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Over on the tiny but plentiful island of Masig in the Torres Strait, each ingredient and food source is connected to a strong sense of historic culture.
The beautiful thing about Masig – just like the 273 other islands in the Torres Strait – is the way that local dishes are linked to the sea.
The fish-based recipes of each island tell a unique story that’s showered with regional recollections of international influences.
One of the most popular dishes of the Torres Strait Islands that showcases the region’s multicultural roots is fish curry.
As Aaron Fa’aso, host of on SBS, discovers during the series - each island has specific fish curry dishes that align with the local species that are caught regularly. For example, mackerel, boxfish and unicorn fish are abundant on Masig. Fish are then added to wet and dry curries made from local ingredients like coconut, chilli, yams, onions, garlic, lemon leaves and ginger.
The result is a fish curry recipe that’s specific to an island’s culture and way of life.
As Aaron Fa’aso, host of Strait to the Plate on SBS, discovers during the series, each island has speciality fish curries that aligns with local species. Source: Supplied- Strait to the Plate
Why is curry so popular in the Torres Strait Islands?
While it’s easy to understand how fish is such a staple in the strait of 274 small islands, the origins of curry in the Torres Strait are not as evident. So how did islander peoples end up embracing curry as a dish?
To understand the answer, it’s important to recall that although the Torres Strait is part of Queensland, it geographically exists between Australia's and .
The first inhabitants of the Torres Strait migrated from the Indonesian archipelago, when Papua New Guinea was still attached to the Australian continent. Torres Strait Islander peoples are of Melanesian descent, as are the people of Papua New Guinea.
It’s also believed that the people of the Torres Strait Islands have traded food, plants, baskets and nets with Papua New Guinea and Indonesia for generations.
“We are a sea-faring people, and engaged in trade with people of Papua New Guinea,” reads online. “The culture is complex, with some Australian elements, Papuan elements and Austronesian elements (also seen in the languages spoken).”
From the islands
Mackerel curry
Multicultural food origins
Although there is no single cookery of the Torres Strait – each community has its own traditions – all of the islands share a Melanesian heritage and food themes like fish and curry.
Dr Laurel Dyson explains the food origins of the Torres Strait Islands in her blog, She says changes in food culture started to take place throughout the Torres Strait Islands from the 1870s, following an influx of Japanese, Filipinos, Malays, Ceylonese and Chinese who came to the islands to work, diving for pearls and bêche-de-mer (sea cucumbers).
The traditional flavouring of coconut milk was spiced up with chillies, curry powder, ginger, garlic and soy sauce.
“By the 1890s Asian food influences and store-bought foods were common,” Dr Dyson writes. “The traditional flavouring of coconut milk was spiced up with chillies, curry powder, ginger, garlic and soy sauce.”
The impact of such migration was a regional Torres Strait cuisine that was heavily influenced by Japanese and Malaysian curries. This was greatest on Thursday Island where separate districts such as Little Yokohama and Malaytown grew up.
“[Some] Asian pearlers married Island women, and Islanders crewed the boats where they shared food with co-workers from Asia.
“As a result the food ways of both quickly intermingled. Thursday Island cookery was totally transformed and many changes spread throughout the Strait.”
Ron Edwards, author of adds that Malay traders who came to the Torres Strait Islands during this time also brought sambals with them to accompany the curries they made.
A reflection of the present and past
Today, you can find curry recipes from the Torres Strait Islands that are humble and purposeful. These dishes reveal more than just a few flakes of fish and a spicy sauce.
Fish curries on the Torres Strait Islands represent multiculturalism and generations of local ancestors. Although the dishes carry international influences from Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, they also reflect the stories of the local inhabitants: people who have lived on each island for centuries.
