Postcard from Mauritius

Sun sea, sand and … some pretty incredible food. What more do you want?

Not being somebody who is contemplating where to go on honeymoon or whose idea of the perfect holiday is sunning themselves on a beach I’d never given much thought to Mauritius.

But when an invitation came through to be a judge at the Constance Belle Mare Plage’s culinary festival in March - March for heaven’s sake when the weather still an be unremittingly grim in England - they didn’t need to twist my arm.

So here I am in this luxury resort on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean soaking up the …well I would say soaking up the sun but it’s quite often a question of dodging the odd torrential downpour. We are in the tropics after all. 

Threatening rain …

My duties which consist of deciding between a number of champagne and food pairings are light. I eat, I snooze, I swim, I eat again. And will probably leave about 10 kilos heavier than when I came.

If, like me, your geography is so dodgy you’ve mixed Mauritius up with Madagascar go and look at a map. It’s tiny. Madagascar is huge. Two and a half the size of England. Bigger than France.

Mauritius is technically Africa but the French and Indian influences are equally strong. It was colonised by France for most of the 18th century. They speak French or the indigenous French creole rather than English as I found to my cost the first day when I asked for a flat white when I arrived at 10am, met a quizzical look and was brought a glass of white wine. The fantastically polite and courteous staff can’t bring themselves to tell you they don’t understand what you’re saying. 

The Brits took over for 150 years between 1810 and 1968 but don’t seem to have left much of an imprint except, oddly for official notices and safety instructions.

After slavery was abolished* Indian immigrants came over to work in the sugar plantations and their descendants make up 66% of the population. according to Wikipedia. You certainly see both African and Indian influences in the food. There is - to my delight - an Indian section in the breakfast buffet, including rotis. Curries are a staple, though milder and more aromatic than many UK-based versions. Biryani is popular too.

Apart from seafood and vegetables most ingredients have to be imported but a visit to the local market revealed a profusion of unfamiliar greens along with the most fragrant curry leaves I’ve ever come across. Turmeric, garlic , ginger and curry leaves seem to be the most popular seasonings.

You also get little patties similar to the kind you find in the Caribbean, known here as chilli cakes or gateaux piment.

The music and dance is African-influenced too. We watched a dance known locally as sega that was amazingly similar to one they were dancing in Paraty in Brazil when I went there last year. Although it’s beautiful to watch the girls in their wide flowing skirts which they swirl gracefully around themselves it’s origins are decidedly less glamourous. It was originally danced by slaves. 

Then there are the beaches and the sea - deep turquoise blue when the sun is shining with miles of perfect white sand. They’re ridiculously lovely but the pools are pretty irresistible too.

Pools, plural, note.

The hotel, or rather resort, I’m staying in can accommodate 600 people which sounds daunting but it’s cleverly divided into different blocks with their own facilities (including pools) so it doesn’t feel overly crowded.

I’ll tell you more about the competition and the food in due course but in the meantime the sun is blazing and I’m off for a swim. 

Sorry to rub it in …

Have you ever been to Mauritius? If so what other parts of the island would you explore, assuming I can tear myself away from all this luxury.

* there’s a good potted history on the Air Mauritius site (Who fly direct from the UK if you’re interested.)