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In amongst all your explorations of the beaches and natural parks of the island paradise of Mauritius, you are going to build up quite an appetite, and what choices you have to satisfy that appetite! The dishes served on the island fuse together Chinese, European and Indian influences, many of which were inspired by the practices of the workers and immigrants that arrived throughout the 19th century. Sit down for a meal of several courses or grab some street food on the go, you could eat a different local cuisine for every meal of your trip! If you love chilli, you’re in for a treat, as this is an ingredient that is served either within or alongside pretty much every food in Mauritius - beware of that if your spice tolerance isn’t so high! Here are some of the most exceptional taste experiences you cannot leave Mauritius without having.
Beginning with the most treasured dish in Mauritius, be that by locals or tourists, dholl puri is a flavourful delight. It is essentially a pancake made from ground yellow split peas, cumin and turmeric, griddled on a tawa, filled with cari gros pois (a butter bean curry), rougaille (a spicy tomato-based sauce with onions, thyme, garlic and ginger), with a side of achard (pickled vegetables) and coriander satini (chutney). Already, so many flavours in one bite! Then, as with all dishes in Mauritius, it has the option of being accompanied with chilli, due to the country’s great love for spice! Dewa & Sons in Rose Hill is indisputably the best place to try these delicious snacks, which are always sold in pairs and wrapped in paper to be enjoyed wherever you please. This is also commonly served at Indian marriage ceremonies.
Bol renversé, or ‘upside down bowl’, is found throughout Mauritius’ eateries, and is exactly as the name suggests. The rice-based dish is a combination of sautéed vegetables, such as bok choi, mushrooms and carrots, soy and oyster sauce, chicken, shrimp or thin strips of other meats, all packed into a bowl with a fried egg at the bottom. This is then overturned onto a plate, and the resulting dome of rice, meat and vegetables thus becomes the upside down bowl. It is colourful and creatively presented, but most importantly, delicious, and will provide you with filling nutrients to power you through your day of hiking, watersports, or just relaxing on the pristine beaches.
For seafood enthusiasts, and if you love curries too, this dish is unmissable. Vindaye involves pickling the fish with spices such as mustard seeds, turmeric, ginger and vinegar, where the fish is first fried. This fish is usually tuna, seabass, pollock or kingfish, which have a firm consistency. It can be eaten as a main meal, or simply as a starter accompanied by bread. It can even be packed into a baguette, which you can then wrap up and take with you on your outings with family and friends! Considered as a staple of New Year’s, any table on this night of celebration would be incomplete without the succulent dish!
Nicknamed ‘Millionaire’s Salad’, this salad has the unusual dominating ingredient of the heart of a palm tree. This is the inner tube of the palm tree’s trunk, which can be extracted once a tree has grown for approximately seven years. This soft centre is then thinly sliced and ,still raw, stirred with salad leaves and smoked marlin or another seafood, completed with a red sauce dressing. The palm heart has a subtle taste, but it provides a wonderful crisp texture to the salad, and it really brings an element of freshness. This texture is highly adaptable, and palm hearts are used in a variety of dishes alongside different meats. The nickname for the salad comes from the fact that an entire palm tree is felled for approximately three servings worth of the heart. This causes the ingredient to be rather expensive due to the effort required to extract it. However, it’s a real delicacy and is authentic to Mauritius, so give it a try!
Gáteau piment are undoubtedly the street food of choice in Mauritius, which are ‘chilli cakes’ that are irresistibly crunchy and salty on the outside, then doughy and soft on the inside. This incredible consistency is made from a paste of split peas with onions, garlic, caripoulé leaves (curry leaves), coriander, turmeric and, of course, a helping of dried chilli. The texture and taste is likened to that of falafel balls. Each bite offers a different nuance of flavour, some with bursts of predominantly cumin, or onion, coriander, or warming chilli! The little fritters are often served on a baguette, however they can also be enjoyed on their own, dipped in a coriander or tomato sauce. Do as the islanders do and try this for breakfast!
These are steamed dumplings or dim sum prepared in the Mauritian way, filled with chayote (a green pear-shaped vegetable), chicken or seafood and vegetables, all within a broth of spring onions and chilli. However, boulet can also be devoured just as they are, without the need for the soup or broth. This bite-sized food can be found in restaurants and street food stalls across the island, particularly in Chinatown in Port Louis, thanks to the Chinese population of Mauritius.
The fruit salad in Mauritius is unlike any you will have tried before. A lot of the usual suspects are there, such as juicy chunks of pineapple, mango and apple, mixed with more exotic fruits like lychee and guava, and even cucumber. However, this is not where it ends: chilli salt and zesty tamarind sauce are swirled into the mix to produce an explosion of hot and cooling tastes and sensations in your mouth! Sometimes white vinegar is part of the combination also. It’s an intense sensory experience that is an absolute must while in Mauritius, just have a fresh coconut water at your side to cleanse and soothe your palate afterwards!
