Top 5 Dishes to try in Maldives - Treat your Taste Buds to a Maldivian Feast

Dining in Maldives will provide holidaymakers with an opportunity to sample some of the local flavours instead of sticking to dishes they are familiar with. When dining at a restaurant such as the one at Velassaru Maldives, one's experience is incomplete without Garudiya which is a clear fish broth. Considered to be one of the oldest meals in Maldives, Garudiya is a very traditional Maldivian dish. It is also quite easy to prepare it for it involves simply boiling the tuna in water infused with salt. However, it can take an expert hand to obtain the clear quality of the broth. Garudiya is usually consumed with rice, but some also have this clear broth with Maldivian chapatti.

The dish known as Fihunu Mas Badhige is a very spicy dish that has been inspired by the cuisine of neighboring countries and regions such as Sri Lanka and South India. This Maldives grilled fish dish is prepared using dried chili, garlic, onions, peppercorn, cumin, curry leaves and salt – which are all ground into a paste. The paste is then used to cover the whole fish which is put on a spike and grilled. The flavor of the dish is spicy and thus, is unsuited for tourists who are unable to handle spices.

Hedhika is effectively a curry based meat dish. Similar to Fihunu Mas Badhige, this dish is also influenced by Sri Lankan and South Indian cuisines. This dish is prepared using coconut milk, almost a staple in Sri Lankan cuisine, and chicken and vegetables are added to the milk. The dish is also prepared with a number of spices that are designed to give it depth and flavour.

Given that the Maldivian islands are nestled in the heart of the Indian Ocean and the waters of the islands are surrounded by schools of fish, tuna is a staple which features in most of the iconic and traditional Maldivian dishes. Therefore, it is no surprise that tuna features in both Garudiya, the soup – like clear fish broth dish, as well as Mas Huni. Mas Huni is similar to a sambal and is usually had for breakfast. This dish is prepared by mixing tuna fish with onions, chilli and grated coconut. Certain leaves such as mabulha, murunga and los are also added to it during preparation in order to infuse the dish with more flavour. After preparation, lemon juice or lime, and salt are added in order to enhance the flavour and is mixed again. Mas Huni is also prepared with murunga pods in the place of leaves in another variant of the dish.

While Rihaakuru does not constitute an entire dish, it is a staple in Maldivian cuisine. Rihaakuru refers to a thick paste made of tuna and features prominently in the day to day meals of the locals. This paste is a by – product that is produced when processing tuna. Its popularity is so great that it was introduced to the nearby island of Sri Lanka by travellers who travelled from Maldives. However, Rihaakuru is no longer popular in Sri Lanka.