What’s Eaten Where: Christmas Island

Here’s an island that is both tropical and topical: not only for the season, but also regarding Covid-19…

Just 52 square miles in size, Christmas Island is an Australian external territory bang in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Named for the day of its discovery, when Captain William Mynors of the English East India Company sailed past on December 25, 1643, it’s an island which has only been inhabited since the 19^th century.

The tropical rainforest is laced with vines; ferns and orchids proliferate; and 18 of the 135 plant species on the island are found nowhere else on the planet. The stand-out fauna is the crabs: 20 species have been discovered on the island, of which the most famous is the red crab: 100 million of the scarlet crustaceans’ head to the sea to spawn each autumn, in what is described as a wonder of the natural world!

Sadly, though the crab was long considered the island’s premier delicacy, it’s now on the protected species list. So the roughly 2,000 permanent residents enjoy a cuisine that’s an eclectic combination of traditional Australian and Asian. Sashimi is a particular favourite, since fresh fish abounds: yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and trevally are fished year round. And though local meat is rare, chickens have long been raised on the island; pickled eggs and Chinese century eggs are said to feature largely.

There’s also plenty of wild fruit to be found, should you wish to eschew the burgers, noodles, and fish ’n chips of the island’s 10 restaurants and cafes. Well-known tropical varieties of papaya, mango, coconut, jackfruit, bananas, and guava grow beautifully in this tropical climate, along with a few more uncommon species, such as the bunga kantan, and the manquang.

Mostly, however, the cuisine of this very multi-cultural island depends on imported food. And since it’s so out-of-the-way, residents tend to plump for meals which make use of processed or canned foods. Though, given the recent restrictions, Christmas Islanders may now be relying more and more on their own, natural produce. A sacrifice that may well be worth the case rate: Christmas Island is totally Covid-19 free!