The Essence of.....Maldives An exploration of the world through food and drink

Essence -ial Information UK Tourist Office c/o McCluskey International 4 Vencourt Place London Currency Rufiya Capital Male Language Divehi Main Airlines Sri Lankan Airlines, British Airways Flying Time from UK 10 hrs 20 mins Visa No

PROFILE The Maldives are an archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 coral atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts) in the Indian Ocean. Formerly a Sultanate under Dutch and English protection, the Maldives are now a republic. The Maldives are tropical, with plenty of sunshine and temperatures around 30°C throughout the year. However, rainfall increases considerably during the April-October southwest monsoon, particularly from June to August. Maldivian food revolves largely around fish (mas), in particular tuna (kandu mas), and draws heavily from the Sri Lankan and south Indian tradition, especially Kerala. Dishes are often hot, spicy and flavored with coconut, but use very few vegetables. A traditional meal consists of rice, a clear fish broth called garudhiya and side dishes of lime, chili and onions. Curries known as riha are also popular and the rice is often supplemented with roshi, unleavened bread akin to Indian roti, and papadhu, the Maldivian version of crispy Indian poppadums. National specialties: • Seafood such as tuna, grouper, octopus, jobfish and swordfish is widely available. • Kavaabu (deep-fried snacks made from rice, tuna, coconut, lentils and spices). • Curries, such as chicken or beef, are widely available. Curry leaves are added to a lot of Maldivian dishes. mas huni — shredded smoked fish with grated coconuts and onions, the most common Maldivian breakfast fihunu mas — barbequed fish basted with chili bambukeylu hiti — breadfruit curry As the Maldives are fairly strongly Muslim, alcohol is banned for the local population. However, nearly all resorts and liveaboard boats are licensed to serve it, usually with a steep markup. Expatriate residents have an allowance that they can buy in Male.