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Food and Dining
Te Kai me te Tunu Kai
Conversations around preparing meals, sharing kai, and expressing gratitude before eating.
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the food / the meal
A definite singular noun phrase specifying particular food, a prepared meal, or the act of eating.
Kua mātao te kai i te tatari ki a koutou.
The food has gone cold waiting for you all.
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breakfast
Breakfast, the first meal of the day (a loanword now in everyday use). As a verb, parakuihi means to have breakfast.
I whakarite a Kui i te parakuihi mā ngā mokopuna.
Nan made breakfast for the grandchildren.
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lunch
Lunch, the midday meal (a loanword). As a verb, tina means to have lunch.
Kua rite te tina i te wharekai, haere mai!
Lunch is ready in the dining hall, come on in!
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supper / evening meal
Supper or the evening meal (a loanword; Te Aka: tea, dinner, supper). At a hui, supper is often served after the evening mihimihi.
Ka whakatakotoria te hapa i te wharekai i muri i ngā mihimihi.
Supper will be set out in the dining hall after the introductions.
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cook food / prepare meals
To cook food (tunu: to cook). The everyday verb phrase for preparing a meal.
E tunu kai ana ngā ringawera mō te hui.
The kitchen workers are cooking for the hui.
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preparing the food
The active process of preparing specific food items or a meal, using the object marker 'i' to focus on the food being prepared.
Kei te wharekai ngā ringawera e whakarite ana i te kai.
The kitchen workers are in the dining hall preparing the food.
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grocery shopping / buying food
Refers to purchasing food and groceries from a store, market, or supermarket for domestic or communal use.
Ka haere mātou ki te hoko kai mō te hākari ā te Rāhoroi.
We will go shopping for food for the feast on Saturday.
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fetching food / getting food
The act of going to collect or retrieve food, whether from a pantry, store, garden, or takeaway shop.
Haere ki te tiki kai mā ngā tamariki e tākaro mai nā.
Go and fetch some food for the children playing over there.
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gathering food / harvesting
The traditional or modern practice of harvesting, foraging, or collecting food from gardens, forests, or coastal areas.
I heke mātou ki te hāpua ki te kohi kai mā te whānau.
We went down to the lagoon to gather food for the family.
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washing food
The essential culinary practice of cleaning raw food ingredients, seafood, or produce with water prior to cooking or serving.
Ko te horoi kai te mahi tuatahi tonu i roto i te kāuta.
Washing food is always the very first task in the kitchen.
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cutting vegetables
Refers specifically to slicing or cutting up fresh vegetables in preparation for cooking soups, stews, or boil-ups.
Kei te tapahi huawhenua a Kui mō te kōhua.
Nan is cutting vegetables for the pot.
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peeling potatoes
The daily kitchen task of stripping the skins off potatoes before boiling, steaming, or placing them in a hāngī.
Kei waho ngā taitama e tīhore rīwai ana mō te hāngī.
The young men are outside peeling potatoes for the hāngī.
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cooking fish
Refers to preparing fresh or dried fish through techniques like frying, steaming, smoking, or baking.
I muri i te hokinga mai i te moana, ka tīmata te tunu ika.
After returning from the sea, the cooking of the fish began.
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baking bread / making bread
Baking or making bread, including rēwena (bread raised with a potato-based yeast) and parāoa parai (fried bread).
Kei te mahana tonu te kāuta i te tunu parāoa rēwena.
The kitchen is still warm from baking rēwena bread.
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baking a cake
Refers to mixing and baking cakes or sweet treats for birthdays, celebrations, or afternoon tea.
I kite ahau i ngā tamariki e āwhina ana i te tunu keke mō te rā whānau.
I saw the children helping with baking the cake for the birthday.
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frying fish
Frying fish in a pan or in hot oil (parai: to fry).
Kei te takatū ngā ringawera mō te parai ika i waho.
The kitchen workers are preparing for frying fish outside.
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turning off the oven
The action of turning off the power or heat supply to the oven once cooking is completed.
