Seychellois cuisine

{{Short description|Culinary traditions of Seychelles}} {{EngvarB|date=June 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}} [[File:Location Seychelles AU Africa.svg|thumb|The location of Seychelles]]

'''Seychellois cuisine''' is the cuisine of the Republic of Seychelles, an archipelago country consisting of 115 islands off the Indian Ocean coast of Africa. Fish plays a prominent part in the country's cuisine<ref name="Lonely Planet"/> because of its location in the Indian Ocean. Seychellois cuisine has been influenced by African, British, French, Spanish, Indian and Chinese cuisines.<ref name="Tingay"/><ref name="Evans"/>

==History== The Seychelles archipelago had no permanent inhabitants before 1770, when they were settled by the French.<ref name="Zielinski2024"/> They were transferred to the British in 1814, under the Treaty of Paris.<ref>{{cite web |title=1814 |url=https://nationalarchives.govmu.org/nationalarchives/?cool_timeline=1814 |website=National Archives Department |publisher=Government of Mauritius |access-date=21 February 2026}}</ref> In the early colonial years, sugarcane and other labour-intensive crops dominated the islands, farmed by enslaved people. After slavery was abolished in 1835, coconuts became the dominant crop on the islands, coconuts also came to dominate the local cuisine.<ref name="Zielinski2024"/>

The Seychelles' location as a trading post added further ingredients and traditions to the local food. Malagasy slaves from Madagascar brought ancient Austronesian cooking methods, and Chinese and Indian merchants brought spices and fruits that round out modern coconut curries. The cuisine that emerged from this mixing pot is locally known as ''Creole cuisine'', reflecting its complex origin.<ref name="Zielinski2024"/>

==Common ingredients== Seychellois dishes are often based around seafood, including fish, shellfish, and octopus, coupled with rice. Fish dishes are cooked in several ways, such as steamed, grilled, wrapped in banana leaves, baked, salted and smoked.<ref name="Lonely Planet"/><ref name=BBC/><ref name=SeychellesTravel/> Additional food staples include shark, breadfruit, and mangoes.<ref name="Tingay"/>

Curries ({{lang|crs|kari}} in Seychelles Creole) are a particularly common style of meal. Fish or octopus curries are traditional dishes.<ref name=BBC/> Other meats are cooked into curries as well, including chicken and fruit bat.<ref name=Evans/><ref name=SeychellesTravel/> Coconut milk is a common ingredient, due in part to the extensive coconut plantations of the colonial era.<ref name="Choppy2020"/>{{rp|62}}

The spices of Seychellois cuisine are a mix of Indian, European, Asian, and African, reflecting the islands' location and trading history. Ginger, lemongrass, coriander and tamarind are common spices.<ref name="Evans"/> Curry powder, curry leaves, cinnamon bark, and even cinnamon leaves can all be included in dishes.<ref name=BBC/>

Dishes are often cooked with, or accompanied by, local Seychellois chili sauces, known as {{lang|crs|lasos piman}}.<ref name=RZEater/>

Fresh fish and fruits are sold by street vendors and in markets.<ref name="Lonely Planet"/> Because of the small size and population of the islands, the set of available fresh ingredients can be variable.<ref name=BBC/>

==Common foods and dishes== [[File:SeychellesSharkChutney.JPG|thumb|right|Shark chutney (right), with lentils and shredded green papaya on rice at a market on Mahé, Seychelles]] Example dishes include: * Curries ** {{lang|crs|kari koko}} - Coconut curry, made with various proteins<ref name="RZEater"/><ref name=Norah/> ** {{lang|crs|kari bernik}} - limpet curry<ref name="Evans"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Julianas Villas Café |url=https://www.eater.com/venue/107288/juliane-s-villa |website=Eater |access-date=18 February 2026 |date=21 May 2024}}</ref> ** Fish curry<ref name="Evans"/> * ''Dhal'' (lentils)<ref name=Norah/> * Saffron rice<ref name="Tingay"/> * {{lang|crs|Ladob}} is eaten either as a savoury dish or as a dessert. The dessert version usually consists of ripe plantain and sweet potatoes (but may also include cassava, breadfruit or even ''corosol'') boiled with coconut milk, sugar, nutmeg and vanilla in the form of a pod until the fruit is soft and the sauce is creamy.<ref name="Carpin"/> The savoury dish usually includes salted fish, cooked in a similar fashion to the dessert version, with plantain, kasava and breadfruit, but with salt used in place of sugar (and omitting vanilla). * {{lang|crs|Satini reken}}—Shark chutney typically consists of boiled skinned shark, finely mashed, and cooked with squeezed ''bilenbi'' juice and lime. It is mixed with sautéed onion and spices.<ref name="Evans"/><ref name="Carpin"/> * {{lang|crs|rougail saucisse}} (or {{lang|crs|sosis rougay}}) - sausages in tomato/onion sauce<ref name=RZEater/><ref name=Norah/> * {{lang|crs|Bouyon bred}}—fish soup, made with greens, related to French ''bouillabaisse''<ref name="Choppy2020"/>{{rp|60}} * {{lang|crs|Bourzwa griye}}—grilled red snapper<ref name="Evans" /> * Cassava pudding<ref name="Tingay"/> and cakes<ref name="JR2016"/>{{rp|305}} * {{lang|crs|Kat-kat banane}}<ref name="Evans"/>—green bananas and fish cooked in coconut milk * {{lang|crs|Salad palmis}}—palm heart salad, prepared with coconut palm<ref name="Evans"/>

