How to Eat Like a Local in Maldives – Evocative Culinary Discoveries Await

 While you may be excited about a holiday to the Maldives where you can spend your days lazing in the sand and having fun in the surf, don’t forget this is a great destination for foodies too. No trip would be complete, without sampling some of the popular local dishes which are very much a part of the Maldivian culinary heritage which has been influenced by other countries too. Here are some ways you can eat like a local and enjoy the eclectic cuisine on offer.

 Get to Know About Local Cuisine

Before getting into the best dishes in Maldives, you should find out more about the cuisine; while the culinary creations here have distinct flavours, keep in mind they have been influenced by other south Asian nations like Sri Lanka and India that are nearby. Additionally, due to trade from days of old with the Far East, Arabia and Africa, the country’s cuisine has been further enriched.

 Also keep in mind that when it comes to ingredients, several key elements are part and parcel of local cooking. One such ingredient is coconut which is quite versatile and is used in various forms; grated coconut is needed for many dishes and coconut oil is essential for frying, while coconut milk is popularly used in curries. Not surprisingly, in a nation with islands surrounded by the ocean, fish is a chief ingredient too with tuna being the most widely used and consumed. For starches, rice and unleavened flatbread or roshi are regularly eaten in households along with breadfruit, sweet potato and cassava.

 Try Typical Maldivian Curries

Amongst the most well-known dishes are the various local curries which should be on your ‘must eat’ list when in the Maldives; restaurant options be it at local islands or private resorts the likes of OZEN LIFE MAADHOO are amongst the best places to try such curries which have been influenced by Sri Lankan cuisine too.

 Generally, made with coconut milk, a curry paste, spices and chillies, these spicy curries are best eaten with rice or roshi; the great thing is, there’s a range of varieties to enjoy as well. As you would expect, tuna curry, particularly Kandu kukulhu is popular as is a chicken curry known as kukulhu riha. Vegans and vegetarians have much to try too with various veggies and fruits be it mango, eggplant or pumpkin also used to make curries.

 Savour Other Popular Dishes

Masroshi Maldives |Image via Wikimedia Commons

For breakfast, look to sample the perennial local favourite, mas huni; this dish is made from shredded smoked tuna that is mixed with grated coconuts, chopped up onions and lime, usually eaten with roshi and accompanied by a hot cup of tea.

 A fish broth or soup called Garudhiya featuring fresh tuna is also worth savouring as are traditional fried snacks such as Masroshi, Bis keemiya and gulha. Those who love salads should try boshi mashuni, a healthy dish that utilises banana flowers as the key ingredient. Certain atolls in the Maldives have specialized cuisine too such as golha riha (a fish ball curry) and moringa rice made in the Laamu Atoll.

 Sample Delectable Desserts

There are some yummy desserts in Maldives worth sampling and which are bound to become your new favourites. One such sweet treat is sago pudding or saagu bondibai; made from sago, starchy spheres of palm stems that have a unique texture when cooked, this dish also consists of condensed milk, coconut milk, rose and cardamom.

 Other delicious desserts to try include Maldivian milk cake called kiru bokiba, naroh falidha made from breadfruit and addu bondi that features scraped coconut and a liquid toddy sugar. Also popular is a ghee cake known as githeyo boakibaa, typically made from ground and soaked rice, coconut milk and jasmine water