Among the Māori of Aotearoa, there is no starter, main course, or dessert: there is *kai*, food, that is gathered and shared. Dishes are classified by their origin — *aruhe* and *kūmara* from the earth (Papatūānuku), *manu* (birds) from the forest of Tāne, *kaimoana* from the sea of Tangaroa — and most often everything is cooked together in the *hāngī*, the earth oven. The *kai* is placed on mats of *harakeke* (flax) or large leaves, and it is through the generosity of sharing that *mana* is gained. Sweet (tī kōuka root, berries) accompanies savory in no fixed order, at the discretion of the *hakari*, the great feast.

All Māori cuisine is born from the gift of Mahuika: fire. In the *hāngī*, stones are heated until white-hot, then covered with wet green leaves and *kai*, then earth; the trapped steam slowly cooks roots, birds, and fish. The spark is drawn by friction from the wood of *kaikōmako* — the tree where Māui hid the goddess's last flame.