Kei wareware i a koe te whakaweto i te oumu i muri i te mahi.
Don't forget to turn off the oven when you're done.
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reheating the food
Warming up or reheating food (whakamahana: to warm, heat up).
Me whakamahana te kai i mua i te hokinga mai o ngā tamariki.
The food should be reheated before the children come home.
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stirring the food
Stirring food as it cooks so it does not stick or burn (kōrori: to stir round).
Kōrorihia te kai kei piri ki te kōhua.
Stir the food so it doesn't stick to the pot.
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placing food out / laying kai
Refers to placing dishes, platters, or food onto tables or serving areas for a meal.
Kei te takatū ngā tamariki mō te whakatakoto kai i te wharekai.
The children are getting ready for laying out food in the dining room.
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preparing the table
Refers to organizing and arranging the dining table area so that guests or family can be seated comfortably for kai.
Whakaritea te tēpu i mua i te taenga mai o ngā manuhiri.
Get the table ready before the visitors arrive.
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wiping/cleaning the table
The act of clearing and wiping down the dining table surface before or after meals.
Horoia te tēpu i muri i te kai.
Wipe the table after the meal.
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doing the dishes / washing dishes
The common household or marae chore of washing used plates, cutlery, pots, and pans after a meal.
Mā wai e horoi ngā rīhi i tēnei pō?
Who will do the dishes tonight?
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drying dishes
The kitchen task of drying washed crockery, cutlery, and utensils using a tea towel.
Ka horoi ahau i ngā rīhi, māu e whakamaroke.
I'll wash the dishes; you dry.
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the plate
A singular noun referring to a dinner plate or dish used for serving and eating food.
Whakatakotoria te pereti ki te taha o te māripi me te paoka.
Place the plate beside the knife and fork.
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the cup / mug
A common noun referring to a cup or mug used for hot or cold beverages.
Homai te kapu nei kia whakakīa ki te wai māori.
Hand me this cup so it can be filled with fresh water.
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the spoon
A noun referring to a spoon used for eating soups, desserts, or stirring hot drinks.
Whakamahia te koko ki te kōrori i tāu tī.
Use the spoon to stir your tea.
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the knife
A utensil or tool with a blade used for cutting, slicing, or spreading food at the dining table or in the kitchen.
Me ata pupuri i te māripi kei tapahi koe i tō ringa.
Hold the knife carefully lest you cut your hand.
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the fork
A standard dining utensil with prongs used for picking up and eating food.
Kua taka te paoka ki te papa.
The fork has fallen on the floor.
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the pot / saucepan
A pot for boiling food (Te Aka: traditionally a vessel in which heated stones were placed). As a verb, kōhua means to boil; boil-ups are cooked in one.
E koropupū ana te wai i roto i te kōhua nui.
The water is boiling in the big pot.
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the frying pan
Refers to a frying pan, skillet, or shallow pan used over heat or a stove to fry, sear, or sauté food.
Homai te parai, ka parai hua ahau.
Pass me the frying pan, and I'll fry some eggs.
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the oven
Refers to a modern enclosed oven appliance used for baking, roasting, and heating food.
Kei roto i te oumu ngā kūmara.
The kūmara are in the oven.
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the earth oven / stove
An earth oven: food cooked on heated stones in a pit (Te Aka: oven, earth oven). Closely related to hāngī.
I tahuna te umu e te whānau i te atapō.
The whānau lit the umu before dawn.
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the fire
Refers to a fire, open flame, or heat source used for cooking, warmth, or ceremonial purposes.
Me kawe te kōhua mīti ki te ahi ki waho tunu ai.
Take the meat pot to the fire outside to cook.
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the dining table
Refers specifically to the dining table where meals are set out and shared together.
Huihui mai koutou ki te tēpu kai, kua rite te tina.
Gather around the dining table, everyone, lunch is ready.
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the food basket
A woven or modern basket used for gathering, storing, carrying, or presenting food and provisions.
I kawea mai e ia te kete kai ki te wharekai mā ngā manuhiri.
