The national cuisine has been described as Pacific Rim, incorporating the native Māori cuisine and diverse culinary traditions introduced by settlers and immigrants from Europe, Polynesia, and Asia. New Zealand yields produce from land and sea—most crops and livestock, such as maize, potatoes and pigs, were gradually introduced by the early European settlers. Distinctive ingredients or dishes include lamb, salmon,  (crayfish), Bluff oysters, whitebait,  (abalone), mussels, scallops,  and  (types of New Zealand shellfish),  (sweet potato), kiwifruit, tamarillo, and pavlova (considered a national dessert). A hāngi is a traditional Māori method of cooking food using heated rocks buried in a pit oven; still used for large groups on special occasions, such as ''tangihanga''.