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Hawaiian luau main dishes

Main dishes at a Hawaiian luau, and more particularly the Polynesian Cultural Center's Alii Luau, include:

• Kalua pua'a , or roast pork, as its prepared in the Hawaiian imu or underground steam oven. Kalua pig is traditionally seasoned with sea salt and sometimes green onions. Some people prefer the crispy skin from a whole roasted pig.

• While the ancient Polynesians brought moa, or chickens, with them from the South Pacific a thousand years ago or more, more modern Asian influences have livened up the taste with teriyaki chicken.

• Filets of tasty, flakey white meat island fish that is deep-fried.

• For those willing to try anything once, we offer poke, or raw fish marinated in lemon or lime juice with other condiments and a little coconut cream. Normally offered in the Hawaiian-style of raw fish with sea salt, seaweed and onions, we've chosen the more pleasing Tahitan preparation (poisson cru) to introduce you to this island favorite. If you want the more Hawaiian-style version, you need to go a local food store, backyard luau or small Hawaiian restaurant to get a taste.

• Lomilomi salmon. In Hawaiian, lomilomi means to massage, or in this case to break the salmon into small pieces, which are then mixed with tomatoes, onions, and other small condiments, giving it a delicious tangy taste that goes great with poi. This style of fish preparation was actually introduced to Hawaiians by early western sailors.

Other main dishes might include barbecued shrimp, crab claws on ice, barbecued steak (pulehu).