The Exotic Food Trend That Washingtonians Can’t Seem To Get Enough Of

Washingtonians have never seemed to shy away from trying new (to us) foods. We've embraced sushi, pho, and even fried grasshoppers (no, really, you can get those at Safeco Field in Seattle now). So perhaps it should come as no surprise that Washingtonians have officially fallen in love with poke.

You may have seen poke (pronounced POH-keh) bowls popping up on social media or spotted them on menus and wondered what they were.

Poke refers to chunks of raw, marinated fish — usually tuna — which is tossed over rice and topped with vegetables and sauces.

"Poke" means "to slice or cut" in Hawaiian.

Poke was popularized in Hawaii in the 1970s. It used skinned, deboned, and filleted raw fish served with Hawaiian salt, seaweed, and roasted, ground kukui nut meat. You can still get this kind of poke on the Hawaiian islands.

So where can you try this trend? It should come as no surprise that you'll find the most variety of poke bars in Seattle.

This is Belltown's FOB Poke Bar, one of the most popular spots to grab a bowl.

This is a delicious poke bowl from Beyond The Bowl on Lake City Way, which just opened a couple of months ago.

Poke places are popping up all over Seattle.

But you don't have the be in the Emerald City to try a poke bowl.

You can find it in several other cities, like in Spokane at The Wave Island Sports Grill & Sushi Bar.

Those craving poke in the Olympia area can head to Tuna Poke in Lacey, which sits in a little strip mall and serves surprisingly delicious bowls.

Now that we've drawn your attention to this trend, you'll probably notice poke bowls on more menus.

Don't be afraid to try it. It's popular for a reason.

Have you tried a poke bowl yet? If it's still a little too exotic for you, try expanding your horizons at one of our more traditional ethnic restaurants.