Hāngī has taken a modern turn, as Hell Pizza partnered with Kiwi Chef Rewi Spraggon to create the chain's first hāngī pizza.
New Zealand pizza chain Hell Pizza and local chef Rewi Spraggon have unveiled a new hāngī-inspired pizza to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori.
For hāngī master Spraggon, the collaboration with Hell Pizza provided an opportunity to introduce hāngī to a new audience, something he is very passionate about doing.
Spraggon’s work with hāngī has been highly acclaimed, with his hāngī dumplings and steamed buns proving popular among audiences.
The new pizza, named “Unearthed” includes toppings of pork belly, kumara, a pumpkin and kawakawa puree, and smoky stuffing.
The pizza is said to have an authentic, traditional flavour, whilst served in a modern and innovative format.
Spraggon’s Hāngī Master business began eight years ago, and since then, his work with hāngī has gone from strength to strength, including serving international dignitaries, installing hāngī pits at Government House in Wellington, and introducing hāngī dumplings and pork buns into supermarkets.
Spraggon had cooked all the ingredients of the Unearthed pizza at his Auckland hāngī pits before they were frozen, packed and send to Hell Pizza stores around the country. This was to ensure the highest-quality of flavour and authenticity.
According to Spraggon, collaborating with Hell Pizza has made hāngī more accessible. Despite being the oldest dish in New Zealand, a large percentage of the country’s population has yet to try a traditional hāngī.
The Unearthed Pizza has been designed to be as authentic as possible, according to Spraggon, and can be purchased from Hell Pizza stores across the country. Unearthed Pizza is available for a limited time.
Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori has become an annual celebration of support for the Māori language. The 2024 event theme is ‘Ake ake ake’, which means ‘A forever language’.
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