Reunion Island

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Tuesday 2 december 2008 14:24

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Reunion Island

Recipesof the Reunionese gastronomy

Rice, pulses, pickles, spicy chutneys, sauces or grilled dishes… The culinary creations of Réunion Island are sure to delight any palate and tickle all taste buds. The variety of fruit and vegetables, spices and condiments just as that of the different flavours and textures will satisfy both gourmets and foodies. The cuisine of Réunion Island has been enriched over time, to become a fully-fledged cuisine, with its own rules and multiple variations thanks to the know-how of the Africans, Indians and Chinese who have settled on the island.

Find a variety of meat and fish recipes in our search engine! Also, discover some serving tips on how to serve dried pulse dishes with the chutney of your choice. A list of dessert recipes and preparations for “rhum arrangé” (**) are featured as well.

If some expressions are unknown to you, don’t hesitate to refer to the “culinary lexicon of Réunionese cuisine.”

(**) “Rhum arrangé” is a blend of rum with spices, leaves, orange peel, delicacies or macerated fruits.

Excessive drinking is dangerous for one’s health, drink moderately.

Starters

In Réunion Island, a tasty meal always starts with a few “bonbons piments” and samosas and of course “bouchons” which can also be accompanied with grilled cheese sandwich. Do not eat too much of these appetizers otherwise, you will be so full that you won’t be able to enjoy the main course.

Main course / Meat

A more convivial way of welcoming your friends is to invite them at your place to enjoy a curry and assorted chutneys with personal touches. Among the most famous meat dishes are the chicken curry and sausage rougail, (a smoked sausage curry) but there is also a variety of dishes which are as delicious as the others and which will delight any palate.

Main course / Fish and Seafood

As the ocean abounds with fish and seafood, this results in a variety of dishes. Among them are the famous “bichiques.” These are the “bancs d’alvins” which are found at some time of the year at the mouth of a few rivers in the island. People caught them with a conical fishing basket, also known as “vouves”. The “bichique” is very expensive, and it costs about 170 to 200 francs per kilo. It’s the caviar of Réunion Island! If you are craving for fresh fish, all you have to do is to stop at St-Leu. By the roadside, near the surf spot, a wide variety of “bichiques” fished in the morning, is sold at a reasonable price. (parrot fish, crayfish, red fish…)

Accompaniment / Chutneys

An innumerable meat and fish curries are served with these chutneys as it brings out their flavours. Tomato and mango chutney are the most famous ones: the first one is served especially with the meat and the second one with a few exceptions, the fish. There is also the chili sauce and chili paste which are also served with a wide variety of dishes.

Desserts

Add the perfect finishing touch to every dinner party. Impress your guests with one of our luxurious desserts. Bourbon vanilla and victoria pineapple are reputed worldwide for their unique flavours. There are many other fruits which are also very tasty: bananas, mangoes, litchis, coconuts, guavas…they can be used in dessert making or simply eaten fresh.

“Rhums arrangés” /liqueurs

All these recipes are made from “charette” rum. It is named “charette” because it is the most selling brand in Réunion Island. It is its production process which makes it different from the West Indies rum. This particular rum is produced from fermented cane juice whereas the Réunion Island rum comes from molasses distillation. During the production of brown sugar, the remaining syrupy residue is called the molasses. Réunion Island rum is quite strong (about 47°) and has a rather special taste. Some people like it and others don’t. Each alcoholic drink should have its own specificity of taste peculiar to its area of origin. There is another Réunion Island rum, known as “Agricole” which is produced similar to the West Indies rum, that is, directly from the sugar cane juice.