Seychellois Creole Cuisine is unique and there are two main reasons for its uniqueness. The first one is that it was born out of the fusion of five major culinary influences, namely that the French, African, Indian, Malagasy and Chinese. This has been extensively discussed in separate posts and we shall not repeat ourselves here. The second reason is primarily because the Seychellois Creole cuisine relies on five primary flavours: hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salt, and bitter and the artful blending of the five flavours. This is enhanced by the availability of super fresh ingredients that are obtained directly from a garden or fishing boat and the subtle combination of these ingredients to produce those extra layers of flavour and aroma.
Some of the ingredients that are used to achieve these five flavours are:
Hot – fresh chilli , black pepper, garlic and ginger. There are two main types of chillies that have been traditionally used on the islands and these are the birds eye or piman martin and goat chilli, piman kabri, the flavour and smell of which is reminiscent of goat meat. The Seychellois have great tolerance to spicy dishes , acquired from a lifetime’s experience. Chilli based condiments like chilli sauce, and asar are usually placed on the table so that diners can season the dish further, adding extra heat to their own taste.
Sour flavour is extensively added in satini , salads, marinade for grilling fish, soups and bouyon , and drinks like fresh lime. It usually comes fresh immature fruits include mangoes, golden apple; lime or lemon juice, vinegar, bilimbi and tamarind.
Sweet usually from sugar and coconut milk is usually used in curry dishes and considerably in desserts.
Salty flavour usually comes from sea salt , soy sauce, salted fish ( including rabbit fish or kordonnyen) and salted meat. This flavour enhances and brings out the tastes of the other ingredients. Salt has the capacity to make sour taste sweet and bitter foods less bitter. Try it out. Sprinkle a bit of salt on a slice of green mango, and the sour mango tastes much sweeter. In reality, the mango has the same amount of sugar than before, as well as the same amount of acids. But, the salt diminishes your perception of the acidity, allowing you to taste the sugar compounds better. So, the mango is not really sweeter, you just have an enhanced ability to taste what sweetness is there.
Bitter flavour comes from a few kinds of vegetables and fruit which are believed to have a medicinal benefits. They are bitter gourd or margoz, known to have several medicinal benefits, is commonly used as salad, chutneys and asard, and some spinach. Most cuisines of the world do not employ the bitter taste, but in Seychelles it is a flavour that is well-loved and appreciated.
Harmonising the Flavours
Harmonizing these flavours lies at the heart of Seychellois Creole Cuisine and the dish is at its best when all flavours are balanced. Any five of these flavours rarely occur together in any one dish , but will mostly appear when the main dish and all the side dishes are placed on the plate. For example, you may have a coconut curry that is spicy, hot, with a touch of sweetness and sourness accompanied by a chutney of bitter gourd that is also sour and salty.
Another distinguishing features of the Seychellois Creole cuisine is the subtle combination of flavourings from the different herbs and spices including mint leaves, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry leaves, coriander, chilli, and basil.
Be guided by your palate, taste buds, eyes and heart!
Seychellois Creole cooking is very different to modern western cooking. Wherein in western cooking (particularly baking) ingredients are measured exactly, the Creole cook does not use measuring cups. The Creole cooking is much more lenient and gives the cook a lot of flexibility to be creative. You learn to cook by watching and helping in the kitchen.
This blog provides recipes with measurements, but you should look at these recipes as the starting point for your exploration. You don’t need to add exactly what the recipe calls for. Rather, the recipes are a guideline – once you develop your personal taste, do not be afraid to deviate. Because the intensity of an ingredient’s flavour can vary from one time to the next and everyone prefers a different point along the flavour spectrum, only your tongue can tell you how much more of something you need to add. Let yourself be led by your palate and your taste buds, your eyes and your heart. In other words, be guided by your love of food, and only then will you be able to cook.
Also, if you don’t like something, omit it. Simple as that!
Most dishes are easy to prepare, although some do require lengthy preparation and cooking. Most of the ingredients or alternatives are currently readily available in most Asian shops as well as some large food stores.
Cuisine Interdite
Some of the recipes in this blog have never been documented before and some are now forbidden, and I will call them ‘cuisine interdite‘. These will include some turtle and mutton bird dishes. They will be posted only for interest sake, although mutton bird is still available in Australia! .
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