Top 6 Dishes to Try When in the Maldives - Island Flavours

Most of the Maldives cuisine is influenced by its immediate neighbours: Sri Lanka and India. The curries are similar to the island nation of Sri Lanka made with a blend of tropical spices. A staple ingredient in most of the archipelago's dishes, fish is used in many different forms to create mouth-watering cuisine. Not to be missed is fish curry, a lovely rich red curry made from many different varieties of fish, thick coconut milk, and spices. Choose to savour the flavours of yellowfin tuna, bigeye scad, little tunny, skipjack, frigate tuna, mahi-mahi, or wahoo. Enjoy fish curry with a plate of soft fluffy rice, a flatbread called roshi, or bread. Dining in Maldives is a treat to be savoured, especially if you love seafood. The private island resorts offer guests a chance to enjoy luxurious dishes of prawn, lobster, and crab cooked according to traditional and international methods. Some like Grand Park Kodhipparu Maldives offer themed dining, catering to varied tastes.

Yams are a popular food in the Maldives as they grow in abundance on the islands. The most popular varieties are cassava and sweet potato. The starchy treats are packed with nutritious vitamins and minerals and make a delicious snack. Extremely popular in the Maldives, you can order fried yams as a snack from your Maldives resort or at the local tea shops. Eat them dipped in the sauce while still hot and crunchy for a lovely savoury-sweet treat.

Gulha is little balls of dough filled with tuna and deep-fried. Similar to dumplings, the snacks are lovely treats with a crunchy exterior and soft centre. The filling is made with tuna, coconut, and spices. These are lovely bites to enjoy with your coffee or tea.

As part of the Maldives seafood culture, lobsters must be eaten fresh. You can choose to have the meal cooked right in front of you, as fresh lobster is credited with having the best flavours. Most of the Maldivian restaurants specialise in cooking freshly picked-up lobster in front of the customers with each eatery having personalised cooking methods.

Mas huni is one of Maldives' popular breakfast options. Made from a combination of smoked shredded tuna, shallots, and coconut shavings, this lovely fish salsa is best eaten with roshi roti or bread.

Mas roshi is a lovely fluffy bun packed with a burst of fresh tuna, garlic, curry leaves, ginger onions, and coconut. The filling is sautéed before being added to the bun, which is baked. A lovely snack you won't be able to stop eating, mas roshi is found at all teashops on the mainland.