Kererū tunu (Roasted wood pigeon)
Wood pigeon slowly roasted, traditionally trapped in kahikatea forests and preserved in its own fat (huahua). A fleshy, fatty bird when feeding on berries, its rich, flavorful meat was the most prestigious dish on a rangatira's table.
Wood pigeon slowly roasted, traditionally trapped in kahikatea forests and preserved in its own fat (huahua). A fleshy, fatty bird when feeding on berries, its rich, flavorful meat was the most prestigious dish on a rangatira's table.
The kererū — that is the true kai of a rangatira. When the kahikatea berries ripen and the birds are heavy with fat, my hunters go up into the forest with their tāhū. A good hunter brings back twenty birds in a day. We roast them over the fire, and the fat runs, golden as amber. When allied chiefs come to my pā, it is kererū I offer them — not the Pākehā's pork. It is our kai, from our forest, from our whenua. A man who eats the kererū of my lands knows he is my guest.
- •Kererū (wood pigeon) — One per guest (Main game)
- •Kererū fat (huahua) — Rendered during cooking (Cooking juice and preservation)
Kererū tunu (Roasted wood pigeon)
Wood pigeon slowly roasted, traditionally trapped in kahikatea forests and preserved in its own fat (huahua). A fleshy, fatty bird when feeding on berries, its rich, flavorful meat was the most prestigious dish on a rangatira's table.
Why this dish? The kererū (New Zealand wood pigeon) was the most prized bird of Ngāpuhi chiefs, hunted in the forests of the Bay of Islands. Offering kererū at a hākari was a gesture of great prestige. Hone Heke, as a rangatira, received the best portions of the hunt. The fat bird from the berry season was a luxury food, reserved for special occasions.
The kererū — that is the true kai of a rangatira. When the kahikatea berries ripen and the birds are heavy with fat, my hunters go up into the forest with their tāhū. A good hunter brings back twenty birds in a day. We roast them over the fire, and the fat runs, golden as amber. When allied chiefs come to my pā, it is kererū I offer them — not the Pākehā's pork. It is our kai, from our forest, from our whenua. A man who eats the kererū of my lands knows he is my guest.
Ingredients (period version)
- Kererū (wood pigeon) — One per guest (Main game)
- Kererū fat (huahua) — Rendered during cooking (Cooking juice and preservation)
Ingredients
- Wood pigeon (palombe) or farmed quail — 2 pigeons or 4 quails (Substitute for kererū (protected species))
- Duck fat — 2 tbsp (Cooking fat)
- Juniper berries — 6 crushed berries (Evokes the berries kererū feeds on)
- Fresh thyme — 3 sprigs (Aromatic)
- Sea salt — 1 tsp (Seasoning)
- Black pepper — Freshly ground (Seasoning)
Method
- Remove the pigeons from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Season inside and out with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
- In an ovenproof pot, melt the duck fat over high heat. Sear the pigeons on all sides until well browned (about 3 minutes per side).
- Add the crushed juniper berries and thyme sprigs around the pigeons.
- Cover and bake for 25 minutes (pink pigeons) or 35 minutes (well done, more faithful to traditional cooking).
- Let rest for 5 minutes out of the oven, lid ajar. Serve with the cooking juices.
How it was made : The kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) was the most important game bird for Māori. Captured using perched traps (tāhū/mutu) or snares in fruit trees, it was especially fat in autumn when gorging on kahikatea, miro, and tawa berries. A preservation technique involved cooking it and sealing it in its own rendered fat in bark containers (huahua) — a Māori confit. European observers in the 1830s-1840s report that Ngāpuhi chiefs of the Bay of Islands offered preserved kererū as a diplomatic gift of great value. The kererū is now a protected species in New Zealand and can no longer be hunted.
The contemporary twist : Serve on a bed of wild watercress (echoing pūhā) with a few fresh berries (blueberries or blackberries) reminiscent of the forest berries the kererū gorged on.
Sources : Best, Elsdon. “Forest Lore of the Maori”. Dominion Museum Bulletin, no. 14, 1942. · Orbell, Margaret. The Natural World of the Maori. Auckland: Collins, 1985. · Polack, Joel Samuel. Manners and Customs of the New Zealanders. London, 1840.
Hone Heke · Charactorium
