In pre-European times the native New Zealand Maori people cooked their meals in earthern pits. These pits contained heated stones that steamed the food which had been placed in baskets made from flax. While this method is still occasionly followed (by all manner of New Zealanders), a hangi, (pronounced hungee) as the method is called, is more likely nowadays to be done utilising modern materials.

The Traditional Hangi

A pit is dug and rocks are placed in the bottom. A quite large pile of wood is then stacked and once lit, burns down to embers. Use enough wood to ensure the fire lasts about an hour.

Prepare the baskets to be placed in the pit. Each basket contains a seperate food item and all items are covered with edible leaves. Cabbage and watercress are both recommended.

Now place the baskets in the pit, as well as placing the stones around and on top of the baskets. Once this is completed, the baskets and rocks are covered with wet burlap sacks and water is sprayed upon it all to ensure enough steam is present to cook the food.

The final stage is where dirt is shovelled on top of the pit in order for the steam to cook everything. Once enough time has lapsed (about 2-3 hours) the whole process is reversed and you end up with the cooked food.

The Modern Version

Dig two holes approx 5ft long, 3ft wide and 3ft deep. The dimensions depend on how many food baskets you are preparing, see below. Into the first hole place about a dozen railway irons¹ cut into 12 inch lengths. On top of these build a bonfire and light it.

While the fire heats the irons the food is prepared - this is men's work though ladies may peel the kumeras² and pumpkin - and placed into baskets made out of fencing wire.³ There are usually three or four of these, it depends on how many people you are feeding.

Use white meat (pork, chicken etc) and fish. Avoid red meat it dries out too quickly. Vegetables are potatoes, kumera, pumpkin, cabbage, watercress or variations of.

The food is wrapped in tinfoil and placed in the wire baskets which have been lined with damp linen sheets.

Now the hot work starts. Organise the silliest men to drag the white-hot irons out of the fire-hole and place them in the adjoining empty hole. This is best done with rakes.⁴ This must be done quickly - you don't want to lose the heat from the irons.

The food baskets are placed evenly on top of the irons. Make sure the linen is still damp. On top of the baskets you position six large, dripping wet, thick sacks. The dirt originally dug from the holes is now shovelled on top and patted down to ensure no steam leaks out. Always keep an eye out for escaping steam - it means your oven is leaking and the food is not being evenly cooked.

Waiting For The Food To Cook

After four hours, best spent sitting on garden furniture drinking cold beer and chatting to your mates while the sheilas (females) do their thing with the children; your meal is cooked.

Remove the dirt - the smell at this point is mouth-watering - the sacks and the baskets. Take the baskets of food to the tent you have previously erected.⁵

Serving And Eating

Inside this tent will be a trestle table covered in white newsprint. At the top-end of the table one of the men will carve the meat and all your guests will walk around the table with paper-plates selecting whatever food they want to eat. At some really-organised hangis the sheilas bring plates of salad to add to the feast.

Don't forgot to place the pudding in the hangi or you will end up with boiled, instead of steamed pudding for dessert.

The Aftermath

If you get really lucky some of your mates will turn up next day to help you clean up the mess. Some comments you will hear the following day.

"The grass will grow back". "The neighbours weren't talking anyway". "Nice day for a beer".