living side by side for well over a century. Indigenous Fijian cooking is built around root vegetables, coconut cream, and the sea — slow, earthy, and deeply tied to land and ceremony. Indo-Fijian cooking arrived with the indentured labourers brought from India by British colonial authorities from 1879 onwards, and it brought with it the full repertoire of subcontinental spice: curries, dhal, roti, chutneys, and mithai sweets. Today, roughly 37% of Fiji’s population is of Indian descent, and their culinary contribution is woven into the everyday fabric of how Fiji eats.

Where these two traditions meet — at market stalls, in home kitchens, at village feasts — you find some genuinely exciting cooking. And then there is the seafood, which deserves a category of its own. Fiji’s reefs and deep waters produce wahoo, mahi-mahi, snapper, and grouper of a quality that would embarrass a Sydney fish market. You can eat it at a resort for a premium, or at a harbour-side stall in Savusavu for next to nothing. Either way, it is extraordinary. Here are ten things you should eat while you are there.

Here are the 10 must-try foods in Fiji:

1. Kokoda
2. Lovo Feast
3. Roti and Curry
4. Palusami
5. Cassava (Tavioka)
6. Fresh Grilled Fish
7. Duruka
8. Nama (Sea Grapes)
9. Indian Sweets and Mithai
10. Kava (Yaqona)

1. Kokoda — Fiji’s Signature Dish

If you only eat one distinctly Fijian dish, make it kokoda. It is, in essence, a Pacific ceviche: raw fish — usually walu (wahoo), mahi-mahi, or snapper — cut into small cubes and cured in fresh lime juice until the acid turns the flesh opaque and tender. The fish is then folded through thick coconut cream, with diced tomato, fresh chilli, spring onion, and sometimes a little grated carrot for colour. The result is something that manages to be simultaneously light and rich: clean and citrus-sharp from the lime, with the fat creaminess of the coconut rounding everything out.

The dish has close relatives across the Pacific — Polynesian ota’ika in Tonga and Samoa, Peruvian ceviche further afield — but the coconut cream distinguishes kokoda and gives it that distinctly Fijian character. The quality varies enormously. At resorts, it is often made in large batches and served a few hours after preparation, which dulls the freshness. The best kokoda is made to order, ideally with fish caught that morning, and eaten immediately. Ask for it at local restaurants in Nadi, Suva, and Savusavu, or at anyone’s home kitchen if you are lucky enough to be invited to a village meal.

2. Lovo Feast — Earth Oven Cooking at Its Best

The lovo is the centrepiece of any significant Fijian gathering — weddings, Sunday church lunches, welcoming ceremonies for important guests. It is an earth oven: a pit dug in the ground, lined with stones that have been heated for hours in an open fire until they are radiating a deep, stored heat. Food is wrapped in banana leaves — whole chickens, cuts of pork, fresh fish, parcels of taro, cassava, and kumala sweet potato — and laid directly on the stones. The pit is covered with more banana leaves, earth, and hessian sacks to trap the heat, and left to cook for two to three hours.

What emerges is extraordinary. The banana leaf wrapping creates a sealed, steamy environment that keeps everything moist while the stones impart a subtle smokiness. Chicken falls from the bone. Pork becomes yielding and sweet. Taro and cassava absorb the juices from whatever is cooking alongside them. Resort cultural nights serve lovo regularly, and it is worth attending — but if you ever have the chance to eat at a genuine village feast rather than a tourist production, take it without hesitation. The food will be better, the context will be richer, and the experience of eating communally from woven mats on the floor is something you will not forget.

3. Roti and Curry — The Indo-Fijian Everyday

This is what a huge proportion of Fiji actually eats for lunch, and it is the best F$5–8 you will spend on the entire trip. The Indo-Fijian curry house — typically a modest operation with plastic chairs, a handwritten menu on a chalkboard, and enormous pots simmering on gas burners — is one of Fiji’s great culinary institutions. Mutton curry is the traditional centrepiece: slow-cooked until the meat is falling from the bone, in a sauce that is deep with turmeric, cumin, coriander, and heat. Chicken curry is lighter but equally well spiced. Vegetarian options — channa (chickpea), aloo (potato), and baingan (eggplant) — are excellent and often the freshest things on the menu.

