Seychellois Creole cuisine is influenced by African, Chinese, English, French and Indian traditions. The careful blending of spices is a major feature and much use is made of coconut milk and breadfruit. Breadfruit is prepared in similar ways to the potato (mashed, chipped, roasted and so on) but has a slightly sweeter taste. Other locally produced fruits and vegetables include aubergines, calabashes, choux choutes, patoles, paw-paws (papaya), bananas, mangoes, avocados, jackfruits, grapefruits, guavas, lychees, pineapples, melons, limes and golden apples. Lobster, octopus, pork and chicken are used more frequently than beef or lamb, which must be imported. Most restaurants offer a few items of what is termed ‘international’ cuisine, generally with a bias towards preparations of fresh fish and shellfish, as well as the Creole delicacies mentioned above. There are Italian and Chinese restaurants on Mahé. Some of the main hotels have bakeries and home-baked bread is also a feature of some of the small guest houses and lodges. Waiter service is the norm. All restaurants which are members of the Seychelles Restaurateurs’ Association quote an average price per person for a three-course meal inclusive of two glasses of wine and coffee. A wide range of wines, spirits and other alcoholic beverages is available in the Seychelles. The same company produces Guinness under licence and soft drinks. Local tea is also popular.
Things To Know. A hotel licence permits hotel residents to drink at any time. Alcohol can be sold to anyone between Mon-Fri 1400-1800, Sat 0800-1200 and 1400-1800. Other bars open 1130-1500 and 1800-2200. It is illegal to drink alcohol on any road or in public.
National specialities:
• Kat-kat banane.
• Coconut curries.
• Chatini requin.
• Soupe de tectec.
• Bouillon bréde.
• Chauve-souris (fruitbat).
• Salade de palmiste (made from the ‘heart’ of the coconut palm and sometimes known as ‘millionaire’s salad’).
• Daube (made from breadfruit, yams, cassavas and bananas).
National drinks:
• Seybrew (a German-style lager made locally).
Tipping: Tips in restaurants, hotels, to taxi drivers, porters and so on are usually already included, as 5 to 10 per cent of the bill or fare. All hotel and restaurant tariffs include a service charge, but payment is not obligatory.

Largely undeveloped and unsophisticated. There is, however, much to be enjoyed in the evenings, and a speciality is the local camtolet music, often accompanied by dancers. Several hotels have evening barbecues and dinner dances. Theatre productions are often staged (in Creole, English and French) and there is one cinema in Victoria and casinos at Beau Vallon Bay Hotel and the Plantation Club.

Local handicrafts include work with textiles (such as batik), fibres (such as basketwares, table-mats and hats) and wood (such as traditional furniture, ornaments and model boats). Pottery and paintings may also be bought. Special souvenirs might include jewellery made from green snail shells. Tea-growing and manufacturing in the Seychelles is done on a small scale. Local tea can be bought in the shops or when visiting the tea factory on Mahé, where many blends of tea may be sampled at the Tea Tavern. Vanilla is cultivated as a climbing plant around the base of trees as it can be pollinated by hand. Pods can be bought in shops and used as flavouring. Cinnamon grows wild on all the islands. It can be bought as oil or in quills made from dried bark which can be freshly grated before use. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1700, Sat 0800-1200. Some shops close weekdays 1200-1300.