Palau on a plate: Where to eat authentic Palauan food

If you want to have authentic Palauan gastronomic experience, then we know the perfect place for you.

Whether you’re a tourist or a foreigner destined to Palau for vacation or work, respectively, and you want to learn more about Palauan culture and traditions, then you can begin your quest by trying out local food prepared and cooked by the locals themselves.

Realizing the need to give tourists diverse experience in Palau other than diving and water activities in which the country is known for, the Palau Visitors Authority (PVA) is taking the lead in bringing Palau’s tourism to the next level by offering visitors authentic food experience with topnotch quality (because who says tourism is only about visiting places, right?).

Restaurants in downtown Koror are aplenty but you can’t easily find one that lists Palauan food and delicacies on their menus. Foreign food had become mainstream in popular restaurants in Palau so if you want to be unique, then head to Uchulangas in Airai State where the true Palauan gastronomic experience awaits you.

You will surely drool over the sight of taros transformed into different dishes. There you will find sweet taro chips, taro leaf soup, and other desserts that are made from the same crop. I’ve never seen taros prepared with such elegance and style before. Taro, being the most important crop for the Palauan people, is like the counterpart of rice in Asia. But there is more to taro than just being taro as this is deeply-rooted in Palau’s arts, culture and traditions.

Tapioca also made a place in Palauans’ diet. Also, don’t be deceived if you will see brownish sausage-looking food and assume that they are indeed sausages as they are actually coconut candies. Yes, you read it right. After eating that, why not try sipping fresh coconut juice too straight from its very own shell?

And of course, since Palau is known for its pristine seas, you can only expect the best and freshest seafood you could ever find on Earth be it fish, crabs, or shrimps.

Another interesting and equally important thing to note is that you can gorge all these island bounties using traditional utensils made from natural materials like taro leaves made into plates. That means that you are not only making a healthy option for yourself but for the environment as well since resorting to natural materials means getting rid of single-used plastics that are destroying the environment.

So the next time you feel like you’ve had enough sushi, ramen, sinigang, or whatnot, then you now have the best option.

So how do you get this experience in Palau? Simply contact the PVA Office through 488-1930 or 488-2793 or you can e-mail them at pva@pristineparadisepalau.com to get the details on how and when you can arrange a special Palauan luncheon. (Rhealyn C. Pojas)