The roti that arrives alongside is freshly made: soft, slightly charred in places from the tawa, and pulled apart with your fingers to scoop up the curry. Nadi Town market and the streets immediately surrounding it have some of the best curry houses in the country — look for the ones that are full of locals and have queues at peak hour. The market itself has dedicated food sections where vendors serve roti and curry from early morning. It is a world away from the resort breakfast buffet, and entirely worth seeking out.

4. Palusami — Coconut Cream and Taro Leaves

Palusami is one of those dishes that sounds humble and delivers something far more complex than you expect. Young taro leaves — similar to spinach but with a richer, earthier flavour and a slightly thicker texture — are packed with a mixture of coconut cream, diced onion, and chilli. Sometimes corned beef is added, which sounds incongruous but works well, adding a savoury, salty depth that plays against the sweetness of the coconut. The whole bundle is wrapped tightly in banana leaves and either baked or steamed until the leaves are soft and the coconut cream has been absorbed into a thick, almost custard-like filling.

The result is intensely savoury and rich — the kind of dish that works as both a side alongside grilled fish and as a main in its own right. You will find palusami at any lovo feast and at many local restaurants, particularly outside the main tourist areas. It is a staple at Sunday church lunches, which are some of the most important communal meals in Fijian village life. If you see it on a menu, order it. If you are offered it in someone’s home, accept with both hands.

5. Cassava (Tavioka) — The Staple That Grows Everywhere

Cassava — called tavioka in Fiji — is the starchy root that underpins rural Fijian food culture in the same way rice underpins Southeast Asian cooking. It grows abundantly in Fiji’s fertile soil, it stores well, it fills you up, and it goes with everything. Boiled cassava is served alongside curry, fish stews, and grilled meats as a matter of course: dense and slightly waxy in texture, with a mild, clean flavour that absorbs whatever sauce or cooking liquid it encounters.

What surprises most visitors is the cassava cake — tavioka cake — which is a completely different proposition. This is a baked dessert that appears at every family gathering, market stall, and church fundraiser across the country. It is made from grated cassava mixed with coconut cream and sugar, then baked until it sets into a dense, fudgy, golden slab. The texture is somewhere between a brownie and a steamed pudding, and the flavour is subtle and coconutty with a clean, earthy sweetness. It is substantially better than any description of it makes it sound. Look for it at municipal markets in Suva, Nadi, and Lautoka, where vendors sell it by the slice. It goes well with tea and costs almost nothing.

6. Fresh Grilled Fish — The Best Thing in the Water

Fiji’s marine environment is among the healthiest in the world, and the quality of its reef and deep-water fish reflects that. Walu (wahoo) is the standout: firm, dense, white flesh with a clean ocean flavour and enough fat to grill beautifully without drying out. Mahi-mahi is more widely available and almost as good — sweet and mild with large, meaty flakes. Red snapper and grouper appear regularly on menus at both ends of the market and are consistently excellent when cooked simply: salt, a little oil, a hot grill, and lime juice squeezed over at the end.

Resort restaurants will charge resort prices for these fish, and some prepare them very well. But the most memorable grilled fish experiences in Fiji tend to be at harbour-side and waterfront local eateries, particularly in Savusavu. The Copra Shed Marina area in Savusavu has a cluster of places where you can eat fish caught that same morning, grilled over charcoal, with a plate of boiled root vegetables and a cold Fiji Bitter, for a fraction of what you would pay anywhere tourist-facing. Suva’s markets and waterfront precinct have similar options. If you are self-catering, the municipal markets have fresh catch every morning from early — go before 8am for the best selection.

7. Duruka — A Vegetable You Won’t Find Anywhere Else

Duruka is one of those ingredients that exists almost entirely within Fiji and a handful of other Pacific islands, which makes it worth going out of your way for. It is the flowering shoot of a plant related to sugarcane, harvested just before the flower opens when the shoot is still tightly furled and tender. The flavour is mild and slightly sweet — not unlike young sweetcorn crossed with a tender artichoke heart — with a satisfying bite. It is typically cooked simply: stir-fried with garlic and oil, or simmered gently in coconut milk with a little onion and chilli.

