Mouthwatering Dishes to Try in Mauritius

Mauritius is often dubbed as the melting pot of flavors as this offers an exciting plethora of food from various cuisines.

There are several markets in Mauritius were you can find food products from different parts of the world. But, what is rather interesting here is that there is actually no distinct Mauritian food in the first place. There were no inhabitants in the island until the voyagers from Portugal found their way to it through Indian Ocean.

As the colonial governments turned Mauritius to a plantation colony, indentured servants and slaves from some parts of Africa and South Asia were brought to the island to work there. Voluntary migration also happened not long after.

Beach in Mauritius

Through the years, the cuisines of these migrants were combined into a Creole. This resulted to a diverse food scene with all sorts of must-try flavors.

Here are some mouthwatering dishes that you shouldn’t miss out if you ever find yourself wandering the island of Mauritius.

Table of Contents:

Alouda

Alouda is the Mauritian variant of falooda from Indian. This is either green or pink in color and is prepared by dissolving milk, basil leaves, and agar agar with essence.

YouTube video — Video: How to prepare Alouda

Agar agar is an ingredient obtained from seaweeds. Alouda Pillay located in Port Louis is the best spot for trying this delicacy although you can also find it in the area’s central market.

Banana Leaf Meal

Banana leaf meal is a typical Southern Indian food and if you could find an ideal place that offers it, you can pretty much get a taste of a bit of everything. You can choose a vegetarian meal or you can also opt for one that also includes seafood or meat.

Mauritius food: Banana Leaf Meal

This meal includes a rice mound with dhal, chilli sambal, pickled vegetables, and some curries. This is a quite filling meal that is often paired with a small sweet to eat and a glass of sweet juice to finish off this big meal.

Bois Cheri Tea

Black tea is grown by Bois Cheri and imported flavoring substances were added to it later. After you take a tour of the tea factory of Bois Cheri, you can lounge at Bois Cheri café as you enjoy sipping the black vanilla tea. While you are there, make sure you grab a stock of Bois Cheri tea available at the shop so you can still enjoy it even when you go back home.

Mauritius drink: Bois Cheri Tea

Boulettes

Boulettes are quite similar to dim sum or dumplings from China. These are often served with freshly chopped chives in a flavorsome soup. The dumplings themselves are made of pork, meat, vegetables, or fish.

Mauritius food: Boulettes

Most streetside vendors serve tasty portions of boulettes in cheap prices. You just need to look for long lines of locals so you will know where you can find the best ones. Boulettes definitely deserve to be in your list of must-try food in Mauritius.

Dhal Puri

Dhal puri is a soft and thin pancake made from grounded yellow split pea flour. This is then filled with delicious sweet tomatoes, wild herbs, and buttery bean curry. You could grab this snack everywhere and anywhere in the island and since one is not enough, you might want to order two or more of this.

Farata

Farata is Mauritius very own version of the Indian parantha. This is usually eaten with chutney or curry. You can buy it from street vendors alongside the Indian restaurants in the area.

Gajdacks

Gajdacks are deep-fried snacks you can find everywhere in Mauritius. These can include egg rolls, fried yeast balls, batter-fried eggplant slices, and samosas. These snacks are sold not only by small street vendors but even luxury restaurants.

Mauritian Biryani

Mauritian biryani has many similarities with India’s Hyderabadi Biryani. This is flavored rice made with long grained basmati rice, yoghurt, and a long list of spices.

There are potatoes placed at the very bottom so that the rice doesn’t burn or stick to the cooking pot. You can consider yourself lucky once you get served with some potato included because it is packed with flavors and crispy goodness.

Mauritian Curry

Curries make up a large portion of Mauritian cuisine because of the strong influence of India in the island. However, Mauritian curry is different from India’s traditional curries. Creole curries contain curry leaves, onion, and garlic as their base.

Usually savored with bread and rice, Mauritian curries are not that spicy unlike their Indian counterparts. Gris Gris beach offers octopus curry that will surely delight and satisfy your taste buds.

Mine Frites

Mine frites are noodles that are fried in soy sauce then topped with fried chilli and onions. The perfect place for enjoying this dish is from the China Town stalls in Port Louis.

Roti Chaud

Roti chaud is a flat Indian bread that is served with different pickles and curries. You can buy this from the street vendors and restaurants in the area. This is almost the same with Indian chapati or roti.

Seafood

It is not a surprise at all that an island surrounded with waters boasts of some of the best seafood selections that you can try and experience for yourself. It is said that Mauritian cuisine is heavy with seafood as this plays a big role in curries, stews, as well as other dishes of the area. Chilli and coriander fish, crab curry, Vindaye poisson, Vindaye ourite, fried squid as well as many other seafood-based dishes are definitely deserving of a spot in your must-try list.

The finest seafood in the island can be found in stalls along the beach and along the beach roads. Brace yourself because it is not every day that you can get the chance to eat fresh catch straight from the waters.

These are just some of the most mouthwatering dishes and delicacies that are guaranteed to satisfy your palate when in Mauritius. To experience it like a local, you can escape the tourist areas close to the beaches and explore the small neighborhoods and backstreets instead. This way, you will not just find tasty Mauritian food as you will also get the chance to meet friendly locals.

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