The Origins of Pupus: A Deep Dive into Hawaiian Cuisine

Hello and welcome to today's episode of Cooking Real Hawaii, I'm your host Sheldon Simeon, chef and owner of Tin Roof Restaurant, and author of the same name. Today we're going to explore the fascinating world of pupus, those small little bites that have become a staple at parties, family gatherings, and Chinese restaurants across Hawaii.

The word "pupu" originates from eating pupu shells that would be foraged on the shorelines of Hawaii. In fact, you would eat these shells, kind of like eating from them. This tradition eventually translated into things that could fit inside a shell or be consumed in small, bite-sized pieces. So, what exactly is a pupu? Well, it's not just about the food itself, but also the culture and history behind it.

As we delve deeper into the world of pupus, we're going to explore three different recipes today. First up, we have pipikaula, which translates to "pipi" meaning cattle or beef, and "kaula" meaning rope. You can see why this dish is called that - the grain of the beef resembles a rope. But what's even more interesting is how this dish came to be.

The Hawaiians brought various types of fruits, vegetables, and cattle with them as they traveled across the Pacific Ocean. However, it wasn't until Captain George Vancouver gifted King Kamehameha a few heads of cow that cattle became an integral part of Hawaiian cuisine. The Spanish cowboys from Mexico, who arrived 40 years later, taught the Hawaiians how to herd these cattle, and thus began the evolution of pipikaula.

The process of making pipikaula is quite fascinating. The beef was initially salted up, and then tied onto saddles by the cowboys as they rounded up the herds. As they rode through the mountains, the beef would dry out, and once they reached their destination, it would be filled with whatever spices and seasonings were available. Over time, Hawaiian cuisine adapted to these new ingredients, incorporating dishes like nioi, a Hawaiian chili introduced by Spanish horticulturist Don Francisco de Marin.

NiOi is very similar to Thai Bird Chilis - hot as hell, with just the right amount of spicier than a habanero, and bursting with flavor. This spice brought a whole new dimension to the Hawaiian cuisine, adding depth and heat to dishes like nioi. Today, we're going to create our own version of this spicy chili, using a sauce that I've dubbed "kudish," which is a Portuguese term meaning something like "mix" or "blend."

The kudish sauce is an interesting twist on traditional Hawaiian cuisine. It's a blend of spices and ingredients that have been adapted over time, reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped our islands. As we explore this recipe, you'll see how these different flavors come together to create something truly unique and delicious.

