Réunion Creole Cuisine

Réunion Creole cuisine is one of the world's great fusion cooking traditions, a fragrant, colourful blend of French, Indian, African, Chinese and Malagasy influences reflecting the island's melting-pot society. The cornerstone is the cari, a spiced dish of meat, fish or seafood simmered with onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger and tomato, and the similar rougail, always served with rice, grains and a fiery chilli relish also confusingly called rougail. Crispy samoussas and bouchons, Chinese-style dumplings, are beloved snacks, while the French legacy brings good bread and pastries. Bursting with spice, freshness and variety, Réunion's cuisine is a delicious highlight and a taste of its diverse culture.

What you actually see

• The cari and rougail - the spiced simmered dishes with rice.
• Samoussas and bouchons - the crispy snacks and dumplings.
• The rougail relishes - the fiery chilli condiments.
• The grains and French bread - the lentils, grains and baguettes.

When to go

Year-round; markets, the ubiquitous snack vans, and restaurants across the island serve the fragrant Creole dishes, from cari to samoussas, and the food is a genuine highlight of a visit. The blend of Indian spice, French technique and island freshness makes for wonderfully varied and flavourful eating, best explored at local spots and markets.

Honest expectations

As a French overseas department, Réunion has relatively high prices, so dining out can be costly, though the excellent, affordable snack vans and markets serving samoussas, bouchons and cari plates are the delicious, accessible heart of the food scene. As one of the great melting-pot cuisines, though, a fragrant, colourful fusion of French, Indian, African and Chinese flavours built on the spiced cari and fiery rougail, Réunion Creole cooking is a genuine and delightful highlight of the island.

Nearby

The markets, snack vans and restaurants across the island are the places to eat.