Food · Wallis and Futuna
Wallis and Futuna: Food and the National Dish
Root vegetables and meat cooked underground in a Polynesian earth oven, a French territory whose food stays genuinely Polynesian
By Worldlore Editorial · 16 September 2026
A French territory with a genuinely Polynesian table
Wallis and Futuna, a French overseas territory made up of two small island groups, keeps a food culture that remains genuinely Polynesian despite more than a century of French administration, built around the same earth-oven cooking method found across the wider Pacific.
The national dish: 'umu-cooked taro, breadfruit and chicken
The 'umu, an underground earth oven of heated stones covered with dirt, used to slow-cook taro, breadfruit, yam and meat such as chicken or pork together for several hours, produces the closest thing Wallis and Futuna has to a national dish. Genuinely central to family and community meals, the 'umu feast brings together the islands' own root vegetables with whatever meat is available, wrapped in leaves and cooked the same way across both Wallis and Futuna.
Taro, breadfruit and a genuinely Polynesian pantry
Taro, breadfruit and yam, all grown across Wallis and Futuna's volcanic islands, anchor everyday cooking, alongside coconut in milk and grated form. Chicken and pork, cooked in the 'umu for family gatherings, and fresh fish given the islands' surrounding waters, round out a pantry shaped by shared Polynesian tradition rather than the territory's French administration.
History behind the earth oven
The 'umu predates French colonial administration, which began formally in the mid-19th century, and remains a genuinely unbroken cooking tradition across both Wallis and Futuna despite that long administrative connection to France. That continuity reflects how thoroughly Polynesian identity has persisted on the islands, with French influence showing up more in imported goods and administration than in the fundamental way food is grown and cooked.
Dishes to know
Four more to recognise across Wallis and Futuna:
- Taro leaves with coconut cream — a genuine Polynesian staple,
similar to dishes found across Samoa and Tonga.
- Breadfruit — boiled, roasted or cooked in the 'umu, a real everyday
staple.
- Grilled fish — a common preparation given the surrounding ocean.
- Ufi (yam) — a root vegetable holding genuine cultural significance
beyond its role as food.
Eating as a traveller
Vegetarians will find taro, breadfruit and coconut-based dishes manageable, though chicken and pork are common at 'umu feasts. Tap water is generally safe to drink on the main islands. Being invited to a family 'umu feast, if the opportunity arises, is a genuine and meaningful way to experience the islands' food and hospitality together.
What to take from the table
The 'umu, cooked underground the same way across both Wallis and Futuna, shows that this territory's food identity remains genuinely Polynesian, shaped far more by Pacific tradition than by more than a century of French administration.