Maori Foods about Hangi

Hangi is an ancient food of Maori. They use heated rocks heated in the ground in a pit oven. Heated rocks and ingredients into a basket and steam that for three hours in a pit oven. Ingredients are pork, mutton, lamb, chicken and generous portions of root vegetables such as kumara (it is sweet potato), pumpkin, carrot, potato, onions and cabbage in basket. Hangi still used heated rocks and a pit oven today. These days, there are many different way to cook Hangi. More recently, "hangi machines" have attempted to replicate the style of cooking without need for a wood fire, rocks and a pit. Hangi has no special preparation of the food is needed besides peeling the root vegetables, but adding herbs such as rosemary, garlic. In addition, stuffing the chicken can add exciting flavors. A Polynesian addition of taro leaves wrapped around some of the food gives it a peppery spice.