Go for the food and love
Shelina Permalloo, winner of the UK’S ‘Masterchef’ in 2012, selects her favourite food spots on the island
I T’S a name synonymous with tropical luxury, yet Mauritius seems somehow less anodyne than other islands in the Indian Ocean with the same white-sand beaches, turquoise bays, spas, golf courses and honeymoon hotels.
Mauritius has all of that, but also dramatic volcanic peaks, pounding surf (in the southwest), lush sugar plantations, evocative-sounding villages (Souillac, Bois Cheri, Bon Accueil) and chaotic, bustling markets, where Indian street food is sold off the backs of mopeds and the stalls heave with Victoria pineapples, coconuts and patat
douce (sweet potatoes).
In the month of November alone, Muslims carrying brightly lit ghoons (lanterns) mourn the death of Mohammed’s nephew; Hindus bathe in the sea to honour Ganga, the goddess of purification; and women in vivid, flamenco-style skirts perform sega, a dance genre inherited from slaves, at the Festival Kreole in Le Morne.
It was into this rich multicultural tradition that MasterChef winner Shelina Permalloo was born — albeit in Southampton rather than Port Louis. When she won the series in 2012, based on her expertise in Mauritian cooking, judge Gregg Wallace described her food as “sunshine on a plate”. That became the title of her first book, published by Ebury Press last June, while other projects include a seasonal cookery school at Maradiva (a villa resort and spa in Mauritius) and a plan to open her own restaurant in Britain.
As a frequent visitor to Mauritius, she knows the food scene well. Here is her guide to the produce, dishes, markets, bars and restaurants that reflect the real Mauritius in all its exoticism and diversity.
WHAT MAKES THE CUISINE SPECIAL?
Being British Mauritian, I’m slightly biased, but I think it’s the only real fusion cuisine; a unique blend of African, Indian, French and Chinese influences. The French colonised the island in the 18th century and brought slaves from Africa to work on the sugar plantations, hence the Creole flavours. There was an influx of low-paid Chinese workers throughout the 18th century, and the Indians came here as indentured workers after the abolition of slavery in 1835.
The Chinese cuisine has this fast, stirfry element that you see in dishes such as bol renversé, a bowl of rice turned upside down with a fried egg on top. Underneath the egg is a chop-suey sauce of prawn, chicken or pork, dressed with garlic water — a Sino-Mauritian condiment of water and vinegar infused with wild garlic leaves or garlic chives.
Indo-Mauritian dishes include curries and pickles. The curries are light and fragrant, often with fresh thyme; the pickles are carriers of chilli and other ferocious flavours, so you might have a raw chilli pickle on the side of your plate.
Franco-Mauritian dishes use Provencal stew flavours, as in la daube — venison or rabbit slow-braised with dry sherry thyme and parsley — while th influence can be seen in Creole sauces based around tomato and chilli, like a Ghanaian red stew.
Because the island is in the Indian Ocean, the fish are tropical and plentiful so we have lovely snapper and mahimahi. We’re also very strong on game: wild boar, hare and venison reared island. The deer were brough the Portuguese, apparently.
The best place to see all this is the Central Market in Port Louis, the capital which is very busy, very raw. I prefer to take people to the market in Vocoas; it's more a place where locals go to barter and haggle noisily.
WHICH DISH SUMS IT ALL UP?
Can I suggest three? The first would be briani (biryani), a rice-based celebration dish in both the Muslim and Hindu communities. A wedding or village get together will centre around massive
deggs (pots) filled with a briani of chicken, lamb or fish. Of the Chinese dishes, the most typical is mines frire (fried noodles) with garlic water and pigments encrasés (crushed chillies third would be the classic rougaille sauce, sometimes called Creole sauce: tomato and chilli with thyme and parsely reflecting the African influence.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD WE LOOK OUT FOR?
On menus everywhere, you were, you will find smoked marlin, which is a beach is a beautiful light and fragrant fish. Another fresh or dried dish is octopus, either fresh o
especially on our neighbouring island of Réunion, where you see it drying in the sun in every village. We have a great passion for green fruits — unripe, very sour green papaya and mango — but also a fondness for sweet things. I’m an ambassador for Billington’s, which sources its unrefined sugar from Mauritius, and the by-product of sugar production is rum. We have hundreds of varieties on the island, from aged and infused to white and gold.