Travel to Australia's most north-easterly point for a feast of island food, Torres Strait style.

The islands of the Torres Strait lie to the far north east of Australia, stretching almost to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Over the centuries visitors have left their mark on the islands’ Melanesian culture, including those who came from New Caledonia on July 1,1871.

Known as the ‘Coming of the Light’, it was the arrival of British missionaries spreading Christianity which profoundly changed island life. These days the occasion is celebrated each year by religious festivities throughout the islands and among Torres Strait Islander communities on mainland Australia.

On Erub or Darnley Island, the Coming of the Light is commemorated with re-enactments, community festivities and a series of feasts. Central to the preparation of those feasts is the kupmauri or ground oven – built in a shallow pit which is lined with river stones, dried palm leaves, wood and more stones. When the stones are white hot, a series of foods are laid in the coals, covered with the glowing stones, leaves, wet sacks to seal in the steam and finally, a mound of dirt. No air is allowed to escape. That way the food cooks in a sealed oven, keeping in all the juices and allowing for consistency of temperature.

The kupmauri is used to cook a whole pig marinated in garlic, ginger and soy. A turtle is roasted in its shell. There is also the traditional sop sop – chopped sweet potato and pumpkin covered in freshly-squeezed coconut milk. It’s made into a huge, flat parcel, wrapped in banana leaves and tied with vines. There are mountains of freshly-baked damper too, wrapped in plaited banana leaves. Another treat is posso – little coconut leaf boxes that are filled with rice and lowered into simmering coconut milk until the rice is cooked.

The islands of the Torres Strait are divided into eastern and western islands: the people of the eastern Torres Strait (Mer or Murray island), Darnley (Erub) and Stephen (Ugar) speak Meriam language. Darnley is the largest volcanic island in the Torres Strait with a population of around 375. There has always been considerable contact between the people of Darnley and other Pacific peoples – from as far away as Malaysia and the Philippines – and generations of intermarrying, including with those visitors from New Caledonia.

On July 1, 1871 the Reverend Samuel MacFarlane of the London Missionary Society landed on Darnley (Erub) with a small group of followers from Lifou island – now part of New Caledonia. Their aim was to reach New Guinea. One of the first Torres Strait Islander ordained priests, Reverend Joseph Lui, was directly related to those first missionary teachers from Lifou, and his descendants still live on Darnley and beyond.

Recipes:
Damper