Thecuisine ofMauritius reflects the island’stropical environment and its long history ofcultural diversity.^[1] Mauritian food traditions incorporate elements ofAfrican cuisine,Chinese cuisine,European cuisine—particularlyFrench cuisine—andIndian cuisine, especiallyBhojpuri cuisine, reflecting the various groups that settled on the island.^[1][2][3][4]

Dishes and culinary customs developed through the interactions of different groups on the island, including those ofFrench settlers,African slaves,Indian indentured labourers, andChinese migrants in the 19th century.^[5][4] Over time, these communities incorporated and adapted each other's food practices, contributing to the formation of Mauritian cuisine.^[6]

Some dishes are widely consumed across ethnic groups, while others remain associated with particular communities for cultural or historical reasons.^[1] Regional and community-based culinary traditions includeIndo-Mauritian cuisine,Creole cuisine, Sino-Mauritian cuisine, andFranco-Mauritian cuisine.^[7][6]

The most common vegetables used in Mauritian cuisine aretomatoes,onions,lalo (okra),brinjal (eggplant),chou chou (chayote),lay (garlic), andpima (chillies).^[2]Rice and seafood, including salted fish, smokedblue marlin,shrimp,octopus,prawns, andcrayfish (calledcamaron) are also staple ingredients used in Mauritian cuisine.^[3][8][1]

Spices such as chili peppers,cardamom, andcloves are widespread in Mauritian cuisine.^[1]

Rice is a staple food in Mauritius. It is eaten fried, boiled, or cooked as part of dishes made of vegetables, meat, and seafood.^[1]

Chinese noodles (fried or boiled),diri frir (fried rice),bol renversé,boulettes (fish balls,chayote and other vegetables, and meatballs in broth), Sino-Mauritianspring rolls,chop suey,halim,briani orbriye (biryani),dalpuri served with big pea curry and tomato sauce,roti served with tomato sauce and pickles,curry, and7-cari (thali) are common Mauritian dishes.^{[3][9][10][11][6]} Another well-known dish isvinnday orvindaye,^[12] a variant ofvindaloo made with a mixture of vinegar, mustard seeds, and turmeric.^[1]

Mauritius is known for its sauces and curries, which are typically served with meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes.^[1] Other common preparations arechutney,achaar, andpickles.^[3] Mauritian curries typically do not containcoconut milk, commonly use European herbs (such asthyme), and use a wide variety of meat (such as duck) and seafood (such as octopus).^[2]Rougay orrougail is a tomato sauce cooked with onions, garlic, chillies, ginger, and a variety of spices, typically eaten with fish, meat, and vegetables.^{[1][2][9][10]} Mauritian versions of curry, chutney, rougail, and pickles differ considerably from the originalIndian recipes.^[5]

List of common desserts and pastries in Mauritius

Name of food	Description	Image
Biscuit manioc	Made of flavoured manioc biscuit cookies mixed with fresh fruit and ice cream.[1]
Glason rapé	A form of ice cream made ofshaved ice mixed with varieties of syrup flavour, such as vanilla, strawberry, almond, and pineapple.[10]
Napolitaine	Made of twosablé biscuits and jam coated with sugar.[10] They originated in Mauritius and are a local pastry despite their French name.[10]
Poudine maïs (lit. corn pudding), also known aspolenta pudding	A sweet dessert often served as a tea-time snack.[13] The Creole community is known for their corn pudding.[1]

During the Dutch period (1598-1710 AD),sugarcane fromJava was first introduced to the island.^[18][19][5] At the time, sugarcane was mainly cultivated for the production ofarrack, a precursor to rum.^[19][5] Cane sugar was not produced until 60 years later.^[5]

In 1639,deer from Java were brought to Mauritius by the Dutch governor,Adrian Van Der Stel, aslivestock.^[20] Following a cyclone, the deer broke free and returned to the wild.^[20]

Mauritius has had strong cultural ties with France as a result of its colonial past and was deeply influenced by the French people'ssavoir-vivre.^[6] French hunting traditions have also influenced Mauritian cuisine in the use ofvenison and wild boar, which are typically served on domains or estates, restaurants and hotels.^[3] As years passed by, some have been adapted to the more exotic ingredients of the island to confer some unique flavor.^[5] French influences in Mauritian cuisine can be found in the consumption of rougail (light stew) scented with thyme,daube (chicken or beef stew),croissants,baguette,bouillon,salade de thon,civet de lièvre andcoq au vin served with good wine.^[6][4][3] Many forms of French desserts and cakes were influenced by the Franco-Mauritians and can also be found in France,^[1][5] such as tarts.^[4] French tarts and milk coffee are well-liked byFranco-Mauritians.^[1]

