Kai for thought: Kahawai

Kai (food) has a special role in connecting people and bridging cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand. Many plants and kaimoana (seafood) we enjoy today have been staples in the Māori diet for hundreds of years. Māori innovation and Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) have guided the cultivation and harvest of culturally significant foods for generations.

Kahawai

Kahawai (Arripis trutta) is known by its Māori name in New Zealand and as Australian salmon in Australia (although, besides its look, it is not related to salmon or to trout).

USE: Kahawai is an important traditional food for Māori. For example, Māori at the Motu River used to bury the fish for up to a year to preserve them. More commonly today, the fish can be preserved by smoking or bottling. Māori used to fish for kahawai with flax nets or with lures made of wood, shiny pāua (abalone) shells, whalebones and/or pounamu (New Zealand jade). They drew the beautiful lures through the water, attracting the fish with their flashes of colour.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Kahawai is a good source of protein, B vitamins, selenium and vitamin D. These nutrients have a wide range of health benefits and in particular are important for physical performance.

For more on the nutrient content of these foods and over 2,700 commonly prepared and eaten foods in New Zealand, visit the New Zealand Food Composition Database at foodcomposition.co.nz. To learn more about Māori traditional and contemporary interests in plant and kaimoana, check out some of the Māori organisations Plant & Food Research has supported in these areas: Wakatū, Tuaropaki and Ngati Porou Miere.