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Creole cuisine fuses the subtlety of French cuisine with India’s exotic spices, and the piquant flavours of the Orient.

Seychelles cuisine is a melange of French, Chinese, Indian, and African influences. Food is exotic and rich, thanks to the generous portions of thick coconut milk, which is liberally added to most dishes. Rice and straight-from-the-sea fish are the main ingredients, together with herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, garlic, mint, ginger, cayenne, and cardamom.

Fish is often cooked over a wood fire and served with sweet and sour chutneys, while octopus basted with a sauce of crushed ginger, chillies, and garlic is a local favourite.

Rougaille – a tangy tomato sauce and grilled fresh fish stuffed with chillies – is another popular dish. The more adventurous might try shark chutney, where the fish is stir-fried and seasoned with aromatic bilimbi fruits, herbs, and onions.

At one time turtle meat was eaten, but nowadays turtles are an endangered species so it no longer appears on menus. Desserts include coconut cake and sweet potato cake with vanilla sauce, while the main thirst quenchers are tea and cool beer.

The brave might try fermented coconut calou, the sap of a flowering coconut palm, or bacca, fermented sugar cane juice. Mind though, it has a mule-like kick!

Three great places, Mahé

Try these three places for a true taste of the Seychelles at its best:

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