In the next section, we'll take a closer look at the pipikaula itself - how it's prepared, what ingredients are used, and why it remains an essential part of Hawaiian cuisine. So, let's get started on this culinary journey through Hawaii, and discover the fascinating world of pupus for yourself.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en-The word pupu comes fromeating pupu shellsthat you would go and forageon the shorelines of Hawaii.♪♪So you would eat that pupushell, kind of eat from it.Eventually, it kind oftranslated into thingsthat you could fit into a shellor a small little bite to eat.♪♪Hello. Hi, everyone.Sheldon Simeon here,chef/owner ofTin Roof Restaurantand author ofCook Real Hawaii.We are going to be talkingabout pupus today.Those small little bitesthat you see at parties,family gatheringsor at the Chinese restaurantdown the street.But we're going to divedeep into itand what it meansfor pupus in Hawaii.So, we're going to be doingthree different recipes today.The first one we're going to betalking about is pipikaula.So pipikaula translates --pipi, cattle, beef or cow.Kaula means rope.Being that it's flank steak,you can see the waythe grain is going.We're going to pull that off,and that's going toresemble kaula -- rope.Now, the Hawaiians,they brought with themas they traveled acrossthe Pacific Ocean.These different types of fruits,vegetables.cattle didn't cometill later on,when Captain George Vancouvergifted King Kamehamehaa few heads of cow.So Kamehameha first called onthe Spanish cowboys from Mexico.They came over 40 years laterto teach the Hawaiianshow to herd up these cattle.With that, they broughttheir culture from Mexico.The pipikaula was actuallystarted by salting up the beef.♪♪Then these cowboys would tie itonto their saddles,and as they're rounding upthe different herds,by the time they got intothe mountain --to the mountains, it would bedried, and then fill them upfor the rest of the drive.So as the years have gone by,the Hawaiian cuisinekind of evolvedwith whatever immigrantsthat came to Hawaii,one of them being nioi,the Hawaiian chili,introduced bySpanish horticulturistDon Francisco de Marin.Very similar to ThaiBird Chilis -- hot as hell,a little bit spicierthan a habanero,a ton of flavor, and broughtspice to the Hawaiian cuisine.We're going to make a saucethat I call kudish,which is a Portuguese termof, like, \"ay caramba\"or like, \"Wow.\"Kudish -- Hawaiian chilies.Boom. We've got some salt,some sugar,and then some vinegar.Put this in the blender.Get it all mixed together.♪♪Pop the top.What you have is this beautifulHawaiian chili pepper paste.I'm going to takesome soy sauce,pour that over the beef.♪♪Add a ton more salt.♪♪Smear our Hawaiian chilion top of it.Now imagine strips of theseriding up alongside your horse.The Hawaiians wouldput this in the sunor drying it in a covered box.We'll get this on a rack,put it in the oven,and mimic the warmnessof the Hawaiian Sun.So I'm going to pullthe pipikaula out.It's been going fora few hours now,slowly drying,concentrating those flavorsas if they're outon the Hawaiian range.The reason why we use flanksteak is because of the grain.We pull it apartand it starts to resemblerope, like this.In the Simeon household,we're known for heavy pupus.You come into my party,you come into my housefor dinner, there is going to bea spread of food,whether it's poke, there mightbe some boiled peanuts in there,kamaboko dips, all of that.Pipikaula is nottypically somethingthat you would seein a big spread like that.The paniolos needed a wayto preserve their meat,so this is more like a snack.Also in the category of pupus,just think of these Hawaiianson the range, you know.They needed somethingto keep them going,to keep them rounding upthis cattle,and this was a perfect wayto keep them fueled up.In this one recipe,you see the different momentsin time of Hawaiiand the ingredientsthat was introduced.It all starts to come togetherin the food of Hawaii.Onto another pupu.Now this recipe, sakura boshi,is rooted inthe Japanese culture --dried fish that is a hint ofsalty, sweet, and chewy.Here we have a beautifulpiece of ahi tuna.We're going to makethe marinade first.Japanese had two momentsof immigration to Hawaii.One, the most prominent,Japanese peoplecame to workon the sugarcane plantations.Another form of immigrationfrom Japan and influenceto Hawaiiwas Japanese fishermen.They brought these delicious,delicious recipes,and sakura boshi was adifferent way to preserve fish.I take a little bit ofginger --that's goingto perfume everythingand be the baseand aroma of this dish.♪♪Then we're going to takesome equal parts of shoyu --It's amazing -- in Hawaii,everyone calls it shoyu.That is the Japanese influence.I don't even knowit was soy sauceuntil the later yearsof my life.I'm going to takea little bit of cola --again, the same,equal amounts of it.So the use of cola, that's justone of those mottos in Hawaii,is you use what get,as they would say --use what is in front of you.We're going to slice up our ahi.Now, pupus can comein two forms, heavy or light.There's nothing better thanwhen you're invited to a partyand on the invitation, the words\"heavy pupus\" is on there.You know you're infor a feast.