Poke (pronounced POH-keh) means “to slice or cut” in Hawaiianreferring to cubes of marinated sushi grade fish which is then tossed over rice and topped with Asian- inspired sauces.
While sushi and poke are similar in featuring raw fish, they are different in many ways. Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish and sushi originates in Japan. Hawaiian food takes a lot of influence from Japanese food, but poke is Hawaiian.
Traditionally, poke is made from ahi tuna or octopus (tako) that has been roughly cut into bite sized pieces and marinated with whatever was on hand. Many traditional pokes feature sesame oil, various types of dried and fresh seaweed, soy sauce and spring onions. Modern poke bowls, sometimes called “mainland style poke” includes a variety of toppings and sauces to add even more variety.
