Loco moco is a dish featured in contemporary Hawaii cuisine. The traditional loco moco consists of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty and brown gravy, and a Fried egg.[" Hawaiian Family Recipe from Lincoln Grill"] Modern (non-traditional) presentations of the dish may include other toppings and side dishes such as grilled onions, macaroni, or potato salad.
History and origin
The dish was reportedly created at the Lincoln Grill restaurant in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1949 by its proprietors, Richard Inouye and his wife, Nancy, at the request of teenagers from the Lincoln Wreckers Sports club who wanted a dish that was inexpensive, different from a sandwich, and quick to prepare and serve.
They asked Nancy to serve some rice in a bowl, a hamburger
patty over the rice, and then top it with brown gravy. The fried egg came later. The teenagers named the dish Loco Moco after one of their members, George Okimoto, whose nickname was 'Crazy' because of his crazy antics. George Takahashi, who was studying Spanish at Hilo High School, suggested using Loco, which is Spanish for crazy. They tacked on "moco" which "rhymed with loco and sounded good".
Popularity
This dish was featured on the "Taste of Hawai'i" episode of
Girl Meets Hawai'i, a
Travel Channel show hosted by
Samantha Brown. The episode features the dish being served at the Hawaiian Style Cafe in Waimea together with the
plate lunch, another Hawaiian specialty dish.
The loco moco was also featured on a Honolulu-based episode of the Travel Channel show Man v. Food (this episode aired in the show's second season). The host, Adam Richman, tried the dish at the Hukilau Café, located in nearby Laie. Richman also tried an off-the-menu loco moco at a San Francisco eatery called Namu Gaji on his 2014 show, Man Finds Food. In 2018, on a different episode of the revived Man v. Food, host Casey Webb tried a loaded version of the loco moco at Da Kitchen in Maui.
Variations may include bacon, ham, Spam, tofu, kalua pork, Portuguese sausage, teriyaki, teriyaki, mahi-mahi, shrimp, , and other . However, the traditional name designation of loco moco applies to hamburger patties only. When the protein changes, the name is also changed, as in "Spam loco" or "kalua loco", for example.
Gallery
File:Locomoco (7770124116).jpg
File:Loco moco 001.jpg
File:Homestyle Hawaiian loco moco.jpg
See also
Further reading
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. A reprint of Kelly's original paper.
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.