Mauritian Cuisine

ingredients

Pickles

Pickles are made from both fruits and vegetables. Pickles or achards are always present on the table and generally contain mustard seeds, turmeric, chilli and garlic as flavourings.

Tomato

Tomatoes are romantically known as 'pomme amour'. Tomatoes are the cornerstone of Mauritian cuisine, the main ingredient in the Creole rougaille sauce, an addition to curries or the basis of chutneys.

Eschallot

Eschallot are comprised of a cluster of golden papery-skinned bulbs, eschallots have a more delicate and sweeter flavour than their onion relation and are one of the many examples of the French influence in Mauritian cuisine.

Ginger

Ginger is crushed to a paste with garlic, ginger is a basic essential for making curry pastes.

Chilli

In Mauritius chillies are eaten from a young age. A common snack crushes them with salt to sprinkle over slivered, crunchy green mango.

Shallots

Shallots are generally added to a dish at the end to maintain their crunch, both the green and white sections of shallots are widely used.

Mustard Seeds

Mustard Seeds are dark brown or black seeds commonly used in Indian and Sri Lankan cooking are cooked in oil at the start of a curry or pickle so the oil becomes mildly nutty.

Thyme

Thyme is predominantly associated with the Mediterranean. Thyme is often used in Mauritian curries and in the many braised French-derived meat dishes.

Parsley

Flat leaf or continental parsley is used in many dishes.

Coriander

Coriander is used in the flat bread rollups called dholl puris and to finish many dishes or added to pickles or achards.

Fresh Turmeric

Fresh Turmeric is vivid in colour, Marco Polo likened the colour of turmeric to saffron. Mauritians used both fresh and dried forms, fresh in achards, pickles and curry pastes and dried in curry powders.

Bananas

Bananas are a a worldwide contender for the most popular fruit, bananas are used green in curries, cooked with sugar to fill lattice-topped sweet tarts and fried to perfection to make beignets.

Pineapple

Lazing on the beach in Mauritius, sliced pineapple with chilli salt is one of the most commonly sold snacks.

Mango

Mango is another of the abundant tropical fruits available, green mango is finely shredded in salads, or pickled in the sun with chilli and salt.

Murunga Leaves

Murunga leaves are rarely seen in Australia but well known in Sri Lanka as drumstick leaves, these are commonly grown in Mauritian backyards. Stir fried with onion and garlic or made into protein-rich soups, their slippery texture and tangy flavour is loved across the island.

Coconut

Finely grated, coconut is combined with mint, dried chilli and garlic for a refreshing chutney in Mauritian cooking.

Curry Leaves

Curry Leaves are used widely in Indian and Sri Lankan cooking, their sharp clean flavour is also used in many Mauritian curries and pickles. The small green leaves are usually fried in oil first to release their flavour.

Lentils and Beans

Staples along with rice, lentils and dried beans in the everyday diet. Yellow split peas are made into curries, soups, spread on dholl puri and are the key ingredient in 'gateaux piment'. Lentils are commonly cooked with ginger, garlic, chilli, thyme and coriander.

Pickles

Pickles are made from both fruits and vegetables. Pickles or achards are always present on the table and generally contain mustard seeds, turmeric, chilli and garlic as flavourings.