The challenge is finding it. Duruka is highly seasonal — available mainly between May and August — and it rarely appears on tourist restaurant menus, partly because it requires some knowledge to prepare and partly because the people who cook it well tend to eat it at home. Your best chance is the Suva Municipal Market during the dry season, where it is sold in bundles by the stalk, or at roadside stalls in rural areas of Viti Levu. If you ask at a local restaurant whether they have it or know where to get it, you will generally find someone helpful. It is the kind of ingredient that says more about a place’s food culture than any dish on a resort menu.

8. Nama (Sea Grapes) — The Ocean’s Most Unexpected Snack

Nama is edible seaweed — specifically, a type of green algae that grows in Fiji’s shallow, warm lagoons and looks exactly like a cluster of tiny, vivid green grapes. Each individual sphere is about the size of a large tapioca pearl, and when you bite into it, it pops cleanly with a subtle burst of oceanic saltiness. The texture is the main event: that satisfying, gentle pop followed by something delicate rather than rubbery or slippery, which is what you might expect from seaweed.

It is eaten raw in Fiji, typically as a light snack or starter, sometimes with a simple dressing of lime juice, or lightly marinated in a mixture of coconut cream and citrus. You will find it sold fresh at the Suva Municipal Market and, occasionally, the Savusavu market. It does not travel well — it needs to be eaten fresh, ideally the same day it is harvested — which is part of why it rarely reaches tourist restaurants. Nama is a Fijian delicacy in the truest sense: something that locals prize and that most visitors never encounter. If you see it at a market stall, buy some immediately. It costs very little and tastes like the sea in the best possible way.

9. Indian Sweets and Mithai — A Living Tradition

The Indo-Fijian community has been making sweets in Fiji for over 140 years, and the tradition is genuinely excellent. These are not approximations of Indian mithai — they are the real thing, made by families who have been refining the same recipes across multiple generations in Fiji’s heat and humidity, using local dairy and ingredients. Gulab jamun — dense milk-solid dumplings soaked in rose-scented sugar syrup — are rich and intensely sweet, best eaten warm. Barfi comes in many varieties: plain milk barfi, coconut barfi, pistachio barfi, each set into firm squares and cut cleanly. Halwa — made from semolina or carrot, cooked slowly in ghee with sugar, cardamom, and nuts — is earthy and fragrant. Ladoo, made from chickpea flour or semolina and rolled into spheres, are chewy and satisfying.

Indian sweet shops in Nadi, Lautoka, and Suva stock these year-round, though the range and quality peaks around Diwali in October or November when families are buying by the kilogram. Lautoka — Fiji’s second city, with a historically large Indo-Fijian population — has several excellent sweet shops in its main commercial streets. A small box of mixed mithai makes a genuinely thoughtful souvenir, if it survives the journey back to your accommodation.

10. Kava (Yaqona) — Drink This, At Least Once

Kava is technically a drink rather than a food, but any honest guide to eating and drinking in Fiji has to include it, because it is the most culturally significant thing you will consume in the country. Made from the dried, ground root of the Piper methysticum plant mixed with water and strained through cloth, kava — called yaqona in Fijian — has a mild sedative effect. It is earthy and slightly bitter with an almost peppery note, and it leaves the lips and tongue with a mild, pleasant numbness that lingers for a few minutes. It is, honestly, an acquired taste. The colour is an uninspiring grey-brown. The texture is slightly muddy. But none of that is the point.

Kava is shared at the start of almost every significant social event in Fiji: welcoming ceremonies, village visits, business meetings, weddings, and informal gatherings alike. It is served in a bilo — half a coconut shell — and drunk in one or two swallows. When offered kava, you clap once with cupped hands, say “bula” as you receive the bilo, drink it all, and clap three times afterwards. Refusing is considered disrespectful. Even if you find the taste challenging, participating in a kava ceremony with genuine attention and respect opens doors in Fiji that nothing else will. It is a gesture of trust and inclusion that the culture genuinely values.

Final Thoughts

Fiji’s food scene rewards curiosity more than almost anywhere else in the Pacific. The resorts do their job well — the grilled fish is excellent, the kokoda is usually on the menu — but the most memorable eating happens away from poolside service: at a roadside curry house in Nadi, at Suva market on a Tuesday morning, at a village lovo where everything has been cooking in the ground since dawn.

