In times of cyclone, the culinary spirit of Mauritians awakens. “Mauritians contan manzer”, a phrase often heard which finds its full meaning during storms. Croquettes, pancakes, chicken curry, boiled cassava, and especially faratas, were the culinary stars of yesterday's hurricane day. In their kitchens, they reveal their talents to us. Focus on this taste tradition that comforts in times of storm.
A macaroni and shrimp gratin at Prisila Cavaree
Prisila Cavaree, resident of Belle-Etoile, chose to start her day with a comforting breakfast: boiled breadfruit with butter. “As there was no bread, my husband and I opted for breadfruit. With the rainy weather, this breakfast was perfect,” she explains.
For lunch, Prisila Cavaree prepared a macaroni and shrimp gratin, a dish that she says brings warmth and comfort in hurricane weather.
For dinner, she cooked a fish curry, accompanied by farata. A dish that has become a must during hurricane days. “It’s like a tradition to eat farata during the cyclone,” she adds.
Neelam Tajoo-Shewtahul: pastries for breakfast
Neelam Tajoo-Shewtahul, resident of Beau-Bassin, chose to spoil her little family during the cyclone. At breakfast, her two sons and her husband enjoyed cheese croquettes.
“As there was no bread, I prepared cheese croquettes, and in addition we had pastries which we enjoyed for breakfast,” says Neelam Tajoo-Shewtahul.
For lunch, the menu included faratas accompanied by a salmon curry.
“As I usually work, I don't have time to prepare faratas. But being at home today, I preferred to do it with the help of my children,” explains our interlocutor.
And for dinner, Neelam Tajoo-Shewtahul prepared a bread dish. She still took advantage of this forced day off to spend time with her children.
“We played board games and watched TV together. It was the perfect time to spend time with family.”
Noor Adam: A chatini of potatoes, bredes broth and sautéed salted fish for a change
Noor Adam, resident of Pailles, is a fine cook and he loves it! During Eleanore's visit, he was in the kitchen. Besides, he started his day with boiled cassava.
“My children are grown up, one is in Mauritius and the other two are abroad. With my wife, we find ourselves alone. So I cook and she does the dishes. For breakfast it was boiled cassava. As we did not have bread, we had cassava on hand and we enjoyed them with pleasure,” emphasizes Noor Adam.
Thursday's dinner menu included potato chatini, bred broth and sautéed salted fish.
“During the last cyclone, we prepared faratas, but this time we decided to change,” says Noor Adam.
Fabrice Marina: faratas on the menu
Fabrice Marina works in the hospitality sector and it is rare that she finds herself at home during a cyclone. The resident of Center de Flacq then decided to cook for her little family during Eleanore's visit. We woke up to the sweet scent of Nutella pancakes. For snack, it was fritters while for dinner, it was farata accompanied by giraumon and chicken curry with potatoes. “On this day, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen because I wanted to please my family. My son helped me prepare the different dishes. But I also took the time to watch television. It was a beautiful day,” she confides.
Angum Houda Goolamun Hingha: boiled cassava to start the day
Cassava was also there for the Hingha family in Surinam.
“We had bread but with the rainy weather, cassava was the most appropriate. As we already had cassava, so we opted for boiled cassava for breakfast,” she explains.
For lunch and dinner it was farata with chicken masala, potatoes, cucumber salad and green chilies.
“Farata is like a tradition. With each cyclone, there are faratas. My mom made it when I was little and we kept this tradition. And above all, my husband is also a farata lover. »
According to our interlocutor, during cyclones, it is often an opportunity for families to come together around traditional dishes, thus creating lasting memories and strengthening family ties.
