Maldives Food and Drink Guide: What to Eat and Drink

A cuisine built on tuna and coconut

Maldivian food, known as Dhivehi cuisine, rests on three pillars: tuna, coconut, and starch (rice or breadfruit). Centuries of trade with India, Sri Lanka and Arabia added chilli, curry leaves and aromatic spice. The result is bold, smoky and surprisingly fiery.

Signature dishes to try

• Garudhiya - a clear, fragrant tuna broth, the national dish. It is eaten over rice with lime, chilli and raw onion.
• Mas huni - shredded smoked tuna mixed with grated coconut, onion, chilli and lime. The classic breakfast, scooped up with roshi (flatbread).
• Rihaakuru - a thick, salty brown tuna paste eaten with rice and vegetables; an acquired but beloved taste.
• Fihunu mas - grilled reef fish rubbed with chilli paste.
• Bis keemiya - a samosa-like pastry filled with cabbage, egg and onion.

Short eats and hedhikaa

Teahouses serve hedhikaa, a spread of small savoury and sweet snacks called short eats. Look for gulha (fried dough balls stuffed with tuna), bajiya, masroshi and kulhi boakibaa (a dense spiced fish cake). Most cost only a few rufiyaa each at local cafes.

Drinks

• Sai - strong, sweet black tea, the social glue of the islands.
• Raa - fresh toddy tapped from palm crowns, mildly sweet when fresh.
• Kurumba - fresh young coconut water, sold everywhere.
• Mango, watermelon and passion-fruit juices are abundant.

Note: the Maldives is a Muslim country and alcohol is banned on inhabited local islands. Alcohol is served only at resort islands and a few licensed liveaboards and hotels, where prices are high.

Practical dining tips and etiquette

• On local islands, meals are modest and inexpensive. A teahouse plate of short eats with tea often costs under 100 rufiyaa.
• Many Maldivians eat with the right hand; using your left hand to pass food is considered impolite.
• During Ramadan, daytime eating is restricted on local islands and many cafes close until sunset.
• Tap water is not reliable; drink bottled or filtered water.
• Resorts run pricey buffets and themed nights, so a local-island stay is the cheapest way to eat authentically.

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