A culinary journey to Réunion Island: my favorites
This was undoubtedly one of the most memorable trips I've ever taken, filled with wonderful encounters, breathtaking landscapes, and generous, flavorful Creole cuisine—food made with love.
Our favorite recipe: Sausage Rougail.
I met Maximilia who is a producer of Bourbon Pointu coffee in Reunion, and she offered to make her family recipe for Rougail sausage, an essential dish here. Ingredients for 4: 1 kg of fresh and/or smoked sausages (we made it with smoked sausages and it was really excellent) 4 large chilies 500 g of tomatoes 2 large onions A little thyme.
The steps:
First, boil the sausages whole for 10 minutes, drain them, and return them to the pot. Cook them for another 10 minutes (you can prick them at this point to render the sausage fat, and they will begin to brown). Set the sausages aside and cut them into pieces later. Finely chop the onions and chili peppers, and crush the tomatoes. Start by sautéing the onions in the sausage fat, then add the crushed tomatoes and chili peppers. Cover and cook for five minutes, then add the sausages and continue to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes over low heat. The sausage rougail is ready to serve with rice and sautéed greens (we made these with cabbage leaves!).
My gourmet (and nature!) itinerary
Cilaos: discovering the delicate Cilaos lentil – an endemic plant of the region, and mountain wine produced in the Cirque de Cilaos.
Piton de la Fournaise, Plaine des Sables: absolutely magnificent lunar landscapes, a beautiful and unmissable hike.
Grand Coude to discover a tea and rose geranium plantation at Labyrinth En-Champ-Thé, then heading to the wild South to meet Louis Lechning, Bourbon vanilla producer in Saint Philippe.
Saint Paul Market… it was essential to spend some time at a local market, and the one in Saint Paul is overflowing with fruits and vegetables, spices, and crafts. I loved sipping freshly squeezed sugarcane juice and tasting fresh jackfruit… the small pineapples also caught my eye, and I was able to see the Lechning family again, who sell their vanilla at the market. Then, it was off to Maximilia Vitry's plantation to discover and taste the famous Bourbon Pointu coffee, one of the most renowned in the world!
I ended my stay with a Creole cooking class at La Sirandane in Sainte Anne, where Daniel taught us how to prepare a Cari Camarons (shrimp curry) over a wood fire! A unique experience… then off to the Payet and Rivière plantation to discover Galabé (a type of sugarcane) in the middle of the sugarcane fields, with Alexic Rivière who explained the entire process of making sugarcane in all its forms (caramel, syrup, candy…)
Don't hesitate to contact Néogusto to organize your next trip focused on food and gastronomy, in Reunion Island or to another destination .
