Tahiti Food and Culture

Tahiti culture has distinct characteristics, thanks to the seclusion from the influences of outside world until as late as the 1767, when Samuel Wallis became the first European who visited the island. Tahitians developed a village-based society with farming and fishing as main sources of income. Also, probably the surrounding beauty of nature, made them skillful craftsmen and artists, who decorated every objects from their fishing hooks to their canoes.

Tahitians also loved to decorate themselves. The image of lovely Tahitian women with flowers in their hair is intimately associated with the image of Tahiti as a whole. Wearing a flower also has social significance. If a woman wears a flower on the left ear, this means she is available. An interesting trivia about Tahiti is that the word tattoo was probably originated from the Tahitian word ‘tatau’ with the same meaning.

Dance set to the traditional music of drums and conch shells was the soul of Tahitian culture. Many forms of traditional dances are lost. However, the modern Tahitian dance, which retains some of the ancient flavors, is still very much popular.

Food consists of a major part in Tahitian culture. The staple food of Tahitians in ancient time used to be meat, tropical fruits, vegetables such as yam and breadfruit and seafood. With time, Tahitian cuisine was influenced by the British, French and Chinese cuisines as lot of people from these countries came and settled over here. Tahitian food today is a delightful mixture of Polynesian, French, and Chinese cuisine, though a lot of people still cook in traditional ‘ahimaa’ (earthen oven).

You must taste local delicacies such as ‘poisson cru’ (a raw fish preparation in the gravy of rich coconut milk), ‘papaya chicken’ (a delicious combo of coconut milk, papaya and chicken) and ‘Banana Poe’ (a mouth-watering dessert). Tahitian cuisine uses a lot of lemon juices, coconut milk and of course vanilla for which the island is famous. Also, if you are visiting Tahiti during the summer season, don’t forget to taste the wide variety of tropical fruits available in local markets.

History of Tahiti

Tahiti was the home of Polynesians who started to come and settle here from around 300 AD. Tahiti, like the other Polynesian islands in the Pacific Ocean was completely secluded from the influence of any European or Asian civilizations and developed their own cultural characteristics. The soil of the fertile island and the fish-rich tropical ocean provided the Tahitians adequate food. They were skilled sailors, canoe-makers as well as extraordinary craftsmen. Dancing consisted a part of all occasions, some forms of which still survive through ‘otea’, the traditional dance of the Tahitians.

It was probably in 1606 that the existence of Tahiti was made known to Europe as a Spanish ship spotted the island. It was much later, in 1767; an Englishman Samuel Wallis visited Tahiti as the first European to set foot there. He as well as other Europeans, who arrived later, was impressed by the uncommon beauty of the island and the hospitable, good-looking people that inhabited it. In 1768, a very important year in the history of Tahiti, the French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, visited Tahiti and made the island famous in his book ‘Voyage autour du monde’. Captain James Cook arrived in 1769 and went back with samples of Tahitian flora and fauna along with a rough map of the Polynesian islands.

The British and the French started fighting over the control of the area. European fortune-seekers, missionaries, whale-hunters started to arrive in the islands. Slowly, the pristine atmosphere of the islands gave way to evils such as the introduction of prostitution and alcohol, spreading of infectious diseases and gambling. After the Tahitian Queen Pomare IV accepted French protection, Tahiti fought a long and bitter war against the French occupation. Still, in 1946, the French Polynesia became a French Overseas Property.

At present, the French Polynesia is a French Overseas community and its people are French citizens. The French Polynesia has its semi-autonomous government with its own president, currency and laws. France looks after only the education and defense departments.

Geography and Climate of Tahiti

The French Polynesia, of which Tahiti is a part of, is a group of 118 atolls and islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The names of the archipelago that the French Polynesia consists of are: Austral, Society, Gambier, Marquesas and Tuamotu. Tahiti, a part of the Society island group, is the largest of all islands in French Polynesia. Tahiti occupies a little over 1000 square kilometers of land and has a population of around 170,000.

The island of Tahiti consists of two almost round lands, joined by a narrow isthmus. The bigger island in the North West is called Tahiti Nui and the south west island is called Tahiti Iti. Each of these islands has a volcanic peak at the center, namely Mount Orohena in Tahiti Nui (2,241meters) and Mount Roonui (1332 meters) in Tahiti Iti. Both mountains have lush green rain forests covering them, many swift streams emptying into cool rivers and of course a wide variety of flora and fauna that will delight any nature lover.

As with any tropical island, Tahiti has a sunny, warm and humid weather almost throughout the year, but the heat never makes you uncomfortable because of the cool Trade Winds. The summer season lasts from November to April and the highest temperature rarely goes beyond 93° F (34° C). It can rain any time of the year, but in January the rainfall is usually the highest. From May to September, the weather is relatively dry and cool. However, even though it rains quite a lot, it is rare to find a day completely without sunshine. The winter is virtually non-existent here as the lowest temperature usually hovers around 61° F (16° C).

You cannot single out a season which will be the best time to visit Tahiti as the weather is almost the same throughout the year and it is impossible to predict when it is going to rain. You can plan your tour anytime of the year and will always be greeted by the warm, blue sea, the fragrant flowers, the bright tropical sun, azure sky and the welcoming smiles of the Tahitians.