Ok what is with the King’s Hawaiian brand of rolls and bread? Does Hawaii have ‘bread’? I doubt the Polynesians were heavy on wheat growing, much less 100% refined white flour.
What is the gimmick of the King’s brand? Does it taste different or is it just wonderbread?
It’s a soft, white bread that is slightly sweet. It’s the sweetness that makes it different.
From their website:
So it’s Hawaiian bread because the bakery was in Hawaii.
It’s usually just the name of the company or the product.
Hawaiian Punch, for example, is not a traditional Polynesian drink, and Hawaiian Sun is just a company.
I have only been to Hawaii once - but just as an aside, one of the best burgers I have ever had was at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers - and yes, it was on that sort of sweet, soft Hawaiian bread. (The suggestion to go there was from a fellow Hawaiian SDMB member, whose name I have forgotten - sorry.)
If they ever start a chain of Teddy’s here on the mainland, they will give both In 'N Out and Fatburger a run for their money on the West Coast!
And I think the bread made a big difference.
Seriously: Get yourself some Hawaiian bread, dip it in some dill dip, and then come back and tell us whether it’s just Wonder bread.
King’s Hawaiian rolls are divine. In another thread, I mentioned that they are perfect for leftover flank steak to make finger sandwiches with, because of course, they are.
That stuff is damn yummy. I adore it.
Sorry to pop your bubbles but “sweet bread” in Hawaii is from Portugal.
Portuguese is one of the larger ancestry groups in Hawaii.
And I believe the Hawaiian ukulele is also a slight variation of, if not the same, instrument that the Portuguese brought to the islands.
The point being that something that says “Hawaiian” on it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s Polynesian.
Another example: malasadas were actually invented by Catholics.
I grew up in Hawaii and most of the food people consider to be Hawaiian (aside from poi and lau lau and similar) is from somewhere else. Portuguese sausage, manapua, macaroni salad, musubi and so on are from somewhere else, just modified for island tastes. Mostly from the plantation era ethnic groups. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino and Portuguese made the jumble of unhealthy stuff that exists as Hawaiian food now.
I think I’m going to go to a L&L Drive in tonight. 
And even the food we would classify as “Hawaiian” now came from somewhere else. Samoa, Hawaii, and another place I can’t recall atm have similar vocabulary and recipes for different foods.
Next you’ll be telling me that “Tiny Bubbles” isn’t a tradtional Hawaiian song.
Heh, you want to know a couple of things that actually came from Hawaii?
Ticketmaster
icanhazcheezburgers.com
Just goes to show that Hawai’i has become a melting pot of cultural influences. At least it’s made in Hawai’i.
Side note: The little ones make great slider buns.
Used to be. They moved production to Torrance, CA in 1977. The bakery had a location (coffee shop, basically) in Honolulu when I was stationed there in the Navy from 1982-1990, but I believe that has gone away, as well.
I used to use Hawaiian bread to make French toast. The texture made it better than regular bread for soaking in the egg mixture, and the sweetness added to the flavor.
This is a great place to try Hawaiian bread if you are ever in the southern part of the Big Island.
And I like to use it to make a really nice bread pudding.
