MAURITIUS CUISINE
“For me, food is not just a source of energy it is a way of wife. From planning to preparation, from shopping to serving, for comfort and entertainment, good food is a must to sustain a happy and healthy life.
Below you will see a selection of places I have visited and an happy to recommend to you. These are of course to my own taste and I’m not guaranteeing the same response for yourself. Nevertheless, I cannot recommend what I haven’t tried.”
“Happy Eating”
Karen
ROTI CHAUD - INDIAN FLATBREAD
BEER
WINE
Roti is the staple diet here in Mauritius can be found almost anywhere in Mauritius, on the streets, at the market, anywhere!
Roti Chaud is a traditional flatbread originating from Mauritius. The snack is essentially a roti flatbread that’s filled with rougaille (tomato-based sauce) and butter bean curry known as gros pois. The flatbread is filled, rolled into a wrap, then served with an array of pickles and chutneys.
The rotis are usually made with a combination of flour, water, oil, and salt are combined to make a soft dough that is flattened and cooked on both sides. Simple ingredients and so easy to make.
Rotis can be eaten any time of the day, for breakfast lunch, or dinner with various fillings from vegetarian to meat, from spicy to non-spicy. Trying a Roti is a must as it is the national dish.
Most street vendors will have both Roti and Dholl Puri on sale and as it’s a cheap convenient snack so why not try both!
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
mauritius-life writes to its friends every few weeks with updates and news
Your content has been submitted
An error occurred. Try again later
DHOLL PURI / DHAL PURI
BEER
WINE
The Dholl Puri is among the topmost favourite street food here in Mauritius. There is no escape to this delicious flatbread as it is very much sold almost anywhere around the island.
Mauritius Dholl Puri is similar to a tortilla but made using yellow split peas. This is then wrapped around any variety of curries and pickled vegetables. Dholl Puri is popular street food in Mauritius that originated in India but is now quintessential Mauritian cuisine.
Flour dough is stuffed with ground boiled channa dal and roasted cumin flattened and cooked on a hot pan to make a soft, delicious yellow flatbread best served with butter/lima beans curry along with different sides such as a Mauritian ”Rougaille” sauce.
Most street vendors will have both Roti and Dholl Puri on sale and as it’s a cheap convenient snack so why not try both!
video care of ZestyMu
MINE FRITES - FRIED NOODLES
BEER
WINE
This dish which is as popular as the Mauritian Fried Rice is a MUST try for any Mauritian Food Lovers.
It may be as street food or even ordered in the restaurant, this dish is an easy and delicious way to satisfy the envy of a good, quick and typical Mauritian Food.
This dish is similar to the Mauritian Fried Rice except for the fact that instead of using rice, we will be using egg noodles for this recipe.
The dish is basically stir fry noodles topped with ingredients that are all well-seasoned with Chinese dark and fish sauce. It is a re-invented Chinese dish that can be made within minutes and all the ingredients needed are very simple.
What makes the Mine Frite Unique?
Fried noodles are a very popular dish with Mauritians and also with tourists. It is not only easy to prepare but is also delicious and if you want to, you can cook the noodles and prepare all the ingredients in advance, then keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. The dish is so colorful and so unique.
PALM HEART SALAD - MILLIONAIRES SALAD
WINE
BEER
I ate the famous Palm Heart Salad ‘ Millionaire's Salad’ for the first time during our first visit to Mauritius visit. Palm heart is a popular delicacy in Mauritian cuisine. They are often used as an ingredient in mixed salads and soups. It's a rich source of fiber, protein, and minerals and aids digestion.
The three most common types of palm hearts you will find in shops are the white palm heart, the royal palm heart and the palm heart of a coconut tree. Generally, they use white palm hearts, trees are cut open after seven 7 years to extract a small 30 cm-sized heart, which feeds only 3 people in a salad.
In Mauritius, they call it ‘Salade Palmiste’. They use fresh palm hearts, sliced them, and soaked in milk and water. Here I used canned palm heart, we don’t get fresh once here. You all must be thinking about how it tastes, its a bit bland-crunchy but with no particular flavour so we need to add some extra flavoures to it while preparing.
GATEAU PIMENT - CHILLI CAKES
BEER
WINE
Gateaux piments or Mauritian chilli bites are crunchy, flavoursome, and utterly addictive fritters. It is impossible to stop at just one, or a few for that matter! They consist of fried, split pea dhal balls. The fritters offer pops of spice from cumin, fennel, and chilli and bursts of freshness from coriander leaves and chives.