She brought the food basket to the dining hall for the guests.
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the food container / bowl
Refers to any container, dish, bowl, or vessel used to hold, store, or serve food.
Whakatakotoria te ipu kai ki runga i te tēpu.
Put the food container on the table.
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the water
Refers to water used for drinking, cooking, washing food, or preparing beverages.
Ringihia te wai ki ngā kapu.
Pour the water into the cups.
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the milk
Refers to milk used as a drink, added to hot beverages, or used as an ingredient in cooking and baking.
Homai te miraka mō taku tī.
Pass me the milk for my tea.
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the tea
Tea, the drink. Offering visitors a cup of tea is an everyday act of hospitality.
Haere mai ki roto ki te inu tī.
Come inside and have a cup of tea.
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the coffee
Refers to coffee as a beverage, widely consumed during morning tea, meetings, or casual gatherings.
He kawhe māu?
Would you like a coffee?
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taro
Taro, a starchy root crop brought to Aotearoa by Polynesian voyaging ancestors and grown mainly in the warmer north; widely eaten by Māori and Pasifika families today.
Kua maoa te taro me te kūmara.
The taro and kūmara are cooked.
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the bread
Bread, including store-bought loaves, parāoa parai (fried bread) and rēwena (bread raised with a potato-based yeast).
Kei runga i te tēpu te parāoa rēwena.
The rēwena bread is on the table.
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the butter
Refers to butter used as a spread for bread or as a key fat ingredient in cooking and baking.
Pania te pata ki runga i te parāoa mahana.
Spread the butter on the warm bread.
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the cheese
Refers to cheese, commonly used in sandwiches, light snacks, or melted over cooked dishes.
He hanawiti tīhi tāku mō te tina.
I have a cheese sandwich for lunch.
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the meat
A general term for meat (such as beef, pork, or mutton) prepared for meals, roasts, or boil-ups.
Kua ngohengohe te mīti i roto i te kōhua nui.
The meat has gone tender inside the large pot.
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the fish
Refers to fish, a primary seafood source in traditional and contemporary Māori cuisine, often fried, smoked, or raw in cream.
I hopukia te ika e Pāpā i te atapō.
Dad caught the fish before dawn.
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the chicken
Refers to chicken either as poultry or as a meat ingredient commonly roasted, fried, or added to soups and stews.
Kei te tunu a Māmā i te heihei mō te hākari.
Mum is cooking chicken for the feast.
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the fruit / produce / egg
A versatile noun referring to an egg, fruit, or the general yield/produce of plants and animals used in food preparation.
He nui ngā hua o te māra i tēnei tau.
The garden has given plenty of produce this year.
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the bird's egg / hen's egg
An egg, literally a bird's egg (hua: fruit, product; manu: bird). The everyday word for the eggs you cook with.
I kohia e ngā tamariki ngā hua manu i te ata nei.
The children collected the eggs this morning.
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the vegetable
A general term for edible plant produce and garden vegetables used in cooking or eaten raw.
Ka whakatō a Koro i ngā huawhenua ki te māra.
Koro will plant the vegetables in the garden.
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the potato
The potato: brought by Europeans in the late 1700s and quickly grown widely by Māori, now a staple of boil-ups and hāngī.
Kua maoa ngā rīwai.
The potatoes are cooked.
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kūmara / sweet potato
The kūmara, or sweet potato, brought to Aotearoa by Polynesian voyaging ancestors and a treasured crop. Kūmara were traditionally planted in spring.
He reka te kūmara i tunua ki te hāngī.
Kūmara cooked in a hāngī is delicious.
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the cabbage
Cabbage, grown in home gardens and commonly added to a boil-up.
Tapahia te kāpeti, ka tāpiri atu ki te kōhua.
Slice the cabbage and add it to the pot.
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the carrot
Refers to the carrot, commonly diced or chopped for stews, soups, roasts, and fresh salads.
I tīhorea e ia te kāroti i mua i te panga ki te kōhua.
She peeled the carrot before throwing it into the pot.