The liking for afternoon tea in Mauritius is an influence from the British who took over the island in 1810.^[4]

Sino-Mauritian cuisine includes both Chinese cuisine (transmitted from their ancestors and recently learnt through journeys to China) and localization of Chinese cuisine.^[21] Sino-Mauritian cuisine typically consist of fried vegetables, oyster sauce, fried rice, meat, and fish.^[1]

The 19th century saw the arrival of Chinese migrants, who came mostly from the southeastern part ofChina;^[6] these Chinese migrants were mainlyCantonese fromGuandong,Hakka fromMeixian, and Chinese people fromFujian.^[22] Chinese migrants mainly lived in harmony in theChinatown in the capital ofPort Louis and shared their culture with other communities.^[22] They are largely credited for makingnoodles, both steamed and fried, andfried rice popular.^[1][9] Sino-Mauritians also follow or have maintained some Chinese food traditions and customs, such as the tradition ofChinese red eggs, which are shared with family members.^[22] It is customary for them to eatfried noodles during birthday celebrations.^[12]: 104

Between the 20th and 21st centuries, some Sino-Mauritians returned to China to learn new culinary dishes and returned to Mauritius, introducing new dishes in their restaurants in Mauritius.^[23] In the 21st century, Sino-Mauritians, who resided overseas (e.g., inChina,Taiwan) for a few years before returning to Mauritius, also introduced new Chinese food and drink culture in Mauritius. For example,bubble tea drinking culture was introduced by Fabrice Lee, a Sino-Mauritian, who lived in Taiwan for 8 years before returning to Mauritius.^[24] The first bubble tea shop inMauritius opened in late 2012; since then, there have been bubble tea shops in mostshopping malls on the island.^[17]

Sino-Mauritian festival foods

Chinese and other Asian restaurants are present all around the island and offer a variety of chicken, squid, beef and fish dishes, most typically prepared inblack bean sauce oroyster sauce.^[5] Mauritian families often consider a dinner at an Asian restaurant to be a treat.^[5]

Following the abolition of slavery, Indian workers who migrated to Mauritius during the 19th century brought their cuisine with them.^[6] These indentured labourers came from different parts of India with varying culinary traditions.^[6] Traces of both northern and southern Indian cuisine can be found in Mauritius.^[4] As they are the largest ethnic group in Mauritius, they are largely credited for makingflour andrice the staple dish of the island.^[1]

Indo-Mauritian cuisine uses common ingredients, such asdals, to accompany the dishes, and an extensive array of spices such assaffron,cinnamon,cardamon, andcloves.^[6]

Mauritian Creole dishes typically contain seafood, pulses, beans, corn and tapioca.^[1][12]

François Mahé de Labourdonnais was the first person to support the development of rum industry in Mauritius.^[18] When Mauritius became a British colony, the plantation economy was mainly sugar cane.^[18] It was Dr. Pierre Charles François Harel who, in the 1850s, initially proposed the concept of local distillation of rum in Mauritius.^[18] Mauritius today houses four distilleries (Grays, Medine, Chamarel and St Aubin) and is in the process of opening an additional three.^{[citation needed]}

Thetea plant was introduced in Mauritius in 1760 by a French priest, Father Galloys.^{[citation needed]} In 1770, Pierre Poivre planted tea plants on a large scale. However, it was only in the 19th century under British rule that commercial tea cultivation was encouraged byRobert Farquhar, the Governor of Mauritius, but this only lasted during his governance.Sir John Pope Hennessy, the 15th Governor of Mauritius, later revived local interest in tea cultivation and created tea plantations at Nouvelle France and at Chamarel.^[16]

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  A fruit stand in Mauritius
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  Foods atPort Louis Central Market
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  Mauritian dalpuri
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  Fish fritters
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  Fish curry
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  Garlic bread
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  Small salad
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  Garlic sauce, green chilli sauce and ketchup (condiments)
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  Poutou chinois (rice cake)
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  Chop suey shrimp
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  Bol renversé

• Culture of Mauritius

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