Joanna James
Maldivian food, now that's a mouthwatering topic! It can at first appear a fairly limited affair. Most meals will consist of fish, usually combined in some way with rice and coconut.
The majority of Maldives Restaurants offer a great variety of international food; Chinese, Italian, Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine is served in many top restaurants. Maldivian food revolves largely around fish (mas), in particular, tuna (kandu mas), and draws heavily from the Sri Lankan and south Indian tradition. Mas Huni is a very typical and widespread Maldivian breakfast dish. Composed of tuna, onion, coconut and chili. The ingredients are blended into a homogeneous mixture, seasoned and served with freshly baked with freshly baked Chapathi.
The Maldives have been off the tourist radar until the 1970's. The islands are now one of the most popular romantic destinations in the world. Maldivian food revolves largely around fish, and dishes are often hot, spicy and flavoured with coconut. Fihunu Mas is again, seafood, no surprise there. It is a popular Maldivian dish which is made from grilled fish and this is a MUST TRY on your Maldives holiday. For those people who cannot tolerate spicy foods, this one is not recommended for you.
The most important tip I could give you on Maldives local food and the only one that will make you elevate from being a tourist to becoming a real traveler immersed in the local culture is "Stay away from McDonald's." When visiting Maldives, even if you are staying in a resort like Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort, there is awesome local food to try. Garudiya is one of the main dishes eaten every day once or twice in each and every home of Maldives. It is eaten with plain rice or roshi with crushed chilies and lime; you can have it as a soup also by squeezing lime and adding some chopped chilly into it.
These are fish balls made by mixing Valhoamas with coconut, onions, chili, ginger and lime juice. Gulha is usually stuffed with tuna fish, onions and grated coconut. A pastry like dough is made with grated coconut, flour and water. This is formed into a small cup like shape and a fish ball is encased in the pastry. Gulha is available in restaurants and similar places, but many households are now making their own. However, it takes a sensitive palate to make a gulha that nicely combines the unique flavors of all the ingredients.
Finally, for those not into fish, Breadfruit curry, known as Bambukeylyu Hiti in Maldives is a good alternative. This is a delectable dish you will ot often see outside of the country. So when you're in the island, you simply cannot let the chance to try it pass you by. This delicious meal is made out of coconut milk base and primarily features breadfruit as the main ingredient, making it an ideal go-to dish for vegetarians/ vegans in your party.
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