Gateaux piments are very popular street food in Mauritius. It is eaten as a snack dipped in a spicy tomato and coriander chutney or the distinctive Mauritian way- in a buttered baguette.
The first step in making gateaux piments involves soaking the split pea dhal overnight to soften the dhal. Then, the dhal is ground into a coarse paste without adding any extra water. Next add the chopped onions, spices, and herbs. The last step involves forming the small balls and deep-frying until a dark golden brown and crunchy.
video care of ZestyMu
RIZ FRITE - FRIED RICE
BEER
WINE
Time for the Chinese influence on Mauritian cuisine to make itself heard! Sino-Mauritians make up around 3% of the Mauritian population, and there’s a Chinatown area in the capital city of Port Louis, founded by the first Chinese immigrants to Mauritius.
These immigrants started to arrive in Mauritius in the late 18th century, where they primarily found work as skilled labourers, filling roles as blacksmiths, cobblers, and tailors, amongst others.
As with the Indian immigrants, the Chinese also brought a number of dishes with them, which have become staples of Mauritian cuisine.
First on our list is a classic Chinese dish, found around the world, fried rice. Fried rice in Mauritius is fairly similar to other variants around the world, consisting of rice, a variety of finely chopped vegetables, egg, fish sauce, and soy sauce. There will usually be a choice of meat or fish ingredients, or it can be served as a vegetarian option.
VINDAYE
WINE
BEER
Another favourite Mauritian dish is a vindaye. This is a specific type of curry which also has its origins in Indian cuisine.
Vindaye definitely has a unique flavour, quite unlike other curries you will experience in Mauritius. This is due to the primary ingredients being mustard and vinegar, accompanied by turmeric. The vinegar in particular gives it quite a pickled flavour, which can be quite strong.
Usually, vindaye is made with fish, but chicken is another popular ingredient. I would say of all the food we tried in Mauritius that this was probably the most unique flavour we experienced, and it is a taste that might not be for everyone. However, we can definitely recommend you at least try it if you have the chance.
SUBSCRIBE
mauritius-life writes to its friends every few weeks with updates and news
Your content has been submitted
An error occurred. Try again later
BIRYANI
WINE
BEER
A Biryani is a well known Indian dish, which combines rice with a number of spices and other ingredients to create a flavourful all-in-one dish. It’s a popular dish that is commonly served at events like weddings or other get togethers, but of course, can be eaten as a standalone meal.
As with any dish, there are of course multiple variations of Biryani. The Mauritian Biryani usually has potatoes added. Whilst this isn’t unique to Mauritius, it is definitely not a common biryani ingredient.
Other than that, you can expect to find a range of other spices and flavours in a Biryani. As well as the rice and potato, there will usually be Cardamoms, cloves, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, onions, coriander leaves and turmeric or saffron.
Biryani will also usually have either a meat, fish, or a selection of vegetables added.
MAURITIAN CURRY
WINE
BEER
Around two-thirds of the population of Mauritius are of Indian descent, largely thanks to the massive influx of Indian immigrants to Mauritius in the 19th century.
If you think of Indian food in general, curry is likely to be the first thing to pop into your mind. Of course, curry is obviously not just one dish, but instead a huge range of dishes that feature a range of spices and flavours.
In Mauritian cuisine, the most common curry is a Masala. This features a blend of spices and ingredients including curry leaves, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and turmeric. The result is a fairly yellow curry sauce.
If you order a “curry” in Mauritius, this Mauritian curry is most likely what you will be served. It’s commonly served with chicken, fish, or vegetables. It can also be served with other seafood, including octopus and prawns. Bean curry, usually made with butter beans, is another popular type of curry.
When you order a curry, expect it to come with a side dish of lentils and then something like rice, dholl puri, or roti.
CHANA PURI
BEER
WINE
Chana puri is one of the most popular street foods that you can find around the island. They are little balls of fried batter with Chana dhal stuffed into them. They are usually served with rougaille.
This is a little deep fried dough ball, filled with lentils. If you want to (and I strongly recommend you do), the vendor will break it open and drizzle a chutney over it. I had the most amazing Chana Puri at the market in Mahebourg, doused with The Best Ever Coconut Chutney. Street stalls that sell Chana Puri also sell all sorts of other deep fried snacks, go wild and taste one of each! They are usually around Rs 5 each (EUR 10c), so no need to hold back.
+230 5846 8435