Laplap

Vanuatu baked root vegetable and banana pudding

Origin: Vanuatu / Papua New Guinea

From the journey of Banana.

Laplap is the national dish of Vanuatu and one of the oldest prepared foods in the Pacific Islands, a direct, unbroken culinary thread reaching back to the earliest Melanesian settlements over 3,000 years ago. It is made by grating raw root vegetables (most commonly taro, yam, or manioc/cassava) into a thick paste, then wrapping them in banana leaves with coconut cream and sometimes meat or fish, and slow-baking the parcels over hot stones in an earth oven (umu). The banana leaf is both the cooking vessel and the flavour agent: as it chars and steams, it imparts a faintly earthy, herbaceous note to the dense, starchy interior. Banana itself is often included as a filling, ripe or unripe, adding sweetness and texture. Laplap is central to ceremonial life throughout Vanuatu, prepared for weddings, funerals, kastom (customary) festivals, and the arrival of important guests. Its preparation is communal and time-intensive, making it a marker of collective effort and cultural continuity. In a country of over 100 languages, laplap transcends linguistic difference, it is the one dish that unites all 83 islands of the archipelago.

Ingredients

Base

800 g taro (or yam, or cassava/manioc), peeled and grated to a coarse paste

Filling

2 ripe bananas, sliced into rounds

Liquid

400 ml coconut cream (1 tin)

Seasoning

1 tsp fine salt

Wrapping

6 large banana leaves (or use aluminium foil if unavailable), for wrapping

Protein (optional)

200 g cooked chicken or fish, flaked (optional)

Method

Peel and grate the taro (or yam/cassava) on the coarse side of a box grater into a large bowl. The result should be a fibrous, starchy paste. Season with salt and mix in half the coconut cream until the paste comes together into a thick, spreadable consistency.
If using banana leaves, briefly pass each leaf over an open flame or dip in boiling water for 5 seconds to make them pliable. Dry with a cloth. Lay one large leaf (or a double layer of foil) on a work surface.
Spread a layer of the grated taro paste (~2cm thick) over the centre of the leaf. Arrange a few banana slices and, if using, flaked chicken or fish in the centre. Top with another layer of taro paste to enclose the filling. Drizzle over the remaining coconut cream.
Fold the banana leaf over the filling and tie securely with strips of leaf or kitchen twine. Repeat for remaining parcels.
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Place the parcels in a roasting tin and add a small splash of water to the base. Bake for 90 minutes, turning halfway through, until the taro is completely tender and cooked through.
Remove from the oven and allow the parcels to rest for 10 minutes before unwrapping. The laplap should be a firm, moist slab: slice or scoop to serve.

Notes

Laplap is traditionally made in an earth oven (umu) with heated volcanic stones, producing a subtly smoky result. The oven version is a faithful approximation for home cooks. The dish keeps well and is often eaten cold the next day, where the texture firms up further. Taro is the most traditional root; cassava produces a slightly stickier, denser result. The banana filling is most prominent when using ripe, sweet bananas.

The Gastrographer

Name: Laplap
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Vanuatu / Papua New Guinea
Ingredients: 800 g taro (or yam, or cassava/manioc), peeled and grated to a coarse paste; 2 ripe bananas, sliced into rounds; 400 ml coconut cream (1 tin); 1 tsp fine salt; 6 large banana leaves (or use aluminium foil if unavailable), for wrapping; 200 g cooked chicken or fish, flaked (optional)

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control