Poke (/ˈpoʊkeɪ/ POH-kay; Hawaiian for 'to slice' or 'cut crosswise into pieces';[3][4] sometimes anglicized as poké to aid pronunciation as two syllables)[5][6][7] is a dish of diced raw fish tossed in sauce and served either as an appetizer or a main course.

[14][15] A typical relish was made of inamona mixed with dried ʻalaʻala (octopus inksac), ake (fish liver), and salt.

[21] By this time, Hawaiians were first introduced to salmon, as contract laborers sent to the Pacific Northwest in the fur trading and timber industries.

[16] Beginning in the mid-19th century, immigrants from China and Japan moved to the islands as plantation laborers, bringing with them foods such as namerō, soy sauce and sesame oil.

[citation needed] Most imported fish from Japan are typically served as sashimi or for sushi but are suitable for poke as well, such as madai, maguro, and saba.

[38][39] Most fresh shellfish, including octopus, can be safely consumed raw with caution but are often cooked (or at least cured) especially when being sold commercially as poke.

The most common flavor profile today is simply soy sauce and sesame oil, followed by additions of Maui onions and scallions, and ogo.

[8] Around 2020, the ginger-scallion condiment (geung yung) used in the Chinese dish cold ginger chicken has become a mildly popular poke flavor.

Hawaii Chef Alan Wong, another Hawaii Regional Cuisine founding member, was a guest judge on the show Top Chef was inspired by a contestant to create a similar Mediterranean-inspired ʻahi poke using lemons, lemon zest, capers, shiso and canned anchovies.

[47] Since the 1960s, most local grocery chains and standalone fish markets, and sometimes older superettes, in Hawaii have dedicated counters for poke where it is made in bulk and sold by weight.

[55] In dining restaurants, it is often served as like tartare (sans egg yolk) or tostada with chips of fried wonton wrappers or with prawn crackers, sometimes referred to as "poke nachos".

A modern version of a poké bowl features fully customizable ingredients that are often carefully arranged like bibimbap, to allow the customer to mix the dish before consuming it.

One of these larger chains based in Chicago became embroiled in controversy in 2018, after it sent cease and desist letters to specific poke shops in Hawaii and on the mainland.

There are also the European fish carpaccio and tartare, Chinese yu sheng, Korean hoe-deopbap, Latin American ceviche, and Japanese namerō, sashimi and tataki.

Southeast Asian counterparts include Malaysian hinava and umai and Filipino kinilaw and kilawin, known as kelaguen in Guam.