Where's the Beef?!

We don’t eat a lot of fresh meat in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for a variety of reasons: for one, it’s quite expensive, and for another, many translators and linguists live in village allocations where there is no electricity, so by necessity we eat a lot of tinned (canned) meat. Think Spam, only not actual Spam (even if the store does have it, it’s a bit pricey since it’s imported). If you haven’t ever had the pleasure, you should try some…it can be reasonably tasty when prepared correctly!

First you have your tinned pork—the major brand is Tulip (pronounced two-leep). It tastes best when diced up finely, fried, and served with rice and vegetables. I’ve tried it sliced and fried and it was not the greatest, super salty. Another brand of tinned pork (and much better than the Tulip, in my opinion) is Luncheon Meat. When sliced thinly and fried until crispy, it tastes like bacon…okay, pretty close to bacon…especially if you use your imagination. J

 
Next up is tinned fish—both tuna and mackerel. Tuna, of course, is tuna, just like in the States. Beware of the cheaper brands, though...some do NOT taste good! I've only had the mackerel once, in a noodle hot dish, and it was pretty good.

Another interesting type of tinned meat is the braised steak and onions. It’s very similar to a Dinty Moore beef stew with the steak and onions in a thick sauce. It’s quite good over noodles or rice, although I wouldn’t recommend mixing it with spaghetti sauce (we tried it…edible, but not great).

Last but not least is tinned corned beef. I’ve only had this one mixed in with spaghetti type sauces; it's edible, but tastes worse and worse every time you eat it (at least in my opinion). The first time I ate it, I thought, "Hey, this is pretty good!" The second time, "Hmm, I thought I remembered this tasting better." And the last time I ate it, "Ugh, this is gross!"

And there you have it—your handy dandy guide to PNG tinned meats!