Tempting Dishes and Drinks to Try in the Maldives - The ultimate meal guide

The waters of Maldives are rich in marine life; thus, it is no surprise that the most popular ingredient here is fish. Tuna is cooked and eaten in a variety of ways in the Maldives including being cured by a long process of smoking, boiling and sun drying. This version of tuna is called Maldives Fish and it's in demand not just in the Maldives but in neighbouring countries such as India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Boiled tuna is also used to make 'Mas Huni', which is a delicious sambal that has scraped coconut too. This delectable dish is something that you will definitely come across while dining in Maldives luxury resorts, as it is served everywhere in the country from the small eateries to the fine dining restaurants found in resorts like Adaaran Prestige Vadoo. Yet another great Maldivian fish dish would be 'garudiya'. This is a broth made using both dry and fresh fish.

Coconut palms are a pleasing and common sight in the Maldives. The tall trees are much treasured in the country due to the number of benefits it provides. It has great importance and it's been declared the national tree of Maldives and even appears on the country's stamps and coat of arms. The seed of the tree, the coconut is used in so many ways when it comes to Maldivian cuisine. One way of blending coconuts in cooking is to extract its milk and use it for curries. The flower is also scraped and used in sambals such as the mas huni stated above.

In Maldivian cuisine, no main dish is served without starchy food. Ingredients such as pine, cassava, sweet potato, rice, taro, and breadfruit are produced and consumed around the islands. Rice, taro and breadfruit are consumed after boiling while pine is typically eaten raw. A typical main dish would consist of one starchy item, rice for example; as well as a sambol and three-two curries. Rotis are another popular staple dish here.

Cooked in many ways, curries are a common feature in Maldivian cuisine. These can be prepared using vegetables, meat or seafood. The sauce which binds together all ingredients is always, coconut milk. One of the most popular Maldivian curries is mas riha, a yummy curry made using tuna, chillies, onions, coriander, garlic, fennel, cumin and other spices and herbs. There is also kukulhu riha, which is a curry made using chicken.

Being an Islamic nation, alcohol is strictly prohibited in the Maldives, however, this does not apply to the luxury resorts. The locals drink beverages such as tea or chai as it is locally called. Raa is another traditional drink made using fermented toddy tapped from coconut trees. When visiting the Maldives, is it always recommended to stick to drinking bottled water, as this is a much safer option.