The taste of diversity: Food tour in Mauritius!
Chilicakes, steamed dumplings and the Mauritian variant of Indian roti: during a food tour through capital Port Louis you will become acquainted with the cultural diversity of this island in the Indian Ocean.
The taste of diversity: Food tour in Mauritius!
Extracts of a post from ‘ Travel Diaries ‘ – A travel blog about the adventures and explorations of Veerle Witte
‘People visit Mauritius for an average of nine days and only spend one day outside of their resort,’ says Shakti, who is taking me on a food tour through Port Louis today. She set up the first agency for cultural tours of the island: MyMoris, which is Creole for My Mauritius. ‘We felt it was a shame that all activities in Mauritius take place on the water or in nature,’ she says. ‘There is so much to discover in the cultural field.’
The Mauritian cuisine, for example, is a melting pot of different cultures, just like the island itself.
The history of the island is reflected in the kitchen. We walk through narrow, cobbled streets full of colorful buildings: from mosques to Hindu temples. Mountains of red, yellow and orange spices are lined in small shops, alongside large bags of rice and dried fish. Scents of incense, fried dough, curries and exhaust fumes blend in my nose. Today, Hindus make up nearly seventy percent of the population, Creoles twenty-seven percent and three percent are French-Mauritian.
‘I want you to taste this first,’ Shakti says, stopping in front of a blue-red peeled-off stall. Gateaux piment: fried chili cakes. A friendly smiling gentleman is stirring in a large steaming pan. "In Mauritius they make cakes or fried balls from just about anything,’ Shakti explains. ‘But this is a national favorite.’ They are like spicy falafel balls, but a bit lighter. My cake is so spicy that it gives me a hiccup.
Next stop is in China Town to taste steamed dumplings in a juicy broth. We walk further. Shakti points to the street signs: every street has signs in English, French and Chinese. At a tiny Chinese shop that we would otherwise pass by, we taste different rice cakes.
The last stop is the Port Louis market, where we stroll past stalls full of fresh fish and strange-looking vegetables. I get a bag of pink roasted peanuts pushed into my hand. Here we taste my favorite dish of the day: Mauritian roti, rolled Indian pancakes with vegetarian curry in it. So good, I ordered it every day for the rest of my stay in Mauritius!
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