The two culinary traditions — indigenous Fijian and Indo-Fijian — each have real depth, and they are both worth exploring on their own terms rather than just sampling as novelties. Indigenous Fijian cooking is about the land, the sea, coconut, and slow communal cooking that feeds large groups with generosity and without fuss. Indo-Fijian cooking is about spice, precision, and a diaspora food culture that has produced exceptional everyday food under difficult historical circumstances. Understanding a little of that context makes eating both traditions more interesting.

A few practical things to keep in mind:

• Go to markets early. The best produce, fresh fish, and cooked food is gone by late morning at most Fijian markets. Arrive before 8am if you can.
• Eat where locals eat. Busy roadside curry houses with plastic chairs are busy because the food is good. A full plate and a drink for under F$10 is a normal expectation.
• Ask questions. Vendors at Suva Municipal Market and Lautoka Market are consistently generous with explanations about unfamiliar vegetables and how to cook them. This is often how you find duruka, nama, and other ingredients that never appear in tourist contexts.
• Say yes to kava. Even once. Even if you do not enjoy it. The gesture matters more than the taste.

Fiji’s food is not a footnote to the beaches. It is a destination in itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most famous dish in Fiji?

Kokoda is widely considered Fiji’s signature dish and the one most visitors will encounter. It is raw fish — usually walu, mahi-mahi, or snapper — cured in fresh lime juice and mixed with coconut cream, tomato, chilli, and spring onion. It is similar to Latin American ceviche but the coconut cream gives it a distinctly Pacific character. You will find it on resort menus and at local restaurants across the country. The best versions are made fresh to order with fish caught that morning.

What do locals in Fiji actually eat every day?

Everyday Fijian eating varies significantly depending on ethnicity. Indigenous Fijian households eat a lot of root vegetables — cassava, taro, and sweet potato — alongside fish, chicken stews, and palusami. Boiled cassava with curry or a coconut-based sauce is a very common lunch. Indo-Fijian households eat roti, rice, dhal, and curries as staples. At a national level, the cheapest and most widely available cooked food is roti and curry from Indo-Fijian curry houses, which serve enormous portions for F$5–8.

Where should I eat in Nadi to try local food?

Nadi Town market is the best starting point for local food in Nadi. The market has a dedicated food section where you can eat roti and curry from early morning, and the stalls surrounding the market are packed with cheap, excellent Indo-Fijian curry houses. For kokoda and more indigenous Fijian cooking, some of the local restaurants near the market and along Queens Road offer it at lunch. Avoid eating exclusively within Denarau Island if you want to experience how Fiji actually eats — it is a ten-minute drive to Nadi Town, and entirely worth the trip.

Is Fijian food spicy?

It depends entirely on which tradition you are eating from. Indigenous Fijian food is generally mild — the flavours come from coconut cream, root vegetables, and the natural sweetness of fresh fish rather than chilli heat. Chilli is used but usually in moderate amounts. Indo-Fijian food can be genuinely hot, particularly the mutton curry and some of the fish preparations, though most curry houses will moderate the heat if asked. Indian sweets and mithai are obviously not spicy at all. If you are heat-sensitive, sticking to indigenous Fijian dishes and asking for curries to be made mild will generally serve you well.

Can vegetarians eat well in Fiji?

Yes, particularly if they are happy to engage with Indo-Fijian food, which has a strong and well-developed vegetarian tradition. Channa (chickpea curry), aloo (potato curry), baingan (eggplant), and dhal are staples at every curry house. Roti and rice are universally available. Indigenous Fijian cooking is more meat and seafood focused, but palusami (taro leaves in coconut cream), boiled root vegetables, and cassava cake are all plant-based. Markets have excellent fresh fruit and vegetables. Resort menus typically have clear vegetarian options, though these tend to be less interesting than what you will find in town.

What is kava and do I have to drink it?

Kava, called yaqona in Fijian, is a drink made from the ground root of the Piper methysticum plant mixed with water. It has a mild sedative effect and leaves a gentle numbness on the lips and tongue. The flavour is earthy and slightly bitter. You are not legally obligated to drink it, but culturally, refusing kava when it is offered at a ceremony or village visit is considered disrespectful. The polite approach is to participate, even if you only take a small bilo and sip rather than drink the full amount. Most visitors find that the experience of the ceremony — the clapping, the formality, the sense of welcome — is more significant than the taste of the drink itself. If you have a health condition that may be affected by kava, consult a doctor beforehand, and feel free to explain this politely to your host.

By: Sarika Nand