Maldives has always been the go-to-place for extended holidays. After several visits to this gorgeous archipelago, one becomes quite accustomed to the Maldivian way of cooking and it’s always a pleasure to taste the traditional cuisines than ordering the usual international dishes. Since we are accustomed to South Asian food, traditional Maldivian tastes were nothing unusual however for those travelling from other parts of the world, Maldivian food is something unique.

There are a few main ingredients that go into traditional Maldivian food which are coconuts, fish, starch and veggies. You will notice that coconuts trees grow freely almost every part of the island and Maldivians have ensured to make the most of this resource. Coconuts are eaten in many different ways in Maldives; some are eaten fresh or used as an ingredient for cooking. The soft, fleshy meat of a partially developed coconut is grated or removed with a knife is then eaten with honey or mixed into a dessert uncooked. The hard flesh of a coconut is scraped and mixed with certain dishes or made into coconut milk mostly used for curries.

You find an amazing variety of seafood dishes in Maldives, Tuna is a main dish served in various forms. Skipjack tuna, frigate tuna and yellowfin tuna are the favourites. In traditional cooking, fish is cooked in several ways boiled, smoked, sun dried or processed. The sun-dried tuna is called ‘Maldive fish’ and is a staple of local cuisine. Maldive fish can be kept refrigerated for years. Rice, taro, cassava, breadfruit and sweet potato are staples that Maldivians like to include in their day-to-day meals.

Make sure to try out the local favourites even when dining in luxury restaurants in Maldives, the likes of Adaaran Prestige Vadoo or the vibrant street food joints such as the Malé Local Market.

Fritzjames Stephen is a travel writer, who writes content based on the myriad of experiences and indulgences that the world has to offer travellers across all walks of life. Google+ Follow my blog with Bloglovin