The Mauritian cuisine is as diversified and rich as its plural society.
It has its own identity like each Mauritian.
Each community has added its own cultural touch to sublime into a unique cuisine…
A taste of Africa, Asia, Europe, a blend of East and West.
Tomatoes, sea foods, spices, vegetables and tropical fruits invite you for evasion through savours and aromas.
A tour of the world just with a Mauritian dish!
The famous rougaille
One cannot taste the authentic Mauritian cuisine without the national rougaille.
It has become a pillar of the local cuisine and could even become part of the immaterial heritage of Mauritius.
There’s an expression in Mauritian Creole, “ kouma pom damour dan tou lasos” which means that someone who fits everywhere.
To make a good rougaille you need tomatoes (pomme d’amour), onion, ginger, garlic, fresh coriander leaves to make the paste. You can then add either salted fish (poisson sale or snoeck –spelled sounouk) meat, shrimps, egg, soya, peas or salmon (commonly called rougaille pilchard).
A plain rougaille is also very tasty with dholl puri and butter bean curry just when you visit the Port Louis market or any other market or food court locally.
The rougaille is often served with rice, lentils or “bouillon brède” (chouchou, mouroung, Chinese cabbage).A jackfruit or breadfruit curry with a homemade masala powder and the indispensable curry leaves. So exquisite!
Ripe jackfruit can also be savoured and as well as the boiled seeds.
Boiled breadfruit is delicious with some tomato chutney or pickle.
By the way there’s no Mauritian cuisine without chilly confit and pickles especially “achard légumes” , made of cabbage, carrot and green bean!
Mango, fruit of cythera, bilimbi (round and long), chili, lemon or suran and chilly confit accompany most local dishes.
Rodriguan octopus
Nothing compares to a vindaye ourite (octopus prepared with mustard seeds) or a cari ourite (octopus curry) relished in Rodrigues.
Taste it once and I bet you’ll ask for more…and more.
It’s just the best!
Nothing compares also to the Mauritian fish curry, vindaye poisson and the briani which marries superbly with fish, chicken, beef or simply soya beans or jack fruit often served during wedding celebrations.
To evade more and more towards the East, there’s fried noodle or fried rice with greens (bred), chicken or meat.
Or “Mine bouillie”, fish balls,teokon, saomay, “bouchon”…with fresh chilly sauces!