Maldives cuisine: what to try on the islands

Traditional Maldivian cuisine is light, fresh, full of spices and aromas, one of the most useful and delicious in the world. The culinary traditions of the islanders were formed under the influence of Indian, Arabic, and Thai cuisine. Due to the fact that the Maldives are located in the Indian Ocean, the basis of the cuisine is fish and seafood, especially popular is tuna. The main addition to them are coconuts, rice, vegetables, and fruits.

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Cuisine of resorts and local islands

The islands of the Maldives can be divided into two types:

• Local islands where the local population lives. They have guest houses and inexpensive hotels, as well as many cafes with Maldivian cuisine. These places are mainly visited by Maldivians themselves. It is in such establishments that you can try cuisine as close as possible to traditional. A pleasant bonus will be the fact that it is inexpensive. For example, on average, tuna soup will cost $5.
• Private resorts. These are private, usually very small islands, where there is only hotel infrastructure, as well as restaurants and cafes. The cuisine on the resort islands is diverse - from European to Asian, including traditional Maldivian. On private islands, local cuisine is usually given sophistication and some adaptation to European cuisine. Therefore, if you want something authentic, it is better to visit a local island. For example, the same Malé, the capital of the Maldives.

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Tuna is everything

The recognized favorite of local cuisine is considered tuna. And it is to it that we dedicate an entire section. Tuna can be found everywhere: in soup, on the grill, in flatbreads, in curry, sometimes even in desserts. In the Maldives, there are a huge number of ways to prepare tuna - the fish is stewed, boiled, baked, fried over an open fire, dried, cured, smoked. Rarely does a meal go without this product.

If you are hunting for tuna at resorts, our recommendation of hotels:

• Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa
• Hurawalhi Island Resort
• Furaveri Island Resort & Spa

In the restaurants of the above-mentioned hotels, tuna is prepared incomparably! Be sure to try it.

In addition to tuna, the Maldives has a wide variety of fish and seafood. Your eyes just run wild. It is worth highlighting the wahoo fish separately, a local delicacy. Order it cooked on the grill. The ideal restaurant for this is The Wahoo Grill at the private island Siyam World.

Siyam World

Meat in Maldivian cuisine

Meat is practically not used in the menu of local residents, in rare cases chicken. This is because most of the population practices Islam. The exception is hotels, where restaurants offer European cuisine specifically for tourists. In cafes and restaurants of all resorts, you can order steak and other meat delicacies.

Fiyavalhu Maldives

From coconuts - oil and milk

To enhance the taste of their dishes, Maldivians widely use spices, sauces, seasonings, and, of course, coconuts. Oil is made from them, which is largely used as a fryer. Coconut milk is an important component of Maldivian curry and other dishes. Local fruits, such as bananas, mangoes, melons, breadfruit, pineapples, are used to prepare desserts that are amazing in taste. We will tell about some of them below.

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Alcohol in the Maldives

In the Maldives, alcohol is not consumed, and its sale in stores is prohibited. Customs control will not allow bringing alcohol into the country. However, there are alcoholic beverages at private island resorts.

There are no stores at resorts, but alcohol is available in hotel restaurants. Some alcoholic beverages may be included in the All inclusive package. If you want a large selection, premium alcohol, and unlimited quantities, choose the Ultra All inclusive package or its alternatives. This article will help you better understand the food systems in the Maldives.

Locals prefer fruit juices, coconut milk, green tea with milk and sugar, palm juice. A particularly popular low-alcohol drink is gaa from fermented palm milk.

Gili Lankanfushi Maldives

Traditional Maldivian dishes

• Garudhiya - a traditional dish of the islands, is one of the main ones in the diet of local residents. Aromatic fish soup from tuna. Served hot with lime, rice, chili, and onions. Garudhiya is very tasty prepared on the local island Toddoo.
• Rihaakuru - this is a spicy concentrated thick paste from tuna, a favorite of local cuisine. Eaten with roshi - local flatbreads fried in a pan without oil.
• Banana flower salad (Boshi Mashuni) - a mixture of crispy shredded banana flowers and fresh coconut. The delightful taste of the dish is given by curry leaves, turmeric, cumin, lime, and chili pepper.
• Bis Keemiya - resemble fried pies from thin dough, filled with tuna, chopped cabbage, boiled egg, and spicy onions.
• Mas Huni - the most popular Maldivian breakfast. Smoked tuna with grated coconut pulp, lime juice, onions, and chili. Served with roshi flatbreads.
• Gulha - small balls stuffed with tuna with onions, grated coconut, and chili. Prepared from wheat or rice flour, after cooking fried in a fryer. Served with sweet tea or coffee. Be sure to try this dish! If for some reason your resort cannot prepare it, go on an excursion to a local island - there you will definitely find Gulha. This is an excellent snack, very Maldivian.
• Kulhi Boakibaa - fish pie, mandatory Maldivian food. Prepared from smoked tuna, coconut, onions, and ground rice.
• Fish curry - a popular dish in the Maldives. Contains turmeric, chili pepper, coconut pulp and milk, onions, ginger, cinnamon, pieces of green mango, and tuna. Served with rice and bread flatbreads. For vegetarians, there is an option of vegetable curry.
• Roshi - small flatbreads, they are used everywhere as an alternative to bread. Fish curry is often spread on roshi.

Milaidhoo Island Maldives

• Aluvi Boakibaa - sweet pie from cassava and coconut. A favorite dessert of both locals and tourists.
• Bondi - the most popular dessert on the islands. These are white sticks prepared from the pulp of a coconut. The delicacy served as the prototype for the famous "Bounty" bar.

The best and easiest way for gourmets to explore Maldivian cuisine is to go to the capital of the Maldives, Malé. Visit local establishments - snack bars and tea houses - favorite places of local residents. Here you can taste authentic traditional dishes that will captivate you with exotic originality. But you should exercise caution and moderation, as the local cuisine is full of various spices and quite spicy. Warn the waiter if you do not like spicy food.

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