Maldivian cuisine

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Traditional Maldivian cuisine is based on the following three main items and their derivatives:

1 Coconuts
2 Fish
3 Starchy items
4 See also

[edit] Coconuts

Coconut. The coconut is used in the grated form, squeezed to obtain coconut milk, or as coconut oil in dishes that are deep-fried. Hunigondi is the traditional Maldivian implement used to grate the coconut. It is a long low chair with a serrated steel blade at its end. the grated coconut is soaked in water and squeezed in order to obtain coconut milk (kaashi kiru). The coconut milk is an essential ingredient in many Maldivian curries.

[edit] Fish

Fish. The favourite fish is skipjack tuna, either dried or fresh. Other favourite fishes are little tunny (latti), yellowfin tuna (kanneli), frigate tuna (raagondi), bigeye scad (mushimas), wahoo (kurumas) and Mahi-mahi (fiyala). These can be eaten boiled or processed.

The processed tuna (Maldive fish) pieces are used in pieces or in shavings. In order to make curries, the raw or the still soft processed tuna is cut into half an inch thick sections. Dry processed tuna is mainly used to make short eats called gulha, kavaabu and fatafolhi. Unlike most Pacific islanders, Maldivians don't have the tradition of eating raw fish.

[edit] Starchy items

Starch. These are starches like rice, which is eaten boiled or ground into flour, tubers like taro (ala), sweet potato (kattala) or tapioca (dandialuvi) as well as fruits like breadfruit (bambukeyo) or screwpine (kashikeyo).

Tubers and breadfruit are eaten boiled. The screwpine fruit is mostly eaten raw after having been cut into thin slices.