Culture
The cuisine of Mauritius is a blend of Indian Cuisine, Creole, Chinese and European. It is common for a combination
of cuisines to form part of the same meal. The "cari poule" or chicken curry, for example, is a very popular dish<
citation needed>. Other common Mauritian dishes include the "dholl puri" (a type of bread, made from lentils) the "mine-frit" (Chinese fried noodle), and "niouk nien" (dumplings). A common Mauritian drink is "alouda", a milk-based drink containing basil seeds.
The production of rum is common throughout the island. Sugarcane was first introduced on the island when the Dutch colonised it in 1638. Even then, the propensity of making rum out of sugarcane was strongly recognised. Sugarcane was mainly cultivated for the production of "arrack", a precursor to rum. Only much later, after almost 60 years, the first proper sugar was produced.<
citation needed> However, it was during the French and English administration that sugar production was fully exploited, which considerably contributed to the economical development of the island.<
citation needed> It was Pierre Charles François Harel who in 1850 initially proposed the concept of local distillation of rum in Mauritius. In part due to his efforts, Mauritius today houses three distilleries (Grays, Medine and St Aubin) and is in the process of opening an additional three.<
citation needed>
The
sega is a local folklore music. Sega has African roots, and main traditional
instruments for producing the music are goat-skin percussion instruments called
ravane and metallic clicks using metal
triangles. The songs usually describe the miseries of slavery, and has been adapted nowadays as social satires to voice out inequalities as felt by the blacks. Men are usually at the instruments while women perform an accompanying dance. Shows are regularly hosted in the coastal hotels.<
citation needed>
Mauritius was the only known habitat of the extinct Dodo bird.
In 1847, Mauritius became the fifth country in the world to issue postage stamps. The two types of stamps issued then, known as the
Red Penny and the
Blue Penny are probably the most famous stamps in the world, being very rare and considered to be the among the most valuable in the world.
When discovered, the island of Mauritius was home to a previously unknown species of bird, which the Portuguese named the dodo (simpleton), as they appeared not too bright. However, by 1681, all dodos had been killed by settlers or their domesticated animals. An alternate theory suggests that the imported wild boar destroyed the slow breeding dodo population. Nevertheless, the dodo is prominently featured as a supporter of the national coat-of-arms
Maiden 2006 Parade. Horse racing is one of the most popular sports on the island.
The island has also given rise to a diversified literature, prominent in French, English, Creole and Indian languages