• The fertile ground in Hawaii grows an abundance of fruits and vegetables.hawaii landscape image by Janina Sund from Fotolia.com
  
  The cuisine of Hawaii is heavily influenced by the cultures of the immigrants who now call Hawaii home. Foods and recipes from the Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Polynesian and Portuguese cultures have found their way into Hawaiian food. Historically, those who traveled to Hawaii often brought many different plants to the islands, from coffee to the pineapple, where the temperate weather grows almost anything.
  
  

Kona Coffee

• According to the Hawaii Coffee Association, coffee trees arrived in Hawaii on a British ship from Brazil in 1825. Chief Boki, then the Governor of Oahu, purchased the trees on a trip home from London. Coffee was originally planted in the Manoa Valley on the island of Oahu, but those first trees were moved by Rev. Samuel Ruggles to Kona in 1828. Kona coffee was not grown successfully on larger plantations until well into the 1930's, when more than 1,000 farms grew coffee. Hawaii is the only state in the United States that produces coffee, making it a unique gift.
  
  

Pipi Kaula

• Pronounced peepee cow-lah, this is Hawaiian beef jerky and it is a great food gift. Flank steak is marinated in sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, Sriacha hot sauce and chili flakes. It can be found at farmers markets, food stands or markets throughout Hawaii.
  
  

Mochi Crunch or Arare

• Meaning "hailstones," arare is a bite-sized Japanese cracker made from glutinous rice and flavored with soy sauce or other sweet or savory flavors. In Hawaii, they call arare mochi crunch. Often it is mixed with popcorn to make a popular snack called Hurricane Popcorn.