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the lettuce
Refers to lettuce, used primarily as a fresh crisp base for salads, sandwiches, and cold platters.
Horoia te rētihi ki te wai māori.
Wash the lettuce in fresh water.
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the tomato
Refers to the tomato, used fresh in salads, cooked in relish, or incorporated into savory sauces and stews.
Kua maoa ngā tōmato i te māra.
The tomatoes in the garden are ripe.
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the apple
Refers to the apple, a popular fruit used for healthy snacks, lunchboxes, and baked desserts.
I tapahia e Māmā te āporo mā ngā tamariki i te wā o te paramanawa.
Mum sliced the apple for the children during snack time.
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the banana
Refers to the banana, widely eaten as a quick snack or added to smoothies, baking, and breakfast cereals.
Tīkina he panana i te kete kai hei whakakī i tō puku.
Fetch a banana from the food basket to fill your stomach.
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the orange (fruit)
An orange, the fruit (a loanword). Not to be confused with karaka: the native tree with orange berries, the colour orange, or a clock.
Kei roto i te kete ngā ārani.
The oranges are in the basket.
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the sugar
Refers to sugar used as a sweetener in hot drinks, baking, porridge, and desserts.
Kua pau te huka, me hoko anō.
The sugar has run out, so we need to buy more.
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the salt
Refers to salt used for seasoning, preserving, and enhancing flavor in savory cooking.
Tukuna mai te tote ki konei hei whakareka i te kōhua.
Pass the salt over here to flavor the stew.
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enjoy your meal / bon appétit
A polite phrase spoken before eating to wish dining companions an enjoyable meal.
Kia pai te kai, e te whānau!
Enjoy your meal, everyone!
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thank you for the food
A common phrase expressing sincere gratitude to the cooks, hosts, or harvesters after finishing a meal.
Ngā mihi mō te kai reka nei, e ngā ringawera.
Thank you for this delicious food, kitchen workers.
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morning or afternoon tea / snack
Refers to light food, snacks, or refreshments eaten between main meals during work or school breaks.
Kua whakatakotoria te paramanawa ki runga i te tēpu.
Morning tea has been set out on the table.
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saying grace over food
Saying grace or a blessing over food before a meal. Whether it is done and who says it is decided by each whānau and marae.
Mā Koro e whakapai te kai.
Koro will say grace over the food.
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the hāngī / earth oven
An earth oven that cooks food with steam and heat from stones heated in a fire and buried in a pit; also the food cooked in it (Te Aka). Putting down a hāngī for a hui or celebration takes many hands.
Ka tunu hāngī te whānau mō te huritau o Kui.
The whānau will put down a hāngī for Nan's birthday.
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seafood / shellfish
Seafood, especially shellfish (Te Aka). Taking only what is needed and sharing it with elders and whānau is part of caring for the kaimoana beds.
I kohi kaimoana mātou mā ngā kaumātua.
We gathered seafood for the elders.
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the pipi (shellfish)
Pipi, a common edible shellfish found just below the sand on harbour flats at low tide (Te Aka).
Ka kohi pipi mātou ina timu te tai.
We gather pipi when the tide goes out.
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the pāua / abalone
Pāua (abalone), gathered from rocks below the tide line; its shell is prized for its shimmering blue-green colours.
Kua rāhuitia te kohi pāua i tēnei takutai.
Gathering pāua on this coast has been placed under a rāhui.
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the kina / sea urchin
Kina, the common sea urchin (Te Aka). The roe inside is eaten, often raw.
He pai ki a Koro te kina.
Koro likes kina.
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the eel
Freshwater eel, longfin and shortfin (Te Aka); a treasured food caught in rivers, lakes and swamps.
I mau i a Koro tētahi tuna nui.
Koro caught a big eel.
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the sow thistle (pūhā)
Sow thistle, a leafy green (Te Aka) gathered and boiled, often with meat and potatoes in a boil-up.
Kei roto i te kōhua te pūhā me ngā rīwai.
The pūhā and potatoes are in the pot.
