Pani Popo

Pani popo is a soft, sweet bread roll filled with coconut, baked in a row and shared at gatherings. It is a Tongan bread that is also made in Samoa. Its sweetness and coconut flavour make it suited to occasions as much as to everyday meals, and the rolls are usually broken apart by hand so that everyone at the table gets a piece.

What it really is

Pani popo is a yeasted dough made from wheat flour, sugar and coconut milk. Each roll is filled with a sweet coconut filling, and the rolls are placed close together in a baking tin. As they bake, they rise and soften against one another, and they are pulled apart to serve. The result is pale, soft and sweet, with coconut in both the dough and the filling. Recipes vary widely in the amount of sugar and coconut and in whether the dough contains other fats, so the taste and texture will differ from one kitchen to the next.

How it's served

• Warm or at room temperature, pulled apart into rolls at the table.
• Shared from a single tray at family and community gatherings.
• Eaten by hand as a bread or snack, rather than as a plated dessert.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the dish as Pani Popo and describe it as a soft, sweet coconut-filled roll, so guests know what to expect.
• Flag the wheat in the dough. Ask the kitchen whether the dough contains egg or butter, and say so on the menu if it does.
• State the coconut in both the dough and the filling, and say whether the filling is grated coconut or coconut cream.
• Say whether rolls are sold individually or by the tray, and how many make up one serving.