Tastes of Aore Island Vanuatu

Justine Murray • October 12, 2026

Share this article

Phoenix Plantation Foods from Aore Island Vanautu

Seasonal by Nature

Bowls of almonds, olives, cheese, salami, and grapes on a rustic wooden board

What grows on Aore Island changes with the seasons. Our bush foods and plantation produce are harvested when naturally available from Nangai nuts and island fruits to cocoa, vanilla, pepper and seasonal greens.

What’s available today may be different tomorrow. That’s part of eating from the island.

Nangai Nuts

  • Nangai nuts are a traditional Vanuatu bush food with a rich, creamy, slightly buttery flavour. Harvested seasonally, they can be eaten fresh or roasted and used in snacks, salads, baking and cooking.
  • Nangai nuts naturally contain healthy fats, protein, fibre and minerals, making them an energy-dense whole food. Their high oil content gives them their distinctive creamy texture and makes them particularly satisfying.
  • On Aore Island, Nangai is more than a snack  it is part of the seasonal food cycle and a food that has been gathered and enjoyed by local communities for generations.
  • They also blend beautifully into a smooth, creamy plant-based nut milk, with their naturally rich, buttery flavour giving it a full-bodied texture.
  • Also commonly called Nangai nut, galip nut, or canarium nut.

Cocoa Beans

Bowls of cocoa powder, cacao nibs, and almonds scattered on a light surface with a beige cloth
  • Phoenix Plantation cocoa comes from mature heirloom cacao trees dating back to Aore Island’s historic French plantation 
  • These established trees still produce distinctive large, deeply ribbed cacao pods, harvested by hand when ripe.
  • After harvest, the beans are fermented and naturally dried to develop their rich, complex chocolate flavour.
  • Cacao beans naturally contain cocoa butter, fibre, magnesium, iron and naturally occurring plant compounds. They can be roasted and eaten as cacao nibs, ground for drinking cocoa, used in baking, or processed into chocolate.
  • Produced in small seasonal harvests, Phoenix Plantation Cocoa connects Aore Island’s plantation history with what is still grown and harvested here today.

Discover Phoenix Plantation Cocoa →

Vanilla Bean

Green bananas hang from a plant in a lush garden, with a person standing on a path in the background
  • Vanilla is grown among the tropical gardens of Phoenix Plantation on Aore Island, where each vine is cared for and the delicate flowers are pollinated by hand.
  • Once mature, the vanilla beans are harvested and slowly cured to develop their deep aroma and naturally sweet, rich flavour.
  • Our vanilla is produced in small seasonal harvests, with each pod grown, harvested and cured on the island. Use the whole beans in baking, desserts, drinks and cooking, or make your own vanilla extract.

Black Pepper

Pouch of whole black peppercorns on a rustic wooden board with peppercorns and garlic in a warm kitchen setting
  • Pepper vines thrive in the warm tropical climate of Phoenix Plantation on Aore Island, climbing through the plantation and producing clusters of peppercorns that are harvested by hand.
  • Once picked, the peppercorns are naturally dried to develop their bold aroma, warmth and distinctive flavour.
  • Produced in small seasonal harvests, Phoenix Plantation Pepper is fresh, fragrant and full of character. Grind it over meat, seafood, vegetables and salads, or use whole peppercorns in sauces, marinades and cooking.
  • The flavour is warm, aromatic and slightly fruity, with a freshness that stands out from ordinary supermarket pepper.
  • From vine to table, it’s another taste that reflects the soil, climate and character of Aore Island.

Bush Foods of Aore

Aore Island has an abundance of traditional bush foods that have been gathered, grown and eaten for generations. Nangai nuts, island cabbage, coconut apple, local peanuts, tropical fruits and other seasonal foods form part of everyday island life.

Some are familiar. Others you may never have tasted before.

Looking for Something From Aore?

Our plantation produce and island foods are seasonal, and not everything is always available in the online store.

If you're looking for cocoa, vanilla, pepper, Nangai nuts or other island produce, send us a message and we'll let you know what's currently available.

Contact Us

< Older Post Newer Post >

Recent Posts

Aerial view of turquoise tropical ocean beside a lush green coastline and pale sandbar

How to Get to Aore Island, Vanuatu | Flights & Transfers

By Justine Murray • October 18, 2026
How to get to Aore Island, Vanuatu from Santo. Find ferry and boat transfers, departure points, travel tips and full-day island tours with hotel pickup.
Small transfer boat on turquoise water at sunset, with one person aboard and distant shoreline silhouetted.

Boat Taxis in Vanuatu

By Justine Murray • October 11, 2026
Boat taxis from Santo to Aore Island, Vanuatu. See current ferry, private boat and airport transfer prices, pickup points and travel information.
Aerial view of a small building hidden in dense green forest beside turquoise water

Aore Island Guidebook – Tours, Accommodation & Local Experiences

By Justine Murray • October 9, 2026
Discover Aore Island, Vanuatu. Find accommodation, beaches, tours, snorkelling, transport and local experiences just minutes by boat from Santo.