==Beverages== Coconut water and fresh juices are some of the beverages in Seychellois cuisine. Alcoholic drinks include the palm wine {{lang|crs|calou}} (or {{lang|crs|kalou}}), {{lang|crs|bakka}} rum and beers produced in the country such as Seybrew and Eku.<ref name="Lonely Planet"/><ref name="Tingay"/> Wine is obtainable at most Seychelles restaurants.<ref name="Lonely Planet"/>

==Food industry== The Indian Ocean Tuna company's processing plant is one of the largest tuna canneries in the world. It is located in Victoria, Seychelles.<ref name="Lonely Planet"/>

==See also== {{Portal|Food|Africa}} * African cuisine * Index of Seychelles-related articles

==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Norah">{{cite web |last1=Norah |first1=Laurence |title=Seychelles Food: Traditional Creole Foods you have to Try |url=https://www.findingtheuniverse.com/2017/05/traditional-creole-food-of-seychelles.html |website=Finding the Universe |access-date=21 February 2026 |date=25 May 2017}}</ref> <ref name="Lonely Planet">[https://books.google.com/books?id=bKAH9zxBiA8C&pg=PA273 Lonely Planet Mauritius, Reunion & Seychelles – Jean-Bernard Carillet]. pp. 273-274.</ref> <ref name="Tingay">[https://books.google.com/books?id=NoUynTBELeIC&pg=PA33 Seychelles - Paul Tingay]. pp. 33-34.</ref> <ref name="Carpin">Carpin, Sarah, ''Seychelles'', Odyssey Guides, p.77, 1998, The Guidebook Company Limited. Retrieved 4 June 2008</ref> <ref name="Evans">[https://books.google.com/books?id=FJxlWwrVcKcC&pg=PA235 The Recipes of Africa – Dyfed Lloyd Evans]. pp. 235-236.</ref> <ref name="JR2016">{{cite journal |last1=Jeffery |first1=Laura |last2=Rotter |first2=Rebecca |title=Sustenance, nourishment, and cultivation: plants as living cultural heritage for dispersed Chagossians in Mauritius, Seychelles, and the UK: Sustenance, nourishment, and cultivation |journal=Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute |date=June 2016 |volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=296–313 |doi=10.1111/1467-9655.12402 |access-date=18 February 2026 |url=https://rai.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1467-9655.12402}}</ref> <ref name="RZEater">{{cite web |last1=Rioux |first1=Steven |last2=Zielinski |first2=Tyler |title=The 19 Best Restaurants in Seychelles |url=https://www.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-seychelles |website=Eater |access-date=18 February 2026 |date=30 May 2024}}</ref> <ref name="Choppy2020">{{cite journal |last1=Choppy |first1=Penda Theresia |title=From local Creoles to global Creoles : insights from the Seychelles |journal=Small States & Territories |date=May 2020 |volume=3 |issue=1 |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/56498 |access-date=18 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref> <ref name="BBC">{{cite web |title=A taste of the Seychelles |url=https://www.bbc.com/storyworks/travel/secrets-of-the-seychelles/a-taste-of-the-seychelles |website=BBC StoryWorks |access-date=21 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref> <ref name="SeychellesTravel">{{cite web |title=Food and Drink |url=https://seychelles.com/experience/food-drinks |website=Seychelles Travel: Official Tourism Website of the Seychelles |access-date=21 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref> <ref name="Zielinski2024">{{cite web |last1=Zielinski |first1=Tyler |title=Coconut Is Everything in Seychelles’ Creole Cuisine |url=https://www.eater.com/24188292/seychelles-coconut-creole-food |website=Eater |access-date=21 February 2026 |date=1 July 2024}}</ref> }}

Category:Seychellois cuisine Category:Culture of Seychelles Seychelles