Regional highlights
Maui Gold pineapple
Maui's signature fresh fruit — Maui Gold (technically a strain of MD-2, originally branded "Hawaiian Gold") is grown on the Hali'imaile and West Maui plantations, with a sweeter, lower-acid flavour than the supermarket pineapple shipped from elsewhere. Sold whole at the airport and at upcountry farmers' markets, but at its best eaten fresh on the island. Used in cocktails (Mai Tai, Lava Flow), in pineapple-sweet teriyaki marinades, and grilled with brown sugar over the chicken at backyard cookouts.
Hana banana bread
Maui's Road to Hana (the spectacular winding drive on the windward east coast) is famous for its small banana-bread stands — local apple-banana (a small, slightly tart variety unique to Hawaii) baked into moist, dense, lightly spiced bread, often with macadamia nuts or chocolate chips folded in. Sold from roadside stands in Hana, Nahiku and Keanae; the apple-banana variety gives it a tang that mainland banana bread doesn't have. A Maui road-trip ritual.
Laulau
Pork (or fish, or chicken) wrapped in luau leaves (taro leaves), then a second wrap of ti leaves, steamed for hours until the meat is meltingly tender and the taro leaves cook down into a green vegetable layer. A traditional Native Hawaiian luau dish; the Maui version often uses butterfish (black cod) instead of or alongside the pork, which adds a richer, oilier note. The flavour is mild, smoky, slightly bitter from the taro leaves; the texture is silky.
Kalua pork
Whole pig slow-cooked in an imu (underground oven) — the Native Hawaiian luau centrepiece. The pig is rubbed with Hawaiian sea salt, wrapped in banana and ti leaves, lowered into a pit lined with hot lava stones, covered with more leaves and earth, and steamed for 6-8 hours. The Maui luau scene is famous for traditional imu-cooked pigs; the Lahaina, Kaanapali and Wailea resort luaus and the smaller community luaus on the windward side all serve it.
Poke
Cubed raw ahi tuna seasoned with shoyu (soy sauce), sesame oil, sweet onion, green onion, ogo seaweed and chilli flakes — Hawaii's signature raw-fish preparation. Sold by the pound at Maui's poke counters (the Lahaina and Kahului supermarkets and the smaller fishmongers in Paia and Kihei have the best). Eaten over rice as a poke bowl or as a starter. Local proteins (salmon, octopus, tako) and modern flavours (spicy mayo, ponzu) sit alongside the original ahi shoyu.
Plate lunch
Hawaii's signature plantation-era working lunch — two scoops of white rice, a scoop of macaroni salad, and a protein (kalua pork, teriyaki chicken, mahi-mahi, mochiko chicken or beef stew) on a paper plate. Plate-lunch counters and drive-ins are dotted across Maui, especially in Kahului, Wailuku, Kihei and Lahaina. Casual, cheap, the everyday Maui working lunch.
Surfing Goat Dairy cheese
Maui's small-batch goat cheese — Surfing Goat Dairy in Kula's upcountry pastures has produced fresh chèvre, feta-style and aged goat cheeses since 1998, with flavours often infused with local ingredients (lilikoi/passion fruit, lavender, Maui pineapple, Maui onion, peppercorns). Sold at the dairy farm shop, the Maui Tropical Plantation, and the upcountry Saturday farmers' markets. Pairs naturally with Maui Wine and a slice of Hana banana bread.
Maui Wine pineapple wine
Maui Wine (formerly Tedeschi Vineyards) at Ulupalakua Ranch is Hawaii's only commercial winery, founded in 1974. Alongside its grape wines (a sparkling, a Syrah and a few others) the estate makes pineapple wines — Maui Splash (a sparkling pineapple), Maui Blanc (a still pineapple white) — that are unique to the island. Slightly sweet, fragrantly tropical, surprisingly food-friendly. The tasting room at Ulupalakua is a popular Upcountry day-trip stop.
Maui onion
A sweet white onion (similar in style to Vidalia or Walla Walla) grown on Maui's Kula slopes — the volcanic Haleakala soil and dry climate produce an onion with low sulphur and high sugar, sweet enough to eat raw in salads and on burgers. Sold at upcountry farms and farmers' markets; "Maui onion" branding on chips, salad dressings and rings is widespread across the islands. The grilled Maui onion ring is a Maui burger institution.
Haupia
Coconut-milk pudding — coconut milk thickened with arrowroot or cornstarch, sweetened, set in a shallow pan, then cut into squares. Served at every luau as a finishing dessert; the Maui version is sometimes layered with chocolate or with passion-fruit (lilikoi) curd in restaurant interpretations. Light, slightly chewy, very fragrant of fresh coconut.
Lilikoi (passion fruit)
Hawaii's wild passion fruit — egg-shaped, yellow or purple-skinned, with a tart-sweet pulp filled with crunchy black seeds. Used across Maui in lilikoi butter, lilikoi chiffon pie (a Maui specialty), POG juice, cocktails, and as a finishing curd over haupia or shave ice. Sold at upcountry farmers' markets and the Lahaina fruit stands; the wild vines climb across Maui's roadside fences and many Maui families have their own.
Loco moco
Two scoops of rice, a hamburger patty, brown gravy poured over, and a fried egg on top — invented in 1949 at the Lincoln Grill in Hilo (Big Island) and adopted across the state including Maui. Eaten for breakfast or lunch, never daintily. The gravy soaks into the rice; the egg yolk runs into both. The Maui version sometimes uses local Maui Cattle Company beef.