Characteristic products and eating habits
Although Mauritian cuisine makes use of a good number of ingredients, the trio of rice, banana and manioc is the staple food that makes up most of the meals. The main dishes are fish, plantains, white rice and steamed or fried manioc. Meat is more expensive and is consumed less. The brèdes are a side dish in their own right. This rather vague term actually includes all the leafy vegetables that are eaten in the region (Reunion, Madagascar, Seychelles, etc.). We can cite the following: manioc, mafane, nightshade, songe, mourongue, sweet potato, pumpkin, Chinese cabbage and so on. In rural areas, they are at the heart of meals.
Surrounded by the fishy waters of the Indian Ocean, Mayotte makes generous use of fish and seafood. Grouper, sea bream, parrot fish, tuna, not to mention several types of shellfish: crab, lobster, shrimp, etc. Meat is still appreciated, although it is more expensive and therefore generally reserved for major events. Chicken, zebu and goat are eaten mainly. Because of Islam, pork is almost impossible to find on the island outside the big hotels. Bush meat is traditionally a popular product. Let us mention for example the sea turtle which, despite a national protection, suffers from poaching. The dogfish - a species of bat - and the tenrec, a kind of local hedgehog, are sometimes cooked although these species are also protected. As you can see, for the sake of the environment, avoid this kind of food.
Mauritian cuisine uses a rich variety of spices: cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and fenugreek, which are all used in the composition of massalé, the emblematic mixture of this region. The dishes are usually accompanied by condiments, the most common being putu, a very hot sauce made of red or green chili, tomato, onion and lemon, served at every meal to enhance the taste of the dishes. Sensitive palates should not be tempted. Mayotte is also known for the Bandrélé salt, produced in the south-west of the island.
Coconut is also an important food in the region and the coconut tree has many uses. The kernel can be eaten fresh and it can be dried (copra) to extract oil. The milk, not to be confused with the refreshing coconut water, is obtained by grating the flesh and pressing it. Rich in minerals and proteins, it is used in many dishes, from raw fish to ice cream, including cakes and nougat. Finally, the shell is most often used as a container. By cutting the inflorescence, a sap is obtained which is used to make alcoholic drinks. Finally, the terminal bud is eaten fresh. Finely chopped, it resembles the heart of a fresh palm, in a coconut cabbage salad. The coconut tree can give up to 60 nuts per year. Let's finish with the fruits, obviously numerous in this generous island, especially during the rainy season. Mangoes, bananas, litchis, soursops, cinnamon apples, guavas, pineapples, etc.
As far as food is concerned, it is impossible to miss what the Mahorese call the mamas brochettis. These cooks serve you, at every street corner in the villages, delicious zebu brochettes grilled on the spot, accompanied by fried bananas and manioc. Unfortunately, they are on the verge of extinction with the departmentalization which would impose sanitary standards condemning them. In the winter season, they will offer you grilled corn.
The picnic on the beach (voulé) is also an excellent opportunity to meet the local population as well as to taste good skewers or grilled fish. In Mayotte, some service providers can organize your picnic for the day, during sea trips or hikes in Sasilé. Otherwise you can find some local specialities and other snacks in bakeries and markets, without forgetting more classic snacks: pizzas, sandwiches.
There are many restaurants offering French or Mahoran cuisine. They operate thanks to tourism and especially to the presence of many metropolitan civil servants. Numerous in Petite-Terre and Mamoudzou, they are less and less so the further you go from the city. Generally speaking, the big hotels often have the best restaurants.The classics of Mauritian cuisine
Rice, vegetables and starchy foods play an important role in the local gastronomy. In Mayotte, brèdes are often eaten in the evening, to facilitate digestion and transit. Moreover, on this island, they are also known as féliki. For example: manioc brède/féliki mhoguo, sweet potato brède/féliki batata or moringa brède/féliki mvoungué. Mataba is made of cassava breeds simmered in coconut milk. The preparation is long because of the need to pound the brew with a mortar and pestle. This dish is therefore usually offered during ceremonies, but rarely on the daily menu. It is similar to our creamed spinach but more digestible. Romazava
is the national dish of Madagascar, but it is also cooked in Mayotte and the Comoros. It is a meat stew in which mafane breeds are simmered, topped with zebu or beef - sometimes chicken or fish - flavored with various condiments: onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, etc.Matsidza is rice boiled in water or coconut milk. It is a basic dish and is usually served for large meals, especially during important events. Curdled milk is added when it is prepared for children. It is an absolutely obligatory dish during ceremonies such as circumcision, debbah, maoulida, the Great Wedding and mourning in the village. Pilao
is also a festive dish made of rice in which there are pieces of meat and many spices such as cardamom, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, etc. Its name comes from the Turkish pilav or Persian polow and therefore refers to the technique of cooking rice by evaporation, imported into the region by Arab, Persian and Ottoman merchants. It is a prestigious and complete dish sometimes served in some local restaurants.The kakamoku is a soup made of fish, tomatoes, lemon and chili pepper, very much consumed during the Ramadan period or for big events. The Mahorais favor red sea bream or snapper. The head of the fish is said to be the most prized and tasty part. Kangue is a dish made of beef with onion, which is simmered with the natural juice of the meat, without any water added, until the meat is melted. Finally, mtsolola is a stew of plantain, manioc, beef or chicken or sometimes fish, garnished with tomato and lemon. Seafood lovers will enjoy pwedza putu
, octopus simmered in a rich chili sauce.The term firiri applies to fried foods such as bananas, cassava, but also to meat as in firiri mabawa, chicken wings marinated with onion and salt and then fried. The expression bata-bata
refers to food cooked in salt water. This refers to several products, but it is generally used to refer to green bananas, cassava or breadfruit. Green bananas are used here as vegetables. There are more than thirty different banana trees on the island, including a dozen bananas to cook. Not to be confused with the classic banana, a fruit that is not much used in the Mauritanian diet. Tchari is the local term for what the Reunionese call "achards". These kinds of spicy mixtures of vegetables or fruits are preserved in a vinegar brine. Green beans, cabbage, carrot, lemon and mango are the basis of many tchari recipes. In Mayotte there is also a very popular variation based on tomatoes or green papaya with tamarind, cooked with onions, pepper and cumin. The tchari ya drimou is prepared with slices of lemon and chilli. And let's not forget the rougail, a raw mixture of tomato, onion and chilli.Desserts and drinks
There are few traditional Mauritian desserts. However, we can mention the makarara, a festive cake that is prepared for various ceremonies, made of flour and coconut milk. The dough is rolled out and then cooked on a pan in hot oil, taking care to fold the dough to make many rolls. Haloua
is a kind of nougat often containing dried fruits, whose name refers to the Indian halwa. Otherwise, of course, you can enjoy the delicious tropical fruits that abound on the island.Alcohol is not forbidden in principle, although according to the precepts of the Koran, Muslims are not allowed to consume it. Moderation is generally the most common behaviour. In Mayotte, you will find French, Belgian or European beers, such as 1664 or Heineken, or Castel imported from South Africa, and you can even ask for a draught in some bars.
Most other alcoholic beverages are available in the shops: whiskies, pastis, rums, vodkas. Some bars also serve arranged rum, of Reunionese origin, which is most often left to macerate with tropical fruits, vanilla or other spices. The choice of wines is a little more limited and the prices are quite high. Nevertheless, all decent restaurants will offer mainly French or even South African wines to accompany the dishes. Some establishments even have cellars of quite honourable quality.
