"Aia i hea ke kai nīoi?"

Translation: Where is the chili pepper water?

[deactivated user]

So, hot sauce is "chili pepper water?"

[RonRGB]

(link) https://manomano.io/definition/27151

nīoi

[PE] 1 n Any kind of red pepper (Capsicum annuum). Fig. A controversial or important problem.

[deactivated user]

Thanks RonRBG. Of course, it is not very difficult to locate vocabulary definitions online. The most interesting comments have to do with grammatical structure and common usage. For example, what is chili pepper water in common English? Hot sauce, perhaps.

[MacKinzieRob]

Interesting that its 'kai nīoi' and not 'wai nīoi'. I don't put salt in mine, but I do put in a little garlic. Some folks say that's like putting pineapple on pizza, but I like it (the garlic NOT the pineapple).

[BarbaraLea954887]

I did see this item somewhere for sale. Any information on its history, when snd where it is eaten?

[TobiasNV]

It's a local Hawaiian condiment. Used similar to hot sauce, but more watery. To me, it seems like it really became a celebrated thing in the 2000s, but it seems it dates back to at least territory days. This article has a recipe and a bit of history for it:
https://www.mauimagazine.net/savoring-the-burn/

Here is an alternative recipe:
https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/recipes/find-a-recipe/hawaiian-chili-pepper-water

I am not sure what Hawaiian chili peppers are, but they are described here about half-way down the list:
https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types/