Cuisine confidential

Owing to its geographic location and centuries of colonialism, Mauritians are highly diverse in ethnicity, culture, language and faith. Indo-Mauritians make up the bulk of the population, with significant Creole, Sino-Mauritian and Franco-Mauritian minorities.

So it’s no surprise that the island boasts a fabulous fusion of Indian, Chinese, French and African food, its marvellous climate promoting outdoor cooking with family and friends.

According to chef Selina Periampillai, ‘it’s a place where you can have a French-style continental breakfast, Chinese dumplings for lunch and fragrant Creole curry for dinner’.

Chefs unite

A quick glance at the Mauritian Chefs Association website sheds light on some of the who’s who in charge of the island’s kitchens today, with Shivam Marooday and Pravesh Gokhoola of Canonnier Beachcomber Hotel, and chef Stephane Labastide of Constance Le Prince Maurice raking in accolades at recent international culinary competitions.

Indeed, many of the chefs mentioned in recent correspondence by MCA president Mooroogun Coopen, are attached to some of the island’s world-famous hotels.

According to Periampillai, the Mauritian foodie scene is most worthy of the spotlight. With parents commuting between London and Mauritius during the 1970s, she spent half her youth on the island which, today, draws her back to revisit its street stalls and markets.

‘The familiar aroma of caramel-burnt sugarcane lingers and my first point of call is to search for those crisp samosas,’ she explains in a kuoni.co.uk feature on her favourite 10 Mauritian dishes.

Cooking at home

Periampillai’s top 10 includes home-cooked meals such as Mauritian cari (curry) and Rougaille (tomato sauce). The former involves chicken, fish or seafood cooked in a masala sauce with cumin, coriander, chillies and turmeric. Although most restaurants will serve a traditional cari, this is the ultimate in home-cooked local cuisine, and Periampillai calls it ‘Mauritius on a plate’.

Rougaille is a Creole tomato sauce cooked with garlic, ginger, thyme and chillies – spicy and typically enriched with sausage or seafood. As the name suggests, it represents the French influence and is simply eaten with rice. Light and fast to prepare, it’s a locally cooked home-style favourite.

Down on the street

Gateaux piment (chilli fritters) are made from soaked split peas crushed with chillies and coriander before being rolled into small balls and deep fried. You’ll find this moreish snack, often dipped in spicy chutney, at street food stalls around the island’s markets or roadside vendors.

Pineapple and chilli salt is a special beach-style snack of juicy Victoria pineapples, hand-carved and doused in red chillies, crushed sea salt and a little tamarind for sourness.

Most restaurants will serve a typical Biryani, but this flavoured rice dish is best enjoyed at street food stalls in Flacq and Vacoas Market. ‘The fragrant buttery rice is mixed with turmeric, cinnamon and spices, then cooked with chicken, lamb or fish and potatoes, before being seasoned with fresh coriander, mint and peas,’ explains Periampillai.

Indian, Chinese, ‘island’

The rest of her top-10 include Dhal puri (Indian-style flatbread – ‘Dewa & Sons in Rose Hill, Port Louis, make the best I’ve found so far’), and two favourites dished up by Mauritian-Chinese restaurants in Port Louis and elsewhere: Boulettes (dumplings) and Bol renversé – an upside down stir fry bowl that’s theatrical and great for family dinners.

Finally, no list of top Mauritian treats would be complete without the island’s range of home-grown tea and rum – one of the island’s biggest exports, along with sugar. Mauritian rum is made from sugarcane, with notes of caramel or vanilla and cinnamon.

Best spots on the island to sample these delights are Bois Cheri Tea Plantation – its restaurant serving dishes infused with tea, and selling tea chutney to take home – and Rhumerie de Chamarel Distillery, which offers guided tours and tastings.

Periampillai says locals make rhum arrangé at home, adding lemongrass, ginger, vanilla pods or cinnamon bark into bottles of rum. ‘Steeped for months, the result is delicious!’

Seffricans, braai fish…

Recently returned from an extensive island tour, Capetonian Karoline Wesselink says she hasn’t witnessed a traditional South African braai. However, it’s traditional to braai whole animals on a spit and then sharing it with family and neighbours.

‘Meat is quite expensive and, because of Indian and Muslim influences, there’s not much pork to be found. Fishing is a popular pastime and provide a livelihood for many, so fresh fish is always available. Douse it with a curry sauce, or just with lemon, fresh herbs and veggies, and you won’t give that chop a second thought.’