♪♪Now, one ofthe main attractionswhere pupus is showcasedthe most is atyour son's or your daughter'sfirst birthday party.Back in the day,it was something of a miracle,almost, to have your childlive to his first years,and it was somethingthat was celebrated.Case in point,my son's birthday party.We had a pupu spreadof 17 different choices.We cooked for a whole weekstraight.We live for that.One of the highest thingsthat I take to heartand I adore the most iswhen I get asked to cookfor someone'sfirst birthday party.And then we'll put thatinto our marinade.Going to lomi that together,massage, lomi omo.One of the waysthat it's traditionally done,it's usually in a dehydratoror out in the sun.We're going to just keep it niceand simpleand put it rightinto this dehydrator.So now that our sakura boshihas been dryingin the electric Hawaiian sun,we are going to pull them out.We're going to add a touchof honey over the top of them,just to glaze it all like this.You just want to havethat balancebetween that saltinessand the sweet.And that's what's amazingabout Hawaii cultures --it naturally comes together.You have these different flavorsnaturally fusing together --salty, sweet, bitter, spicy.All of that, all intoone cuisine in the islands.Then we're going to take this,add a little bit ofsesame seeds.♪♪Salty, sweet ahi tuna candy.♪♪Last but not least, we aregoing to do sardine pupu.It has one particular condiment,though --the spice of Hawaii --chili pepper water.I've got some boiling water.I'm going to addmy Hawaiian salt.I'm going to cut upmy Hawaiian chilies.Every family, every chefhas their own wayof making chili pepper water.This is very simple,basic, classic way.A little bit of chili.Inside there, addinga little bit of white vinegar.I love that I got to grow upin a householdthat had different typesof chili pepper water.So my house was always, like,the gathering spot, you know.Any type of, like, birthdaycelebration or holidaysor just beersand pupus after work.Now you can imagine a tableof burly construction guys,some ranchers, you know,some farmers,they would have their beerin front of themand then a shot glass.But what they are doingis actually taking shotsof Hawaiian chili pepper water.I'm going to add some garlic.Go ahead and get themright into the jar.Then I'm going to just top itoff with that salt water.That's going to be ready to useas soon as that cools down.Of course, it's going to bebetter after a day or two,or even the best after a weekonce everythingstarts to break down.Moving on to one of my mostfavorite things to eatin the world --canned sardines.And I know a lot of youhave this in your culture.It's going to be sardinesand some onions,and I kid you notjust by technique alone,this thing is going to be ono.I'm going to take some onions --get the sweetest kindthat you can find.You know, the cultureof tinned food in Hawaiicame shortly afterWorld War II.When military rations becamea thing,that was in the normal lifeof Hawaii.So I'm going to take thisand slice itas thin as possible.This is such a typical thingthat you would find in Hawaii --the taking of canned goodsand adding a simple ingredientlike onions or cabbageto stretch it.And what I'm going to dois put it into a bowland I'm going to top that offwith some ice water.And what that's going to beis like takingthese onions to the spa,and it'll get all ofthe negative feelings out of itbecause this dish is happy.These onions are happy.They're meant to be sweet,like the lovethat you find in your heart.And it's sitting in its ice bathlike that.We're going to top that offonto our sardines.We're going to flavor thiswith some garlic.Now, the word \"pupu\"can be used loosely.Case in point, sardines pupu.It's just something thatI came up withthat you needed something to eatand have a snack,and then it became a hit.That idea of Hawaii,of having things be so specific,you don't need it.You use what is in front of you.I'm going to put our garlicin there.We're going to flavor thiswith shoyu and vinegar.If you guessed it,it is a form of adobo.That's how it goes. You startto make these pupus,yes, it's not Hawaiian.It might be Filipino.But I'm going to reachfor some gochugaru,which is Korean pepper flakes.Korean food in Hawaii --another influence,another culturethat made Hawaii their homeafter their migration therebecause ofthe sugarcane plantations.So I love using gochugaruto flavor oilsin, like, stir fries,and it's amazingthat I'm using Korean pepperthat was always availablein a Filipino household.I'm just going to flavorthat a little bit of vinegar.♪♪Some shoyu.♪♪All right, sardines are done,we're going to let that restjust for a second.I'm going to drain out our sweetKula Maui onions here.Take our sardines.It's amazing, look --something as simpleas sardines and onionshave three different culturesin it.It's all one cuisine.It's Hawaii cuisine.I'm going to take someof our onions.Take our chili pepper water andadd a little spice to it all.And why not kick things upsome lemon oil?Expand your mind of what pupuscan be, guys.Crab rangoons, take a back seat.So there you have it.We went throughsome of my favorite pupus.I can't wait for youguys to try.As you can see, pupusis this range of deliciousness.If you start to tear awaythe layersof the food of Hawaii,you see how it'sall been influencedby all these different cultures,all coming together, that makesour food so special and so ono.Fish candy.Does anybody got beer? No?Some beer.♪♪The oil that is flavored with...Sardine cologne, coming toa shelf near you.\n"