Characteristic products
The profusion of vegetables on the market stalls is a pleasure for the eyes. Some of them, marketed in France, are sold here under another name, such as " bringelle " for eggplant or "pomme d'amour " for tomato. Others are more exotic like the pipengaille (a kind of zucchini), the manioc or the sweet potato... The lalo, equivalent to the gombo, is a green vegetable in the shape of a thin gherkin and with a sticky texture. Giraumon, a kind of pumpkin, is eaten mashed, while pâtisson, which looks like a small squash, is eaten in soup or stuffed... The brèdes are common and refer to the edible leaves of certain vegetables. We can mention watercress, songe brèdes, brèdes-chouchou and their light green stems in the shape of springs or brèdes-malbar similar to spinach and that we often cook in the stew. In Mauritius, it is a luxury dish that is obtained by cutting the heart of a small palm tree that takes several years to grow. From its trunk, only the inside in the form of a thin white cylinder is kept. This edible part is used to make only 5 to 6 salads, which are called millionaire's salad
for this reason.The Indian Ocean is also home to a very rich underwater fauna, including several species of fish
that can be cooked with delight. We can mention the sacrechien (a fish with a very fine flesh), the gueule pavée (a kind of sea bream), the captains, the jacks, the yellow tunas, the tazars (a kind of barracuda with a fine and delicious flesh) etc. They are simply grilled with a dash of lemon for the finest of them or in vindaye, rougail, curry or smoked for the species requiring more cooking. The territorial waters also abound in marlin, these large fish, close to the swordfish, which feed the dreams and are the pride of the big game fishermen. Generally smoked, marlin is enjoyed as an appetizer, cut into thin slices and accompanied by hearts of palm. Otherwise it is simply grilled. In Chinese restaurants, you can also taste shark, or rather its fins, which are made into a soup.In the crustacean
family, the camaron is one of the finest and most sought-after species. This endemic crayfish is fished in the rivers at nightfall. It takes six years to become an adult, hence its rarity and price. It is a tasty dish and represents, with the palm salad and the meat of deer and wild boar, the most refined cuisine of Mauritius. Beware, however, that many restaurants serve large sea shrimps under the same name - beware. The small crabs are eaten in soup and the big ones, the carrelets with their very fine flesh, in stew. There are also winkles, clams, sea urchins and oysters. Very common in the waters of the Mauritian lagoon, the octopus, prepared as a salad, vindaye or curry, is served in almost every restaurant on the island. Introduced by the Dutch settlers in the 17th century, the rusa deer or Java deer, as well as the wild boar (called here brown pig) have become common species on the island. Formerly wild (or rather returned to the wild after the departure of the colonists), they are now raised on private estates where a certain quota is hunted each year. Deer or wild boar curry, deer salmis or wild boar stew are thus offered on the menu of the island's restaurants, where their taste, much less strong than that of European game, may surprise you. In addition to these two mammals, other game are occasionally hunted such as hare, pheasant or francolin (a type of partridge).The classics of Mauritian cuisine
Rougail, originally from Reunion Island, is made from tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, pepper and chillies. This sauce, rather spicy, can accompany meats, salted fish or, as it is frequently the case in Reunion, sausages. It is eaten hot. As for the vindaye, it is used to accompany fish or octopus. It is composed of oil, mustard, ginger, garlic, onions, green chillies and a little vinegar in which the main ingredient is browned. This delicious dish, originating in western India, can be eaten hot, but is more often served cold. This is the case in the city, on the outskirts of the markets, where street vendors offer, among other things, fish or octopus vindaye served in the form of colourful salads, spiced up with mustard seeds and small green chillies left whole, which are garnished with round buns.
