Life in PNG – A Mumu: Simbari Style

Before we came to Papua New Guinea, we had heard people talk about this thing called a mumu. Others had tried to explain it to us and had even showed us pictures. But it wasn’t until our time in the tribe for bush orientation that we actually got to experience one first hand!

We thought that the best way to describe a mumu to you is through pictures. So, enjoy!! (Click on any of the pictures to see a larger version.)

Step 1 - Fill a large hole in the ground with burning hot stones

Step 2 - Cover the stones with many layers of banana leaves

Step 3 - Add some ferns (gathered from out in the bush)

Step 4 - Add lots of veggies: taro, pumpkin and several kinds of sweet potatoes

Step 5 - Add another layer of ferns, some big slabs of pork and then more ferns

The pig was cooked several hours before. In the mumu the pork fat soaks into the ferns and also drips down through to the veggies - they love that taste!!!

Step 6 - Cover everything with several more layers of banana leaves

Step 7 - Cover the whole thing with plenty of dirt, being sure to seal all the openings so the steam doesn't escape

Inside cooking away is lunch!! — Lunch is cooking away inside!!

After several hours of cooking (think of it as a giant crock pot in the ground), the time came to open it up and dish out the food.

Step 9 - Pull back the banana leaves to reveal lunch

Who would have guessed that cooked ferns were such a treat? But soaked with pig fat, I guess they are a big hit. It was quite interesting to watch them pull the leaves off the stem and munch away.

This mumu was a pretty big deal because they very rarely have meat!! And it was also a big deal because of the reason behind having the mumu. The pig belonged to one of the main Bible teachers. But he felt that the pig was getting in the way of him serving God. If God asked him to go somewhere else to teach, he always had to be worrying about taking care of his pig. So, he decided to butcher the pig and have this mumu to share the food with the other believers!! What a testimony!

We’ll end with a few miscellaneous mumu photos.

The rest of the pig parts that weren't cooked in the mumu were saved to be cooked with greens at a later time. They were very excited about this!

Yes, that is some part of the pig that boy has on a stick. We never saw what exactly he did with it!

While the adults were preparing the mumu, some of the kids were making their own treats. They used ferns to wipe up the pig blood and then they stuffed the ferns into pieces of bamboo which they then roasted over the fire.