It´s all about sugar
Today sugar is frown upon but on Mauritius it is still all about sugar.
The first thing you mention while you are landing on Mauritius is that it is a really green island but since a long time this is no tropical virgin forrest anymore. The forest is coming under huge pressure from the expansion of sugar cane fields. 42 % of the island is planted with gently swaying field of sugar cane.
Despite the falling sugar prices the sugar industry is still an important factor of the economy. The sugar industry is the the most important employer. You can learn every single fact about the topic sugar on Mauritius in the museum „l´aventure du sucre“ in Pamplemousse if you want to spend the time. The exhibitions shows many displays and exhibits in the surrounding of an old sugar factory.
During an excursion on the island a sweet and malty odor is blowing into your nose and it brings childhood memories of tasty sirup rolls into your mind. This odor is from a destillery.
On Mauritius they do not just produce the dark and sweet unrefinded Muscovado sugar wich is really popular among gourmets and has a higher content of minerals than normal refinded sugar.
They also produce a tasty light sweet rum. You can get it pure or the more popular version wich is aromated with vanilla, honey, orange, green lemons, ginger and lemongrass.
The rum is made from a by-product of the sugar production. The molasses is fermented with their still high contant of sugar. The result is the Mauritian rum with the typical taste.
Sugar cane is not only supplying power to the humans while eating sugar. It supplies energy in the form of electricity, because another waste product of the sugar industry is bagasse, the fibrous parts of the plant wich were burnt in power plants so they deliver 30 % of the electry energy of Mauritius.
Even if the export of sugar is not so profitable anymore and even if other parts of the economy get more important, sugar made from sugar cane is a valuable asset and it characterize the island a lot. «
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Three best Octopus Creole
Octopus with sauce Creole has been my absolute favorite food in Mauritius. This dish contains a wealth of flavors and exudes a great exoticism. So here is this ranking of the 3 best octopus with creole sauce.
Place 1: the restaurant Le Benetier on the Royal Road in Pereybere. So good that we had to order a second portion.
Place 2: restaurant La Chaumiere Masala on the island Ile aux Cerfs. Not only the octopus Creole had excellent flavors there, the ambience is perfect here as well.
The 3rd place goes to a small bistro at the very end of the market street of Gran Baie, the Racket Road. It‘s called Curry Express. A combination of kitschy souvenir shop and restaurant. Here you will find a mixture of Mauritian and South African cuisine. Delicious.