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the watercress
Watercress, gathered from clean streams and cooked in boil-ups.
I kohia he wātakirihi i te taha o te awa.
Watercress was gathered beside the stream.
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fried bread
Fried bread: dough fried in hot fat, a favourite at hui and whānau gatherings (parāoa: bread; parai: to fry).
Nā Kui i tunu te parāoa parai.
It was Nan who made the fried bread.
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the feast
A feast or celebration meal (Te Aka). After a pōwhiri, sharing food is the final act of the welcome.
Ka tū te hākari i te wharekai i muri i te pōwhiri.
The feast will be held in the dining hall after the pōwhiri.
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the kitchen workers
The kitchen workers who cook and serve at a hui or on the marae (Te Aka: kitchen worker, kitchen hand); literally "hot hands".
Ka mihi te iwi ki ngā ringawera i te mutunga o te hui.
The people thank the kitchen workers at the end of the hui.
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sharing out food
Sharing out food so that everyone gets some (tohatoha: to distribute, share).
Kei te tohatoha kai a Whaea ki ngā tamariki.
Whaea is sharing out food to the children.
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the potato (taewa)
Potato (Te Aka). Also used for the old potato varieties Māori families have grown for generations.
Kei te whakatipu taewa a Koro i tana māra.
Koro is growing taewa in his garden.
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food-gathering place / garden
A garden, cultivation or food-gathering place (Te Aka), such as a stream, swamp or shore where kai has long been gathered.
He mahinga kai nui tēnei repo i mua.
This swamp was an important food-gathering place in the past.
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hospitality / care for others
Hospitality, kindness, generosity and support: showing respect and care for others (Te Aka). Sharing food with visitors is one of its clearest expressions.
He tohu manaakitanga te tuku kai ki ngā manuhiri.
Offering food to visitors is a sign of manaakitanga.
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relish / food eaten alongside
Something eaten with another food to complement it, such as a relish or a side (Te Aka: ingredients, relish, sauce).
He pai te pūhā hei kīnaki mō te mīti.
Pūhā is good to eat alongside the meat.
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the mussel
Mussel, of several species (Te Aka), gathered from rocks at low tide.
I kohia e mātou he kūtai i ngā toka.
We gathered mussels from the rocks.
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the crayfish
Crayfish, the rock lobster (Te Aka), a special food often brought for a feast. (Kōura also means gold.)
I mauria mai e te whānau he kōura mō te hākari.
The whānau brought crayfish for the feast.
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the food basket
A small food basket plaited from flax (Te Aka). It appears in the whakataukī "Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi": when everyone contributes, everyone thrives.
Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi.
With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.
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the cookhouse / kitchen
A cooking shed, kitchen or cookhouse (Te Aka).
Kei te kāuta ngā ringawera e tunu kai ana.
The kitchen workers are in the cookhouse cooking.
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the food is cooked
The food is cooked. maoa is a stative verb meaning "be cooked" or "be ripe", so it takes kua, not kei te.
Kua maoa te kai, haere mai ki te kai!
The food is cooked, come and eat!
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I'm full
I'm full; literally "my stomach is full" (kī: be full). taku is the neutral possessive.
Kua kī taku puku, ngā mihi mō te kai.
I'm full, thank you for the food.
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I'm hungry
I'm hungry (hiakai: be hungry).
Kei te hiakai au, he aha te kai?
I'm hungry. What is there to eat?
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fishing (with a line)
Fishing with a hook and line (hī: to fish, draw up). Fishing traditionally carried its own tikanga, which differ between iwi.
I haere a Pāpā ki te hī ika i te atapō.
Dad went fishing before dawn.
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the marrow / squash
A stubby green marrow or squash (Te Aka), a favourite in home gardens and boil-ups.
Kua maoa te kamokamo i te māra.
The kamokamo in the garden is ripe.
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the pumpkin
Pumpkin (a loanword), often cooked in a hāngī or roasted.
I tunua te paukena ki roto i te hāngī.
The pumpkin was cooked in the hāngī.