I've posted on this general topic before, but still had to share this funny commercial...

"Hangi to Go"

I think fast food has truly conquered the last frontiers of cuisine when you can get a Hangi "to Go"!

Hāngi means "earth oven" and is a traditional method of cooking practised by Māori (as well as other Pacific, Polynesian and Asian cultures) where food is buried alongside hot rocks in an underground chamber. In areas with lots of geothermal activity, such as Rotorua in the central North Island, they didn't even have to heat the rocks. They simply placed the food in the steaming thermal crevices, or buried it underground closer to the heat sources. To prevent burning, food was usually wrapped and bundled in leaves.

Geothermal cooking can also be done using the boiling water in steaming mineral pools. This technique is used to cook corn for tourists at Te Puia in Rotorua. As I recall, my Mom was suspicious of this cooking method when she was here earlier this year. To be fair, the strong smell of sulphur in the air is not exactly appetising!

This photo comes from NoEnz, and shows the kete (woven baskets) used to hold the corn submerged in the boiling pools

Traditional hāngi food is pork, mutton or lamb, and chicken, with generous portions of root vegetables such as kumara (sweet potato), pumpkin, carrot, potato, onions and cabbage. The cooking process can take a few hours, depending on how it's done and how much food is in there. Hāngi are still common today, with opportunities to partake in such feasts at many tourist spots around the country.

However, if you can't come visit and would still like to do your own hāngi , check out this web page for a complete how-to guide