The Role of Local Food in Maldives Tourism - Scholarly Commons ...

Coconuts also are a key ingredient in most local dishes. Scraped dry coconuts and milk
extracted from the scraped coconuts are used to make curries, short eats, sweets and rice
dishes. Fresh coconuts are mostly used as drinks and are usually drunk from the
coconut. In all the marketing materials only fresh coconuts were illustrated except one
picture that had half a dry coconut in a basket of fruits (Figure 5.13).
Figure 5. 13 Dry coconut in a fruit basket
Source: Brochure of Veligandu Island Resort
Activities related to food consumption are said to provide opportunities for greater
interaction and communication between tourists and locals (Poulain, 2000 in Frochot,
2003). Images that portray food related experiences and interaction with host
communities as in Figure 5.14 are rare in Maldives tourism promotional materials. This
picture displays a typical Maldivian ‘tea’ or sai ceremony with ‘short eats’ (hedhikaa)
and black tea at the home of a local family. The picture was in the guide book published
by the official tourism promotional body, MTPB. The guide book included information
and pictures about local restaurants, tea shops and coffee shops and local markets in
Male’. The website of MTPB, www.visitmaldives.com, also displays information about
local food, describing the main local foods and where they are available.
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