When it comes to comfort food in Hawaii, right up there with the Loco Moco would be the Portuguese bean soup, and rightfully so. When many of the Portuguese families immigrated to the islands between the late 1870s and 1915 to help work the Hawaii sugar plantation, ranches and farms, they also brought with them many of the foods they enjoyed eating, sweet bread and spicy Linguiça (Portuguese sausage) and the hearty, full bodied Portuguese bean soup.
I imagine these dishes being shared by the immigrants at many events and gatherings on the plantation, that these meals became a main staple and gain popularity in the community over a century later.
Portuguese bean soup, served with Corn Bread in background.