A Hawaiian dessert made from coconut milk and starch, similar to pudding or custard, often cut into squares and served at luaus.
From Hawaiian 'haupia,' a Polynesian word. The dish was traditionally made with coconut milk and arrowroot starch, with possible pre-contact origins though the modern recipe developed during the early colonial period.
Haupia shows how food names reveal cultural contact—the Hawaiian name survived into English, making it one of the few Polynesian words commonly used in American English, usually associated with Hawaiian cultural celebrations.
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