Indian influence on Mauritian cuisine and culture

Mauritius was first discovered by Arab traders, but was officially settled first by the Portuguese in the 16th century. Soon thereafter, the Dutch overtook the colony and gave it its name, after Prince Maurice of Nassau (CIA). At the peak of the age of colonialism, when European powers vied for control over regions rich with natural resources or the potential to harvest crops with slave labor, Mauritius changed hands between the French, then British, and finally gained independence in 1968. Mauritius is currently a benchmark for economic growth: the island nation has "undergone a remarkable economic transformation from a low-income, agriculturally-based economy to a diversified, upper middle-income economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors," (CIA).

Uniqueness

Mauritius has been and still is a crossroads of culture in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The confluence of cultures there, including European (British and French), East African, and Asian (Indian, Chinese, and Arabic) has impacted the evolution of Mauritian culture and especially its food traditions. The Indian influence on Mauritian culture and food is pronounced; there is a higher proportion of Indian people on Mauritius than anywhere else outside the subcontinent (Tinker). Brought over as indentured laborers primarily for sugar cane production, the Indian people on Mauritius, the Indian people on Mauritius have developed their own unique customs, traditions, and even folktales (Benoit; Haring).

Religion

About half the Island is Hindu (48.5%), and a full quarter is Roman Catholic (26.3%). However, a substantial number (17.3%) are Muslim. The rest of the population is either Protestant or unspecified (CIA).

Health Beliefs

Health beliefs are varied. While the literature does not reveal many impediments to healthcare, differential mortality rates linked to lifestyle and dietary choices reveal social stratifications with those at the lower level of the socioeconomic scale more likely to have problems (Smith and Owen).

Challenges/Problems

Mauritius is being affected by climate change already and climate change will be its greatest future challenge. Storms have adversely affected many crops, but warming temperatures may have a net positive effect on outputs of banana, brinjal, and pineapple (Ramlall). Mauritian economy is highly diversified, and growth remains strong. However, climate change could displace a significant number of residents of Mauritius and other Indian Ocean island nations.

Conclusions

Mauritius is a unique island yet one linked to a number of different cultures and traditions. It is exemplary in its post-colonial transformation from a poor and agrarian society to one that is economically empowered. Linguistically, Mauritius resembles a post-colonial community with its creole languages intact; "French and British colonization has left salient features which continue to influence the dynamics around language and ethnicity in the country," (Sambajee 215). The predominance of European languages as lingua franca has not obscured the use of ancestral tongues, in particular Bhojpuri, spoken by as many as one-fifth of the inhabitants of Mauritius (Haring).