Maldivian food: dishes to try and where to eat them

On coral islands with thin, sandy soil, cooks have always relied on the sea and the coconut palm. Rice and flour are imported; the rest comes back to a few staples.

Tuna, in every form

Skipjack and yellowfin tuna are the heart of the Maldivian kitchen. You will meet tuna in three main forms:

• Fresh tuna, landed daily by the island’s pole-and-line fishing boats and cooked the same day in curries, broths or simply fried.
• Valhoa mas, tuna that is boiled, smoked and dried until hard. Abroad it is known as “Maldive fish”. It is flaked or grated into dishes and gives Maldivian food its deep, smoky taste.
• Rihaakuru, a thick, dark, salty paste made by slowly boiling down the cooking liquid from tuna. A spoonful lifts rice, a curry or a breakfast plate.

Our fishing in the Maldives guide explains the pole-and-line tradition.

Coconut, rice and roshi

The coconut palm gives grated coconut (huni), coconut milk, oil, sap and shade. Grated coconut goes into breakfast, snacks and sweets; coconut milk softens curries.

Rice is eaten with most main meals. Roshi, a thin, round, unleavened flatbread cooked on a dry pan, is eaten at breakfast and alongside curries, and you tear it with your fingers to scoop up food.

Chilli, lime and curry leaves

Heat comes from small, fierce local chillies (mirus), often served fresh on the side so you can add your own. Lime, onion, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and spices such as cumin, fennel and turmeric round out the flavour.

Breadfruit, taro and screwpine

Not everything is imported. Islands grow breadfruit (bambukeyo), taro (ala), sweet potato, bananas, papaya and screwpine (kashikeyo), a spiky-leafed tree whose fruit is eaten fresh or cooked. Breadfruit is boiled, fried into crisps or added to curries. These appear more in home cooking than on café menus.

The classic Maldivian breakfast is mas huni: tuna (fresh-cooked or tinned, or smoked valhoa mas) mixed by hand with grated coconut, finely chopped onion, chilli and lime juice. It is dry, bright and fresh, and you eat it rolled into warm roshi with a cup of sweet black tea.

Many guesthouses serve it on request; ask the night before. It is the single dish most worth trying in the Maldives.

Garudhiya

Garudhiya is a clear fish broth made by boiling fresh tuna with water, salt and sometimes a few curry leaves and onion. It sounds plain, but Maldivians grow up on it. You eat it with rice, then squeeze in lime, add fresh chilli and chopped onion, and top it with a little rihaakuru.

Mas riha

Mas riha is tuna curry, usually cooked with coconut milk, curry leaves and spices. Expect gentle to medium heat, with fresh chilli on the side if you want more. It is served with rice or roshi.

Fried and grilled fish

Grilled or fried fish, often reef fish or tuna marinated in chilli paste, lime and garlic, is the easiest dish to find on any local island.

Kukulhu riha and other curries

Kukulhu riha (chicken curry) is the main alternative to fish. You will also find curries made with vegetables, pumpkin, banana flower or breadfruit at home, and lentil dishes at cafés that also serve south Asian food.

Hedhikaa is the Dhivehi word for the small savoury and sweet snacks sold in glass cabinets in local cafés and teashops. Islanders eat them in the afternoon with tea, and they fill the table at iftar, the meal that breaks the fast at sunset during Ramadan. Fillings vary by cook, but tuna, coconut, onion and chilli turn up in most.

• Gulha: small fried dough balls stuffed with smoked tuna, coconut, onion and chilli. The best-known hedhikaa.
• Bajiya: a triangular fried pastry, a bit like a samosa, filled with tuna, onion and curry leaves (sometimes boiled egg).
• Keemiya: a fried roll of thin pastry with a spiced tuna filling, close to a spring roll.
• Masroshi: roshi dough wrapped round a tuna and coconut filling, then baked or cooked on a pan.
• Kulhi boakiba: a firm, spicy baked fish cake made with tuna, rice and chilli. Served in squares.

Short eats are cheap, sold by the piece, and best in the late afternoon when trays come out fresh. Point at what you want; staff are used to visitors who do not know the names.

Something sweet

• Bondibai: a rice pudding cooked with coconut milk and sugar, often flavoured with cardamom or rose water.
• Foni boakiba: a soft, sweet flour cake, often on the iftar table.

Sweets multiply at Eid and weddings; see our festivals and public holidays guide.

Sai: tea culture

Sweet black tea (sai) is the national drink, served with hedhikaa in the afternoon and at almost any gathering. It usually comes with sugar already in; ask for it without if you prefer.

Raa: fresh palm sap

Raa is fresh sap drawn from the flower bud of the coconut palm by a toddy tapper (raaveriya) who climbs the tree early in the morning. Drunk fresh, it is sweet, cloudy and refreshing. It can also be boiled down into a thick syrup (dhiyaa hakuru) used in sweets. Raa is a traditional drink rather than a café staple, so you will usually only taste it if a host offers it.

Fresh young coconut water and fruit juices are everywhere.

Where to eat

On an inhabited island like Dhiffushi, you eat in three main places:

• Local cafés and teashops: hedhikaa, rice and curry, sai. The most affordable meals in the Maldives.
• Guesthouse dining rooms: breakfast, plus lunch and dinner on request, mixing Maldivian, Asian and western dishes.
• Visitor restaurants: fish barbecues, pasta, noodles and fresh juice.

Prices on local islands are far lower than at resorts. A plate of short eats with tea costs a few dollars; a full meal in a café or guesthouse is moderate. Remember that a 10% service charge is often added, and Tourism GST (17% since 1 July 2025) applies to many tourist services. Our money, costs and taxes guide explains both.

Customs at the table

• Many Maldivians eat with their right hand, mixing rice and curry with their fingers. Cutlery is always available; nobody expects you to eat by hand.
• Use your right hand for passing food and eating if you do try.

No pork, no alcohol

The Maldives is a Muslim country. Pork and alcohol are not sold on local islands, and you may not bring either into the country. Alcohol is only served at resorts, the airport hotel island and liveaboards.

During Ramadan

During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. On local islands, do not eat, drink or smoke in public in daylight. Guesthouses still feed their guests, and some cafés serve visitors discreetly. Evenings are the reward: iftar tables fill with hedhikaa, fruit and sweet drinks. Read our Ramadan in Dhiffushi guide for practical details.

Halal by default

All meat sold and served on local islands is halal. You do not need to ask.

Vegetarian and vegan

Vegetarian food is available, but fish is in almost everything Maldivian, including broths, curry bases and many snacks. Smoked fish and rihaakuru can be hidden in dishes that look meat-free. Tell your guesthouse in advance and ask cafés directly: “no fish, no mas” helps. Vegetable curries, dhal, fried rice, roshi, fruit and salads are usually easy to arrange. Vegans should also ask about egg and ghee. Anyone allergic to fish or coconut should talk to their host before arrival.

Knowing a few words makes ordering easier and always earns a smile. Our culture, people and language guide has more Dhivehi to try.