Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Inamona

Condiment or relish used in traditional Hawaiian cooking

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

ʻInamona is a condiment or relish used in traditional Hawaiian cooking made from seed kernels of the kukui nut (candlenuts) and sea salt.

To make traditional ʻinamona, the fruits of the kukui are harvested, dried, and husked. The exposed dried nuts are roasted over hot coals until evenly blackish brown. They are then cooled, sometimes dipped in cold water to crack the secondary husk and expose the kernel. First ground with a stone and mortar, the crushed kernels are then mixed with alaea salt to prevent rancidity.

In modern recipes, macadamia nuts are a substitute if candlenuts are not available. It is sometimes mixed with seaweeds, often accompanying meals or served with fresh fish.

01Uses

ʻInamona is used in poke and sometimes sushi. It enhances the flavor of the poke, which may be served "Hawaiian style" with a mix of sesame oil, limu, salt, and yellowfin tuna (ahi) or sometimes skipjack tuna (aku).

Watch videos about InamonaExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Inamona, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.