Pumpkin and Cabbage with Spam (Kiribati Te Bua Toro Ni Baukin)

One of the most popular dishes in the Kiribati Islands is te bua toro ni baukin, in Gilbertese, a Pacific language spoken in Kiribati but also in Fiji, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Solomon but also in Hawaii and in New Zealand. Te bua toro ni baukin, which means "vegetable and meat cake", is a kind of savoury cake made from pumpkin, cabbage and canned meat. Gilbertese cuisine, like all Pacific island cuisines, has been influenced by many cuisines, including Chinese, Filipino, American, and British. SPAM, canned meat, has become a very popular ingredient (just like in Hawaii), because of the lack of fresh meat at a reasonable price. The name SPAM comes from "spiced pork and ham", so it is made of pork and ham. It is an American brand registered by the company Hormel Foods in 1937. SPAM is a cult product shipped a million times every day around the world.

1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 tsp. baking powder
6 Tbsp. powdered milk
1½ lb pumpkin, grated (about 1 medium pumpkin)
1½ lb cabbage, shredded (about 1 medium cabbage)
1 lemon
½ lb tin meat (SPAM), or ½ lb corned beef

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Peel pumpkin and grate flesh into a dish, or if the pumpkin is large, cut the top and carve the inside. Drain excess water from grated pumpkin.

Shred cabbage and add to grated pumpkin.

Add flour, tinned meat (or diced corned beef), powdered milk (or soy milk), cabbage and baking powder to the pumpkin. Mix all together. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice. Put mixture into a baking dish that was greased with butter or oil.

Cook in preheated oven until brown, about 45-50 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.