Geography
Mauritius is a republic that consists of a group of islands located in the Indian Ocean. Madagascar is located 800 kilometers from Mauritius. To the northeast, 3860 kilometers from Mauritius is India. The republic consists of the islands: Mauritius, Agalega, Rodrigues and Cargados Carajos. See Mauritius abbreviations.
The country covers approximately 2,000 square kilometers, with 1,860 square kilometers being the main island of Mauritius. The second largest island is Rodrigues, it accounts for 105 square kilometers.
Mauritius and Rodrigues are considered mountainous islands with volcanic origin. The highest point in the country is the Riviere Noire peak, which reaches 828 meters. Despite the fact that the islands are considered mountainous, the main part of the country’s territory is located on flat terrain. Along the coast there is a wide strip of beaches, and in the north and east of the island there are agricultural fields.
The smaller islands of Agalega, Cargados Carajos have a flat relief with coral origin. All islands are surrounded by beautiful coral reefs.
The population of the republic is approximately 1.12 million inhabitants. The population density is approximately 600 people per square meter.
Climate
The climate of Mauritius is tropical, maritime. The humidity level is quite high due to the proximity to the ocean. There are two seasons: hot, humid, which is considered summer (November to April) and warm, dry, which is considered winter (May to October).
The average temperature in summer is about +25 ° C at night, and during the day the thermometer rises to +30 ° C. In winter – +20 ° C at night, +24 ° C in the daytime, which is considered quite cool weather for southern latitudes.
The island receives quite a lot of rainfall. On the flat terrain, the average annual rainfall is from 1500 to 2500 millimeters, and in the mountains from 3500 to 5000 millimeters.
During the period from February to May, heavy rains are possible on the island, which can last 2-3 days. But such rains do not repeat every year.
All year round the water temperature is from +22 o C to +26 o C, which provides a complete beach holiday all year round.
Major cities and resorts: Port Louis, Mahebourg, Rose=Hill, Curepail, Grand Baie
Cuisine of Mauritius
Since the inhabitants of the island of Mauritius are visitors from all over the world, the cuisine of this country is sometimes a very strange mixture of culinary traditions of Europe, Asia and Africa. India, France and England have had the strongest influence on local recipes.
The basis of any Mauritian dishes is ordinary rice, but the amount of seasonings added to it is truly amazing. These are hot and sour sauces, fillers (more often seafood, less often meat and poultry ), as well as a huge variety of vegetables and fruits. Among the latter can be distinguished citrus fruits, which are prepared here by a number of clever ways.
One of the most popular condiments is curry-based seasoning. Other sauces include shatini, sabayon, rugai and vindaye. Traditionally, dishes are seasoned with vegetable oils and complemented with herbs. Traditions brought by the Creoles have added tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and chili to Mauritian dishes. It is worth trying the specific spicy African rougailles tomato sauce.
One of the most popular dishes can be called “biryani”, which is rice with the addition of vegetables, meat or fish. As an appetizer, “puris” are often served – cold or hot sandwiches. For their manufacture, special flour and various fillers are used, from salad to meat or fish platter. Be sure to generously flavor the sandwich with one of the sauces.
A popular borrowed dish is the Chinese min fritt noodles, which come in a wide variety of varieties. Among flour products, triangular-shaped cheesecakes called “samussa” deserve attention. They are based on puff pastry with vegetable, meat, fish fillings. In addition, from the assortment of flour products you can try different types of pies, spicy donuts, tartlets with seafood pastes, as well as cakes with coconut, chocolate, etc.
Proximity to the sea provided the undoubted popularity of seafood on Mauritian cuisines. The most common varieties of fish such as tuna, sea bream, sole, red mullet, marlin. There are a lot of ways to cook them: stewing, boiling, frying. They eat fish even raw, pouring lemon juice on it. Seasonings for fish consist of turmeric, ginger, chili peppers and mustard seeds.
Salted fish with tomato sauce is popular, as well as the well-known “Millionaires’ Salad”, which is prepared from the heart of a palm tree and smoked blue marlin. Such marlin is a well-known Mauritian specialty; tourists even take packages of fish home as an edible souvenir.
A specific delicacy of Mauritius is camarons (freshwater shrimp) and freshly caught small oysters. Served on the table are sea urchins, octopuses, crab dishes, lobsters and snails. All of the above is again abundantly seasoned.
Sometimes on the table there is beef or stewed chicken that is familiar to Europeans. French influence brought dishes of venison and boar meat to Mauritian tables.
The favorable climate allows growing and, of course, serving a huge number of types of vegetables and fruits. Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, cassava, courgettes, pumpkins and more are included in local salads. Also very refreshing is the palm kale salad. Well, the desserts are based on papaya, watermelon, pineapples, bananas, lychees, mangoes, dates and much more.
Local coffee is prepared in Creole traditions and gives off vanilla. Mauritian white rum Green Island and Mauritian beer Phoenix, Blue Merlin and Black Eagle can be sampled. The cafe also serves an assortment of fruit juices, a drink made from condensed milk “aludu” with spices and herbal tinctures.
