“People who love to eat are always the best people.” This is one of my favourite quotes by Julia Child, well-known American cooking teacher, television personality and author of her debut cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

While there are those who eat to live, I can honestly say that I live to eat. My love affair with food began when I was a young child and continues to this day. One of life’s greatest pleasures is discovering new and exciting cuisines from around the world, and there is nowhere better to do that than at the source.

My fondest travel memories frequently revolve around food and the local people that one meets while travelling around a country. Food is a universal language, no matter the cuisine, and transcends language barriers. Food has the power to bring people together.

Reunion Island has a diverse cultural heritage with influences from Asia, Africa, Madagascar and Europe, creating a mouth-watering melting pot of exotic flavours, aromas and tantalising tastes that stimulate all the senses. The vibrant cuisine scene in Reunion, however, is intensely Creole yet beautifully enhanced by the rich diversity of French, Chinese, Indian, Madagascan and East African traditions. Réunionese people simply love to cook and take great pleasure in sharing their dishes with family, friends and visitors.

My first introduction to Réunionese cuisine was on a media trip in June 2019. It began with an authentic cookery workshop and agricultural tour on a sustainable farm in the hills of Sainte-Anne on the East coast. I remember my taste buds being tantalised with a variety of juicy, fragrant and spicy flavours.

From vibrant open-air markets around the island offering a cornucopia of colourful tropical fruits, vegetables, spices and local products such as Bourbon vanilla, mobile snack bars for a quick but satisfying bite or savouring Réunionese fare in a gastronomic restaurant, take your time to discover the local cuisine and create delicious memories to bring home with you. Here are just a few culinary delights that you cannot miss out on when visiting Reunion Island.

• The local Creole curry called cari. There are different types of cari and different ways to cook it. Typically made with beef, chicken, fish or vegetables such as jackfruit, a spicy rougail sauce is made from onion, tomatoes, chilli peppers, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, turmeric, local saffron and sometimes crushed ginger. Cooked in a cast-iron pot over an open wood fire in a similar way that we cook a potjie in South Africa, this fragrant and aromatic meal simmers over a few hours.
  
  Often served on banana leaves with rice (a staple on the island with every meal), beans (lentil beans from Cilaos are the best), fried greens and topped with spicy rougail sauce. Cari can also be made with sausages and is then called “rougail saucisses”. Just a cautionary warning – while delicious, cari can be VERY hot and spicy!

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• “Palmiste” or palm hearts are a delicacy in Reunion and can be made into a salad or used in cari. I had not had palm heart salad in a very long time and simply prepared with a light vinaigrette, it was fresh and super delicious.

• Tropical fruits are abundant, and one cannot help but be drawn by their sweet or sour flavours and bright, vibrant colours. Try freshly squeezed clementine juice for a Vitamin C boost or pineapple slices with salt sprinkled on top. It may sound a bit strange, but the balance of salty versus sweet was both refreshing and tangy. I tried papaya fritters for the first time and pretty much devoured them.

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• I tucked into quite a few slices of the island’s luscious sweet potato cake. Enjoyed as either a savoury snack or dessert, I think the addition of local vanilla and a touch of rum makes this dish very hard to resist.

• No visit to Reunion is complete without indulging in some of the local beverages. Bourbon Pointu, made in a grègue, a traditional Reunion Island coffee maker, is derived from the Arabica cultivar. Considered by connoisseurs to be among the finest in the world and one of the most expensive, this exceptional product is native to Reunion Island and has a history that involves Louis XV. This premium low caffeine drink has a delicate taste and aroma with fruity flavours such as orange and tangerine.

• One of the local beers, La Dodo Bourbon, is an excellent thirst quencher and can be bought at a local supermarket or café for as little as EUR1.00.

• Rhum “arrangé” is the island’s signature rum drink, a lovely tipple to sip as an aperitif before dinner. Adding fruits and spices such as vanilla or cinnamon to the rum to infuse, no two recipes will be the same. Rum punch is another favourite cocktail, but best sipped slowly and in moderation due to its high liquor content.

For more information on Reunion Island’s exotic and colourful Creole cuisine, how to get there, adventure experiences and more, visit their website >> http://bit.ly/LaReunion-LivingItUpCapetown

#GOTOREUNION – REUNION ISLAND IS OPEN FOR TRAVEL

Reunion Island is welcoming travellers back again. Here are some good things to know when planning your trip:

• South Africans do not require a visa for leisure stays for up to 90 days.
• Strict Covid-19 safety and hygiene protocols are in place.
• Air Austral offers flights from Johannesburg to St Denis, the capital city, every week.
• A 4-hour flight from Johannesburg and you will be in paradise.

Disclosure: I was hosted on a media trip in 2019 by the Reunion Island Tourism Board. All views and images are my own unless otherwise stated.

You can also contact the Reunion Island Tourism Board South African Office via email reunionisland.za@atout-france.fr or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Yours in Travel & Food,
xoxo