The African Gourmet

One of the most unique aspects of a holiday in Mauritius is seeing first hand the melting pot of cultures and traditions that the island has adopted from its people. Throughout history, people of many different races and religions have all chosen to settle on the shores of this paradise isle, bringing with them their own folklore and religion. As you can imagine this accumulates in some fantastic festivals. Here are the five best that Mauritius has to offer:

Maha Shivaratree

If you are arranging a Mauritius holiday for the month of February then you may be lucky enough to stumble upon Maha Shivaratree. This Hindu festival is also known as ‘The Great Night of Shiva” and every year the festival is celebrated with a pilgrimage to Grand Bassin. The lake here is considered to be sacred and many locals believe that it has the ability to communicate with the holy river of the Ganges. On the Great Night pilgrims dressed entirely in white make their way to the river with bamboo contraptions on their shoulders as a sign of sacrifice.

Cavadee

Visitors on their holidays in Mauritius might not like the idea of participating in Cavadee, but the sight alone is quite an experience. The festival is predominantly celebrated by Tamil Indians who must first fast for ten days. Once the fasting period is over, the participants have their cheeks, tongues and chests pierced with needles before going to their temple with their offerings attached to their backs. The evening cumulates in a fire-walking ceremony, which is certainly a spectacular sight to behold on your Mauritius holiday.

Divali

Even the Mauritius hotels will go all out and celebrate Divali. It is customary for houses and hotels to light a small candle in honour of Lord Rama’s victory over the devil and decorate the entrances to their buildings with strands of marigolds. Diwali is also celebrated as the festival of light and on your holidays in Mauritius you are certain to see masses of fireworks on the night that Divali falls. It is also customary to throw firecrackers and many young locals take delight in throwing these in the direction of unsuspecting tourists.

Chinese New Year

Although most of the festivals mentioned so far have been Indian in tradition, many other religions are omnipresent on the island and, as you will discover on your Mauritius holiday, they have their own unique way of celebrating the ancient customs and traditions of their culture. The Sino-Mauritians, or Mauritians of Chinese descent, celebrate Spring Festival or Chinese New Year during the months of January and February and the island displays are known to be elaborate. Wax cakes are shared among friends and relatives, whilst firecrackers are lit to chase evil spirits off the island. If you want to experience this festival whilst on your Mauritius holidays then make your way to Port Louis, which is known for having the best lion dancers.

Father Laval Day

Father Laval may have been French in origin, but on September 9th it is common for people of all ethnic backgrounds in Mauritius to walk up to the shrine at Sainte Croix. Father Laval was known for being the protector of the slaves and has now become the symbol of passion and love for the many communities that make up the island of Mauritius.
By: Claire Bryant

Every country or society has some speciality products that are found nowhere else, or for which they like to take the credit. South Africa is no different and there are a number of delicious or unusual beverages available in various parts of the country.

Fruit juices: There are lots of inexpensive good quality 100% fruit juices available from even the most informal outlet. A perennial favourite is Appletiser – a slightly dryish, sparkling apple juice. Although it is now available all over the world, it’s still very much South Africa. Unlike some parts of the world, in South Africa, cider is an alcoholic drink.
 
Other wines: Although we do have a very big apple industry, we have never got into making alcoholic cider – strangely enough – but we do have a few unusual wines. In Mpumalanga, you can taste and try orange wine, and there is a well developed cherry wine industry in the Free State. Both these are quite palatable but are more novelties than anything else.

Herbal teas: South Africa is renowned for its herbal teas, especially Rooibos Tea, which is widely accepted to have many therapeutic qualities. This tea is endemic to the Cedarberg region near Clanwilliam where it is cultivated and processed. If you are interested, or are passing through, they may tour a tea factory at Clanwilliam.

Another interesting and delicious indigenous herbal tea is Honeybush Tea. Both these teas can be bought loose or in bags, and even as a blend. Rooibos tea is on offer in even the most unpretentious of restaurants or coffee shops.
 
Beer: South Africans are great beer drinkers but the mainstream beer is mass produced, although it is very tasty. Most local beer is lager style and quite high in alcohol compared to other parts of the world. Of course, there are a number of small micro breweries so beer connoisseurs won’t feel left out. Some of the better known include Mitchells in Knysna, and the Birkenhead in Stanford, near Hermanus.

But real beer lovers will be pleased to hear that South Africa has recently launched its first beer route, along very similar lines to the wine routes. Called the Brew Route, this bold initiative in KwaZulu-Natal showcases 7 micro-breweries from the Midlands to Zululand.
 
Traditional African beer: Traditional sorghum beer is a wonderful drink that is low in alcohol and high in nutrients. With a rather milky appearance it looks quite unusual but it is very refreshing. Your clients will probably be offered a taste of this at cultural villages but it is also available in cardboard cartons – and called ’shake-shake’ because you have to that to the carton before you open it.

Distilled alcohol and liqueurs: Not surprising, considering the quality of our wines, we produce some very fine liqueur brandies and there are a couple of indigenous liqueurs your client may like to try. Van der Hum is an old favourite – it’s a mandarin liqueur and is quite delicious on its own, in coffee or poured over ice cream and the rich – and very sweet – Amarula cream, which is flavoured with the indigenous marula fruit, is a very popular tipple.
 
An unusual liqueur is buchenbos – made from rooibos tea, mandarin oranges and buchu (a very aromatic indigenous medicinal herb). Local small industries have started making liqueurs flavoured with honeybush and rooibos tea (see above), and many others. Connoisseurs of unusual liqueurs will be interested to try the fiery, traditional mampoer.

This is a distilled drink, not entirely unlike moonshine, which is made from, and flavoured with, a variety of fruits including the indigenous marula. The most traditional place for mampoer tasting is near the small town of Groot Marico in the Northwest Province, about 4 hours drive from Johannesburg. A drink to be wary of is Witblits – translated it means white lightning. It’s a fiery, rather rough, distilled grape spirit – closer to moonshine that mampoer is.
 

Everyone shares the bond of food. This strong social bond helps us to flourish in all aspects of life. Celebrate the World Cup being played in South Africa this year by making a wonderfully easy South African dish, Komkommer Slaai (cucumber salad).  

Komkommer Slaai  (Cucumber Salad) Makes 5 Servings

Ingredients

3 medium peeled and seeded fresh cucumbers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 clove garlic finely minced

½-1 teaspoon red pepper flake depending on taste 

Directions1. Grate cucumbers into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt 2. Add vinegar, garlic, and pepper to the cucumbers mixing well 3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving Serve as a unique topping for your hamburgers and hot dogs or eat as a tasty side dish to grilled ribs and steak.

The early Portuguese navigators named Africa’s southernmost tip Cabo das Agulhas, or Cape of Needles, after noticing that their compass needles showed little magnetic deviation and pointed almost due north when passing this point. The dangers of this treacherous coastline prompted the construction of a beacon to warn mariners to stay clear.
 
The original Agulhas lighthouse, commissioned on 1 March 1849, stood 27 m in height and was built from limestone in the style of the ancient Pharos lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt. After 117 years’ service, it was replaced by a new lighthouse commissioned in 1966. Appropriately, the old lighthouse has served as the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse Museum since 1994. The only one of its kind in Africa, the museum provides an account of the development of lighthouses through the ages and the history of the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse in particular.
 
Also on display are lenses, lanterns, gas burners and foghorns. About 1 km west of the lighthouse, the southernmost tip of Africa (34° 49′ 58″ south and 20° 00′ 12″ east) is marked by a cairn and plaque. L’Aghulhas is the southernmost town in Africa, and is a popular holiday destination, especially during the summer months.
 

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