Fekei

Fekei, in Rotuman, means pudding. The base is a starch — cassava or island roots — which can be baked alone or together with grated taro, banana or breadfruit; so there are many varieties, such as fekei ulu, made with breadfruit. After baking, the dough is kneaded with coconut cream and sugar until soft and glossy, with a texture between pudding and thick porridge.

The preparation is long and uses specific tools: a grater for the taro and a carved wooden pestle for mashing. In notes collected by anthropologist Gordon MacGregor in 1932, Rotumans described how the root starch was grated, washed and sun-dried into a flour that could last for years, and how part of the pudding was cooked with hot stones in wooden bowls.

Rotuma is a volcanic island north of the archipelago, politically linked to Fiji since 1881, according to Te Papa, New Zealand’s national museum. The Rotuman language is different from Fijian, and the island’s oral traditions point to ties with Tonga, Samoa, Futuna and Uvea. Many Rotumans live off the island, in Fiji and other countries.

Fekei is part of Rotuman celebrations. Te Papa records that the family receiving a ceremonial mat, the ‘apei, usually slaughters a pig and prepares a koua, an earth-oven banquet, with fekei. On Rotuma Day, in May, it is also included in community celebrations.

It is served in bowls, in portions, alongside the other foods of the feast.