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The surprising foodie island you need to know about


This article is in partnership with New Caledonia. However, all content has been curated by the Yahoo Lifestyle team as per usual editorial discretion.

Who would have thought you can eat French cuisine on an island paradise without the 26-hour flight to France?

New Cal is all about classic French flavours mixed with the rich local tastes of the Pacific. Photo: Getty
New Cal is all about classic French flavours mixed with the rich local tastes of the Pacific. Photo: Getty

Foodies, welcome to New Caledonia. The chic foodie island is Australia’s nearest neighbour, closer than Fiji, even closer than New Zealand!

Where there is good food, there is good drinks! Photo: Instagram @melodyroux via @NewCaledoniaTourism
Where there is good food, there is good drinks! Photo: Instagram @melodyroux via @NewCaledoniaTourism

A two-hour flight from Brisbane, the island is a tasty spot to spend a long weekend or a long-term vacation with a whole lot of unmistakable French charm teamed with local rich flavours.

We know New Caledonia boasts Instagrammable sandy beaches. The clear lagoon waters, still untouched from the ravages of overcrowding, are amongst some of the best swimming spots on earth. But what people may not know about New Cal is that it is a diner’s dream.

The famous Isle of Pines snails on the beach at Hotel Kou-Bugny. And don’t forget the Pinot Gris! Photo: Getty
The famous Isle of Pines snails on the beach at Hotel Kou-Bugny. And don’t forget the Pinot Gris! Photo: Getty

Here is the ultimate eats guide for your 2019 trip to New Caledonia:

Food festivals

Anyone keen on an out-of-the-box culinary sensation should experience a New Cal food festival. Bright and beautiful is an understatement.

A standout is the Bancoule Worm Festival celebrating a local specialty: large edible larva. The September event sees locals and tourists forage tree trunks for the bugs before sampling the harvest. Scientists predict that in 100 years we will all be eating bugs for protein so New Cal is actually ahead of the pack when it comes to sustainable eating. Visitors can get involved in the worm-eating competition or sample the delicacy sautéed with parsley butter.

Locals and visitors sample the grubbed worm at the Bancoule Worm Festival. Photo: New Caledonia Tourism
Locals and visitors sample the grubbed worm at the Bancoule Worm Festival. Photo: New Caledonia Tourism

The Sacred Festival of the Yam, the most important event on the Kanak calendar, is coming up in March. Elders from local Kanak tribes pull the yams from the ground and present the vegetables to the older clansman, beckoning the start of the harvest. A delicious way to experience the beautiful Kanak culture.

We’d do a lot of things for cheese, so jumping on a two-hour flight to the heart of the Pacific for a Cheese Festival sounds like a ‘hard yes’ from us. Held every June in Noumea, a “Maître Fromagier” (cheese master) delights guests by unveiling a buffet of 130 cheeses paired with vino. Think Mini Clac goat’s milk cheeses, Brillat Savarin with truffles, and plenty of pungent French treats.

The New Caledonia Cheese Festival showcases more than 130 cheeses. Photo: Getty
The New Caledonia Cheese Festival showcases more than 130 cheeses. Photo: Getty

Other festivals to put in the diary are the Avocado Fest, Giant Omelette Fest, Gastronomy Fest, and the Beef Fest to name a few.

French Cuisine

Let a French chef teach you the tricks of the trade during a two-hour cooking class in Noumea before heading to the city’s Port Moselle Market for fresh French baguettes and cheese. Chez Toto is a quaint bistro in the “Quartier Latin” (Latin Quarter) serving Parisian favourites like steak-frites. The crème brûlée is one of the best on the island.

Heart-shaped little creme brûlées are sure to get your pulse racing in New Caledonia. Delicious. Photo: Getty
Heart-shaped little creme brûlées are sure to get your pulse racing in New Caledonia. Delicious. Photo: Getty

An excellent choice for a treat-yourself dining option is Marmite et Tire Bouchon. The chef does a mean fall-off-the-bone lamb shank and steak tartare.

Steak tartare on the beach. Photo: Getty
Steak tartare on the beach. Photo: Getty

The French nail a good meat dish so carnivores will rejoice in New Cal’s stockman tradition. The area is known for farming excellent beef and deer and there is a solid cowboy culture in the center of the island. Le Refuge du Cerf in ‘the bush’ serves a delicious venison dish.

Seafood

New Caledonia is surrounded by the biggest lagoon in the world so the abundance of seafood is no surprise. Along with a special local blue prawn that is native to New Cal, the island produces fish, coquillages, bénitiers et trocas, crayfish and coconut crab.

Kanak

Immerse yourself in the core of the Kanak culture by visiting the island’s east coast, a totally different topography with lots of indigenous experiences. Stay with a local tribe and help cook Bougna, a native dish made from tubercles, coconut milk and fish. The ingredients are placed on banana leaves, wrapped up and then cooked under hot stones. A Melanesian delicacy!

Creating a food masterpiece the Kanak way. Photo: Getty
Creating a food masterpiece the Kanak way. Photo: Getty

Whether it is feasting on BBQ items with the French cowboys, experiencing Kanak food, or dining on fancy escargots with beach views, New Caledonia is a foodie must-do for 2019.

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