The Akatokamanava Mauke Enua Association launched the Mauke Recipe Book in late September, marking the first-ever community-compiled collection of traditional food knowledge, island language, and culinary practices from Mauke in the Cook Islands, PMN reported.
Led by programme and funding coordinator Lianne Bishoff-Towgood, the Auckland-based association published the volume to preserve recipes, stories, and proverbs handed down by island elders, known as metua. The project captures foundational techniques such as peivere pani—a preparation of mashed banana and arrowroot starch fried in oil or butter—alongside contemporary adaptations for families living in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Essential Facts of the Mauke Recipe Book Launch
- The Publisher: The Auckland-based Akatokamanava Mauke Enua Association produced the book as the first community-driven culinary guide for the island.
- The Content: The volume records traditional preserving methods, proverbs, and modernized adaptations utilizing local staples like taro, kuru, and banana.
- The Distribution: Organizers are distributing the book free of charge to community members across the Cook Islands and the diaspora.
Preserving Metua Knowledge for the Diaspora
Bishoff-Towgood structured the project around direct contributions from island elders to ensure that indigenous language survives through the act of cooking. Some of her earliest memories trace back to her grandmother’s are umu, the traditional outdoor cook-house where family recipes were passed down orally. Recognizing a generational gap for families residing overseas, the association integrated modern kitchen adaptations using accessible ingredients.
“We did try to incorporate more of our traditional recipes…a mixture of new recipes, because while we’re in New Zealand, we had to adapt…modernise a little bit,” Bishoff-Towgood told Pacific Days, as PMN reported. The book details specific techniques that have never previously appeared in print, including the precise handling of ingredients required to achieve the correct texture for peivere pani.
| Project Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Publishing Organization | Akatokamanava Mauke Enua Association |
| Key Leadership | Lianne Bishoff-Towgood (Programme and Funding Coordinator) |
| Funding Source | Ministry of Pacific Peoples’ Pacific Language Community Fund |
| Featured Staples | Taro, kuru (breadfruit), banana, arrowroot starch |
Ministry Funding Supports Cultural Preservation Initiatives
The cookbook operates as one component of a broader cultural preservation initiative funded by the Ministry of Pacific Peoples’ Pacific Language Community Fund. Alongside the publication, the association hosts weaving workshops, Cook Islands Reo Māori classes, and youth-focused umu cooking programmes.
Cook Islands High Commissioner to Aotearoa New Zealand Kairangi Samuela, who grew up eating kuru on Mauke, attended the September launch event. “This book is particularly special, because it reminds us that our food is not simply about what we eat, it carries our stories, it carries the knowledge of our mamas, it carries our memories,” Samuela said during the proceedings, according to PMN.
Nafanuatele Lafitaga Mafaufau Peters, Acting Deputy Secretary for the Ministry of Pacific Peoples, noted at the launch that the initiative establishes a practical blueprint for other Pacific populations, including Sāmoan and Tongan communities looking to document endangered heritage.
Dedication to Late Leaders and Free Distribution
Organizers dedicated the publication to Mauke leaders who guided the project’s initial phases but passed away prior to its completion. Bishoff-Towgood specifically acknowledged the late Tauraki Rongo, a former PMN Cook Islands producer and a Kūki ‘Āirani leader with Mauke heritage, for his contributions to the documentation process.
To ensure widespread access across family networks in the Cook Islands and Aotearoa, the association is distributing the volume at no cost to community members. The free distribution model guarantees that the documented language, recipes, and heritage remain accessible to younger generations in their domestic kitchens.
