The cuisine of Vanuatu (known in Bislama as aelan kakae) incorporates fish, root vegetables such as taro and yams, fruits, and vegetables. Most island families grow food in their gardens, and food shortages are rare.
Vanuatu culture retains a strong diversity through local regional variations and through foreign influence. Vanuatu may be divided into three major cultural regions. In the north, wealth is established by how much one can give away.
Vanuatu kava is more potent than kava drunk in other South Pacific countries. It's a legal ‘opiate’ that comes from grating, grinding or chewing the root of the plant.