A Taste of The Fiji Islands: A Recipe for Fijian Honey Cake

This overview of the Fiji Islands – its geography, its economy, its culture, and its people, and a recipe, too – was prepared by Lu Thomas while a Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship student at the College of Business at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Introduction
The Fiji islands are a collection of small islands in the South Pacific area. There are 333 islands and only 100 of those are actually inhabited by humans. The climate of the islands is considered a mild tropical climate, surrounded by many beaches, rainforests, and coral gardens. The people of Fiji are called Fijians and the locals are called “Lapita People”. The locals got their name from a distinctive type of fine pottery they produced. Fiji was first settled about three and a half thousand years ago. The population currently consists of 842,000 people. The majority of the Fijians are Christian; the other main religions are Hindu and Muslim. The three main languages spoken by the Fijians are English, Fijian, and Hindustani. The Fiji industry is mainly based off of tourism, sugar, clothing and copra. The agriculture consists of sugarcane, coconuts, cassava, rice, cattle and fish. The Islands are also known for exporting sugar, garments, gold, timber and fish.

Country Information

Here are three geographic facts about the Fiji Islands:
1. Over 333 islands make up the Fiji group of islands. Out of the 333 islands, only 100 or so are inhabited by humans.
2. The Fiji islands are located in the tropics of the southern hemisphere with beaches, coral gardens and rain forests. It is approximately 7,095 square miles.
3. The population of the Fiji Islands consists of 842,000 citizens. A majority of their population lives on the two major islands in Fiji called Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

Here are three serious facts about Fiji Islands:
1. The Capital of the Fiji Islands is Suva. The current president of Fiji is Ratu Josefa Iloilo.
2. There are three different languages spoken at the Fiji Islands; English, Fijian and Hindustani.
3. Fiji was first settled about three and a half thousand years ago. The original inhabitants are called “Lapita people.”

Here are three fun facts about Fiji Islands:
1. The Fiji Islands are known as one of the most truly relaxing tropical getaways.
2. The Fiji Islands were discovered accidentally. The first discovery was in 1643 by a Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman and English navigators.
3. The first Europeans to land and live among the Fijians were shipwrecked sailors and runaway convicts from Australian penal settlements.

Here is an unusual fact about Fiji Islands:
A little over a century ago, the Fijian people were thought to be ferocious cannibals. One unfortunate victim of the cannibals was the missionary Thomas Baker, who was eaten with the exception of one of his shoes. Today, the uneaten shoe is on display in the Fiji Museum.




Food Information

Recipe
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup Sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup honey
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9″ x 5″ loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the almonds and beat until well blended. Pour the batter equally into the loaf pans and sprinkle each with the almonds. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Fijian_Honey_Cake

· My Kitchen Story

Being that I’m not a great baker, I asked my boyfriend Anthony to oversee my preparation of this dessert for the class. I bought the ingredients at Winn Dixie where it took me 45 minutes to find the pumpkin spice. By the time I checked out, my face was red with frustration. I knew that this was just the beginning and I had one heck of a night ahead of me. When I got back to the house, I put all the ingredients on the kitchen table so I would not leave any out by mistake.

With the ingredients laid out in front of me and having above me the recipe as a checklist, I was ready to start baking something magical. I then realized that I had no non-stick spray and had to improvise with some I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter, Spray. I whipped up all of the ingredients as directed by the recipe, poured them into the pan and launched it into the oven and set the timer for forty-five minutes. Breaking the restrictions of our diets, Anthony and I then proceeded to lick the bowl.

After about ten minutes, I checked on what is certain to be a delicious taste of Fiji, and I saw that it was about to rise over the edge of the pan. Have no fear; I just put a larger pan on the oven rack below to catch the drippings. Problem solved. After the forty-five minutes passed, I carried out the toothpick test by stabbing the center of the cake and…voila! It passed the test, the Fijian masterpiece was ready! I removed the cake from the oven, along with the drippings pan from beneath the main event.
I let the cake cool for about ten minutes before I flipped it upside down on a fresh sheet of foil and removed it from the pan. After allowing the Fijian cake to cool completely, I then proceeded to portion the dessert into about fifty pieces. The lab results (taste testing) presented a strong case for this dessert as being quite a delicious Fijian delight. Enjoy!

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BIOGRAPHY

David C. Wyld (dwyld.kwu@gmail.com) is the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is a management consultant, researcher/writer, and executive educator. His blog, Wyld About Business, can be viewed at http://wyld-business.blogspot.com/. He also maintains compilations of his student’s publications regarding management concepts (http://toptenmanagement.blogspot.com/), book reviews (http://wyld-about-books.blogspot.com/), international foods (http://wyld-about-food.blogspot.com/).


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A Taste of The Fiji Islands: A Recipe for Fijian Honey Cake

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