How Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Sets Itself Apart From The Rest

Love it or hate it, macaroni salad is an ever-present part of summer barbecues. Though there are many spins on the classic side dish, there is a pretty good chance that the kind you're seeing on most backyard barbecue and picnic tables is made in the ever-familiar Hawaiian style. Though it might have some shaved carrots or other veggies thrown in there for a bit of crunch, the most important parts of the Hawaiian macaroni salad are the macaroni and the mayonnaise. 

But discerning chefs won't use just any mayonnaise. According to many traditionalists, it's Hellmann's mayonnaise –- also known as Best Foods mayonnaise, depending on which region of the United States you're in –- that must be used in Hawaiian mac salad.

As for the macaroni, how you cook it matters. Most of us might think that the only way to cook any kind of pasta is to get it al dente, or cooked just enough that it retains some firmness when you bite into it. That's not the way of Hawaii, though. When it comes to Hawaiian mac salad, the macaroni is almost overcooked, leaving a soft noodle that easily gives way when you bite into it.

Many might think that mayonnaise and macaroni pasta are prototypically European, but macaroni salad is often fiercely claimed by Hawaiians. Today's Hawaiian cuisine is made up of influences brought to the island by a variety of migrants and colonizers. This means that the exact origins of Hawaiian-style mac salad are unclear. Some theorize it came from European chefs employed by hotels. Others think it might have come from Asian chefs and housekeepers who worked on white-owned plantations and who had mostly European ingredients to work with.

In any event, Hawaiian-style macaroni salad became a popular side dish among plantation workers. The meat dishes many of these laborers relied on to fuel a hard day's work in the fields tended to be heavy and salty, like chicken katsu or kalua pork (both of which are still popular in Hawaii today). Mac salad, with its high amount of mayonnaise and neutral pasta, helped to lighten and balance meals. It was also an easy way to pack in extra calories. It didn't take too long for the item to be included as part of now-classic plate lunches sold to other laborers in the islands.

It's worth noting that mayonnaise and macaroni are both important ingredients in other recipes for macaroni salad, from all-American macaroni salad to macaroni salad with tuna and bacon, the last of which might, under some definitions, qualify as a variation on Hawaiian mac salad. Copious amounts of mayonnaise? Check. There's also no mention of cooking pasta to an al dente texture, considering that a toothier pasta wouldn't quite fit in the Hawaiian version. What's more, tuna and pork aren't unheard-of additions to Hawaiian mac salad.

That said, there are variations of opinion on what is and isn't allowed in a Hawaiian mac salad. Many Hawaiians won't let vinegar anywhere near their mac salad recipe, but Hawaiian chef Mark "Gooch" Noguchi adds Tabasco, an ingredient that includes vinegar, to his. Meanwhile, "Aloha Kitchen" cookbook author Alana Kysar includes sweet pickle juice, which also contains vinegar, in her recipe.