Products and eating habits
With just 298 km2 of landmass, the Maldives is Asia's smallest country, yet including coastal waters and lagoons, this tiny nation stretches over 900,000 km2. Seafood has always been a major component of Maldivian cuisine, and until recently, fishing was the Maldives' main resource.
Tuna is caught on the high seas. Dried and salted, it is known as Maldives-fish. This product, prepared with pink tuna, yellowfin tuna, tunny or bonito, is highly prized for its long shelf life in southern India and Sri Lanka, where it has been imported for centuries. Local cooks also use rihaakuru, a highly aromatic black paste, comparable to a long-caramelized fish fumet.
But there are other species too, such as grouper, dolphinfish, barracuda, swordfish, marlin, jackfish and squirrelfish, not to mention a multitude of reef fish consumed locally, as well as several species of shark. A variety of seafood is harvested, including lobster, octopus, cuttlefish, squid and several types of mollusc.
Much of the Maldives' landmass is sandy, making it unsuitable for agriculture, except for coconut trees. Coconuts are highly prized for their meat, milk and oil. However, the larger islands offer some arable land for growing sweet potatoes, taro, manioc, chillies, watermelons, squash, papaya, eggplants and cabbage, not to mention various fruit trees such as banana, mango and breadfruit.
Thanks to its proximity to India and Sri Lanka, the country has incorporated many spices into its cuisine, including ginger, pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, nutmeg, cumin, cardamom, coriander and so on. A gastronomy that can be very spicy, thanks to the addition of githeyo mirus, a small bumpy pepper similar to the West Indian chili pepper. And let's not forget the kaloupilé leaves, often called curry leaves in English. A misleading term, as the leaves of this plant are not used in the composition of curry, which is a blend of spices.
Islam is the religion of almost all Maldivians, and is practiced in the traditional way through Sharia law. Thus, "haram" (impure) products are forbidden for Muslims, such as pork and alcohol. However, given the importance of tourism on the archipelago, a certain flexibility applies to foreigners, and alcohol is served without problem in the country's many hotels and large restaurants.
The same applies to Ramadan, which is not compulsory for tourists. As in the rest of the Muslim world, it is practised here with fervour, and consists of fasting from sunrise to sunset. Fasting is traditionally broken each evening with three dates and a glass of watermelon juice or coconut water, which provide both the sugar and water the body needs. This is followed byiftar, the evening meal that allows you to regain your strength while enjoying family gatherings.
The classics of Maldivian cuisine
On the archipelago, you can start a meal with small appetizers - often fritters and fried foods - known as hedhikaa. Specialties include bajiya, a kind of triangular samosa, often stuffed with tuna and spices. Keemiyaa have a similar filling, but are rolled into a cigar shape and deep-fried. Bajiya can also be deep-fried rings made with white bean purée. The kulhi boakibaa is a thick patty made from rice, tuna and coconut, finely spiced and then cut into cubes. Kavaabu are fried tuna croquettes. Havaadhulee bis are also filled with tuna, but come in the form of small balls of filled dough, cooked in boiling water and then topped with a curry sauce. Delicate riha folhi are thin turmeric pancakes topped with dried tuna. Finally, masroshi are naan-style flatbreads filled with a mixture of chopped tuna, grated coconut and spices.
Curry is the other mainstay of Maldivian cuisine, as India is very close by. It is served with rice, although this cereal is not grown on the island. The most popular curry is mas riha or tuna curry, this time prepared with fresh tuna simmered in an aromatic coconut milk sauce. Although livestock farming is very modest in the archipelago, there is chicken, for example, the meat of which is appreciated in curries (kukulhu riha). Vegetable curries in the Maldives are prepared with bashi (eggplant), tora (loofah squash) or barab (pumpkin). In the absence of rice, these dishes are served with flatbreads called roti.
Other dishes include kulhi mas, a spicy tuna fricassee, sometimes accompanied by a fried egg. Garudhiya is a very light broth, flavoured with coriander and chilli, with poached tuna cubes. Very tasty, kandu kukulhu is a recipe for tuna marinated in a curry paste, wrapped in coconut leaves and simmered in coconut milk. At breakfast, it's not uncommon for locals to enjoy mas huni (chopped canned tuna, grated coconut and spices served with flatbread). Fathu mas huni is very similar, but also contains finely chopped Chinese cabbage.
Desserts include dhandialuvi boakiba (soft cassava cake), kiru boakibaa (semolina cake with coconut milk and cardamom), saagu bondibai (sago pudding) and dhonkeyo kaju (banana fritters). Halfway between a dessert and a drink, falooda contains milk flavored with rose syrup, vermicelli, basil seeds, tapioca pearls and pieces of gelatin. In the Maldives, people generally drink Sri Lankan black tea. This is the national drink, although coffee is gaining in popularity.
