Seychellen Traditionelle Küche

Seychelles national cuisine is a unique mix of French, Chinese, Indian and English traditions where you will find Asian and European dishes along with Creole delicacies at local restaurants.

Creole cuisine history

France was the first country that influenced the national Seychelles cuisine. French migrants added their traditions to the local fish.

Chinese and Indian merchants added spices to the local cuisine.

British were the first to use cinnamon and coconut for cooking and eating.

To sum up, Seychelles cuisine is a mix of creole dishes with French traditions, Asian creativity, and British solidity.

The main features of Creole cuisine

The waters of the Indian Ocean is the main source of food in Seychelles providing not only locals but also tourists from all over the world with fish and seafood.

Seychellois tend to go fishing twice a day. In the mornings on one of the most famous beaches on the islands – Beau Vallon – there is a very rich catch including bonito, mackerel, parrotfish, snapper and many more kinds of fish. They are sold out extremely fast.

Another widespread Seychelles staple is rice which is cooked with fish, meat and Indian spices.

Almost every meal contains fruits as there are plenty of them in Seychelles, that’s why the archipelago is called a tropical paradise. They eat mangoes, avocadoes, pineapples, melons, bananas, oranges, grapefruits, and jackfruit either raw, braised, fried, and added to different dishes.

The same can be said about vegetables. Eggplants, cucumbers, pumpkin, Chinese cabbage are also very popular. People eat them separately or add to complex and sophisticated dishes.

As for the Seychelles drinks, the locals prefer coffee and tea with spices, especially cold ones.

Widespread alcohol drinks include the Takamaka Rum, Seybrew craft beer and national tinctures.

Meals and drinks to taste in Seychelles: checklist

If you are lucky to get to Seychelles, be sure to taste the following dishes:

• Poison ek Diri – the most popular Seychelles food – rice with fish.
• Bringel - fried local eggplants with spices.
• Braised and fried bananas: there are 15 types of them in Seychelles, that's why the locals seldom eat them raw.
• Breadfruit chips. This snack is not only tasty but also quite healthy.
• Bourgeois – the whole fish baked.
• Tru lu lu crabs – the huge crabs with the unique sauce.
• Tek Tek shells – boiled, fried shells with different sauces.
• Octopus curry in coconut milk, one of the most exotic dishes in Seychelles.
• Chutney – a popular Creole side dish with bilimbi, garlic, and turmeric.
• Grilled red snapper with chili pepper, garlic or ginger.

The drinks to pay attention to:

• Kala - the fermenting coconut juice.
• Baca - the fermenting sugar cane juice.
• Lemon and mint tincture.
• Tea and coffee drinks.

Seychelles restaurants

There are a lot of restaurants in Seychelles which offer local, Asian and Indian cuisine.

The chefs of Coral Asia cook Asian and Japanese dishes. The most popular are sushi and traditional Japanese alcohol drink sake. Visitors can watch the process sitting right at your table.

Mahek invites Indian cuisine lovers to taste national dishes cooked according to the traditions and visible from an open kitchen.

The unique restaurant The Island Trader offers themed dinners of Creole, Asian, Mediterranean and international cuisine. The menu is different every day.

It is extremely difficult to distinguish the most unique and sophisticated dish from all of these in Seychelles. Everyone will find their own. You can be 100% sure that you will never forget the tastes you found there.