Poke bowls have taken mainland United States by storm in the past 7 years. The shops are usually brightly colored with trendy #instagrammable decor, and the service is fast-casual with a build-your-own bowl/salad format. It’s perfect for the health-focused diner (likely millennial) who wants a tasty, yet fun, meal on the go.
While poke is relatively new in places like LA and NYC, it’s been a staple of Hawaiian cuisine for decades.
But what is poke?
Poke translates to “to slice or cut crosswise into pieces” in Hawaiian. While meat and veggies can be sliced and diced in this fashion, poke usually refers to fish that’s cut into cubes, marinated in liquids like sesame oil or soy sauce, and mixed up with various add-ins.
But where did poke come from?
The origins of poke can be traced back to Ancient Hawaii, which is the period of Hawaii’s history pre-Kingdom of Hawaii in 1795. Fisherman would catch fish near the reefs and massage them with salt, seaweed and crushed kukui nuts. It was a convenient and tasty snack that helped fuel long stints on the water. In the 19th century, Hawaii was introduced to deep water fishing, and salmon and ahi tuna became the poke fish of choice.
The dish went through a total metamorphosis with the arrival of Chinese and Japanese immigrants in the 70s and 80s. They brought the flavors and cooking techniques of their home, notably soy sauce and sesame oil. The humble poke blossomed from a snack into a meal with the addition of rice, cucumbers, seaweed salad, and various other toppings that resemble the poke bowls we know and love today.
I am currently working on the Konningsdam, and we are doing a 17 day cruise to Hawaii. After 5 long sea day the first stop was Hilo. Of course we had to get a poke bowl….
We stumbled upon Poke Market, which turned out to be the perfect spot to get a poke bowl in Hilo,
Poke Market is a hole-in-the-wall spot nestled along Waianuenue Ave. It’s a to-go operation with a window in the wall for ordering and two tables along the sidewalk for 4 lucky people. We both got the All-Star Bowl with spicy ahi and yuzu salmon over sushi rice with purple sweet potato salad, imitation crab, and some sort of crunchy topping that I think were mung beans.
The fish was outrageously fresh with that melt-in-your-mouth quality you look for in raw fish. The yuzu sauce on the salmon offered a slight zing that enhanced the flavor of the fish. While the spicy soy mixture on the tuna could have had more heat for my taste, the tuna itself was exceptional.
The add-ins are what really set this poke bowl in Hilo over the edge. I’m a bit obsessed with taro, and the taro mash added the perfect subtle sweetness. Radish gave the bowl a hint of bitterness and crunch. Crunchy mung beans took it to the next level.
Poke Market may have kicked off a poke craze here at The Frugal Foodies….
Stay tuned for more Hawaii eats to come!
Get the run down of our top Oahu eats HERE!
