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Fish and seafood from French Polynesia

Fafarufafaru

Fafaru is slices of raw fish, usually tuna, steeped in seawater that has been fermented with the heads of freshwater prawns. The steeping time is set by taste, and the finished fish smells very strong but tastes mild. It is often spiced and eaten with mitihue, taro and sweet potato.

A short entry: the sources we found record only what is said here about Fafaru itself. Its own sources do not record how it is made, so the steps and scenes below are those of Kusaya, the closest documented fish and seafood ferment, shown as a guide to the method, not as a record of Fafaru.

Short entryFish and seafood

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedHouseholds make it to taste; no amounts are published in the sources read.
Raw tuna or other fish, sliced[tahiti-tourisme]
Seawater fermented with freshwater prawn heads[tahiti-tourisme]
Peppers, garlic or gingerOptional spices[tahiti-tourisme]
Starterbackslop-like (the fermented prawn-head seawater)

Total time across the steps of Kusaya: 10 h – 20 h

Start
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What changes: The fish are split, gutted and washed until the blood is gone

Step 1 of 4 · steps of Kusaya
Split, gut, wash and bleed the fish
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: split, drained fish.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Fafaru is slices of raw fish, usually tuna, steeped in seawater that has been fermented with the heads of freshwater prawns. The steeping time is set by taste, and the finished fish smells very strong but tastes mild. It is often spiced and eaten with mitihue, taro and sweet potato.

What makes this one different

Fafaru ferments the steeping liquid, not the fish. The fish only soaks in the fermented seawater for a while, so it stays close to raw.

Related ferments

Safety

Fafaru is close to raw fish in a liquid no study we found has tested, and nothing in the method is measured. The FDA links tuna to histamine poisoning, which starts in fish kept too warm, and once histamine has formed neither heat nor freezing removes it. For fish eaten without thorough cooking, the FDA's parasite control is freezing at −20 °C or below for 7 days. The steps here are a record of a household dish, not a tested method.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

  1. [tahiti-tourisme] Tahiti Tourisme, Fafaru, an olfactory challenge (2023)web
  2. [fda-ch7] US FDA, Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Chapter 7, Scombrotoxin (histamine) formationgov
  3. [fda-guide] US FDA, Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Chapter 5, Parasitesgov