Maldivian Food and Drink Basics Dishes to Try and Dining Customs to Follow

Maldivian Food and Drink Basics: Dishes to Try and Dining Customs to Follow

Discover the flavours of the Maldives through fragrant curries, fresh seafood, coconut-based dishes and traditional snacks. From must-try local specialities to everyday dining customs, explore what to eat, drink and things to know before enjoying Maldivian cuisine during your island getaway.

Discover Maldivian Flavours at Restaurants in the Maldives

Restaurants in the Maldives offer plenty of opportunities to discover the flavours of Dhivehi cuisine, from fragrant fish curries to coconut-based dishes and fresh seafood. Traditional staples such as mas huni, garudhiya, and roshi introduce the ingredients and flavours commonly associated with Maldivian food. Exploring different dining venues can also allow travellers to experience both traditional recipes and contemporary interpretations of local cuisine.

Try Traditional Maldivian Snacks and Short Eats

Properties like Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort offer a variety of dining experiences, including restaurants and casual venues where guests can enjoy international dishes, light bites and drinks alongside their island stay. When exploring Maldivian cuisine, travellers can also try traditional snacks such as gulha, masroshi, bis keemiya and kavaabu, which often feature tuna, coconut, onion and aromatic spices. 

Explore Flavourful Curries and Local Specialities

Fish and coconut are main ingredients in many Maldivian dishes, producing delicious curries with a complex mix of spicy, savoury, and aromatic flavours. One standard special dish to try is dhon riha, a tuna curry made with coconut and (as with most of these types of curry) a mix of various herbs and spices. There are also several good vegetable curries to sample, which provide another tasty way of sampling the local ingredients. 

Enjoy Traditional Desserts and Island Drinks

But Maldivian dishes are not solely comprised of fish; there are also many sweet dishes using coconut, sago, cassava, banana, and rice. They traditionally use coconut milk in the recipe; for example, saagu bondibai, a coconut milk dessert with sago, and traditional banana-based sweets offer yet another side of Dhivehi cuisine. To cap off a meal, the sweet treats can be enjoyed with tea, coffee, or tropical juice in a laid-back setting.