Curry has a prominent place in the local cuisine. It has its origins in Indian curries, although the Mauritian composition is closer to the massalé of Reunion. As in India, it is served with traditional meats (chicken, mutton or beef) but also, and this is a Mauritian specificity, with ourite, pork, deer, wild boar and shrimps. The success of this dish is essentially due to the subtle mixture of several spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric, cloves, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon), to which Mauritians often add onions, garlic, tamarind leaves and tomato. Of Indo-Muslim origin, biryani is composed of basmati rice, spiced meat, vegetables or fish, topped with dried fruit. Although quite common in Mauritius, this dish, which requires hours of preparation, is rarely offered in restaurants, but rather in guesthouses
The fried mines, on the other hand, are a must. Made of Chinese noodles fried in a large pan with vegetables, chicken, shrimps, eggs and spices, this popular dish is served everywhere, in gargotes as well as in good restaurants. It is good, hearty and economical
In Mauritius too, and for a modest sum, one can enjoy delicious exotic snacks called gajaks on the go. These are sold all over the island, in snack bars or directly in the street by street vendors posted around bus stations, markets, beaches, etc. Samoussas are triangular fried turnovers filled with vegetables, meat or fish. They can be served with eggplant or potato fritters, or with chilli cakes, which are lightly spiced and fried dumplings. Not forgetting the dholl-puri, a purely Mauritian creation. This kind of Indian cake made of crushed grains mixed with wheat flour can be accompanied by achards, tomato rougail or even a curry. The last essential element of any Mauritian meal is the side dishes. During a lunch or a dinner of local specialities, the table is always covered with several small saucers containing different sauces or accompaniments intended to spice up a dish and/or enhance the rice. This is the case of chatinis (chutneys) from India, a sweet and sour mixture of vegetables, fruits, spices and vinegar. As for achards, they are mixtures of vinegar vegetables (carrots, cabbage, cauliflower) seasoned with chilli.
Desserts and drinks
The fruits are countless, succulent and varied: banana, papaya, mango, of which there are 40 varieties on the island, and guava with its very fragrant pulp. The bergamot, a citrus fruit with a tangy pulp, gives a very thirst-quenching juice. The fruits of the rye apple, once cut into small pieces, are prepared in a marinade with lemon, vinegar, salt, pepper and chilli. Victoria pineapples are small in size but have an intense flavour. Originally from Reunion Island, they are also grown in Mauritius, South Africa and Madagascar. The young coconuts are split by street vendors with a machete to give access to their refreshing water, which is sipped through a straw. The nut is then broken into several large pieces to extract the delicate white pulp. The island also abounds in lychees, pomegranates, avocados, lemons, tamarinds, carambola and other passion fruits.
As for desserts and sweet treats, Mauritians make generous use of banana, coconut and rum, these three ingredients often being used together. Amongst the most popular sweets, we recommend the " napolitains", crumbly shortbread with guava jam, or the "puits d'amour", tarts filled with a mousseline cream and sprinkled with grated coconut. Poudine dipin or bread pudding is prepared with stale bread flavoured with rum. In the absence of wheat, which is difficult to grow on the island, root vegetables are widely used as a substitute. There are also manioc puddings, potato cakes (sweet potato-based turnovers stuffed with coconut), banana cakes (the equivalent but filled with banana) and manioc pancakes, which are made with manioc flour. The Indian influences are expressed with kulfi malai, ice cream sticks, usually flavoured with cardamom and pistachio, gulab jamun (sometimes rasgulla), fritters with spicy syrup or barfi, a cake made with powdered milk with cardamom and pistachio.
Mauritius is also known for its surprising diversity of unrefined or special sugars. There are no less than 12 varieties including the famous muscovado or the delicate demerara. These untreated sugars are rich in molasses which gives them a brown colour and a pronounced, almost smoky taste, but also a slightly sticky texture that can be compacted. Unlike white sugar, they still contain a significant amount of magnesium, calcium, potassium and vitamins. The juice of the sugar cane or vesou is cooked while being mixed until it crystallizes. This mass is then dried before being crushed.
As for drinks, apart from the tasty fruit juices, let's mention of course the beer. Phoenix and Blue Marlin are the most common beers but other craft beers have recently emerged on the market such as Flying Dodo or Thirsty Fox. Mauritius also produces several white rums, of which the most common is Green Island, which are pleasant in cocktails but not necessarily qualitative. Prefer the rums arranged with fruits and/or spices, the brown rums flavoured with vanilla or coffee, or, much better, the old rums marketed by the 6 big distilleries of the island which are Chamarel, Grays, Labourdonnais, Medine, Oxenham and Saint-Aubin.
