#1 Poke"
Poke goes back to pre-contact days when Hawaiians would use reef fish and seaweed, along with sea salt and Kukui Nut, to make a dish that has grown into today’s Poke. With the growth of “AHI” tuna fishing in the 1960’s and 1970’s, poke became known in its current form and name. Typically using Ahi (yellowfin, bigeye, albacore tuna, and even skip jack in the early days), it has evolved to include many new ingredients, and has expanded to other seafood such as octopus, salmon and shrimp, to name just a few.
“Ahi” can mean FIRE or RED, and likely is the result of the red color of the tuna used in Poke, but could also derive from the burning hands of hand line fishers who battled these powerful swimmers as they pulled them in.