Preparing a Mumu

So you want to see how to build the coolest "steem oven" ever? Check it out:

The ladies helped prepare the kau kau (cow cow = sweet potatoes).

The guys build the fire and cook the food. They start with a bed of rocks and build a fire to super-heat the rocks. They then take away the fire, build a base around the hot rocks, pad it with grass and banana leaves.

Then they dump all the food in: vegetables, greens, and bananas on the bottom and meat on top. They do this in layers. As it cooks, the juices from the meat drip down and flavor the vegies.

Here I'm using a bushknife to cut off the end of this length of bamboo, which will be used as a funnel and a vent.

But first you have to knock the joints out of the bamboo, so the water can flow through.

This tube is forced down to the base of the rocks at the bottom of the pile. As water is poored in, it hits the rocks and begins to steam.

The Mumu is covered over with banana leaves and then with dirt on top and on all sides, so that it is completely sealed and the steem doesn't escape. It cooks for about 2 hours and then is ready to uncover! This is my favorite part!

The food is separated out and divided up amongst everyone.
Men and women eat in separate groups. Everyone has plenty to eat. What's left is dispersed and shared between different family lines. You can learn a lot about how people think by the way they interact with each other...and even by the way they eat.