Rihaakuru (; pronounced ) is a tuna-based thick sauce. The color varies from light brown to dark brown. It is a traditional dish of

Maldivian cuisine Maldivian cuisine, also called Dhivehi cuisine, is the cuisine of the Republic of Maldives and Minicoy, Lakshadweep, India. The traditional cuisine of Maldivians and Lakshadweep is based on three main items and their derivatives: cocon ...

, consumed almost daily in every household in

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

and in

Minicoy Minicoy, locally known as Maliku (), is an island in Lakshadweep, India. Along with Viringili, it is on Maliku atoll, the southernmost atoll of Lakshadweep archipelago. Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian States and territories ...

since ancient times. Rihaakuru is produced as a by-product of the processing of

tuna A tuna (: tunas or tuna) is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bul ...

History

Maldivian travellers introduced Rihaakuru and Bondi to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). Sri Lankans considered these as delicacies and referred to them as Bondi Haluwa and Dhiyā Hakuru (rhyming derivative, of the original Dhivehi term, which means 'liquid

jaggery Jaggery is a List of unrefined sweeteners, traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of Sugarcane juice, cane jui ...

' in the

Sinhalese language Sinhala ( ; Sinhala: , , ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( ), is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. It is also the first l ...

) respectively. These terms were popular in Sri Lankan households until the latter part of the 20th century, when they gradually disappeared.

Preparation

Rihaakuru is obtained through following a simple but time-consuming procedure. The extract is the result of hours of cooking of tuna in water and salt, while carefully removing the scum (filleyo) that keeps forming. Once the tuna pieces are cooked and ready to eat or store, they will be removed from the water, as well as the bones, heads and fish guts. The pieces of tuna, so cooked, get eventually processed into

Maldives fish Maldives fish () is cured tuna traditionally produced in Maldives. It is a staple of the Maldivian cuisine, Sri Lankan cuisine, and the cuisine of the Southern Indian states and territories of Lakshadweep, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and in the past i ...

. The remaining "fish-soup" ( Garudhiya) is left with ''Bondi'' (balls of tuna scraps scraped off the bones), and is kept boiling in low fire until most water evaporates. The resulting concentrated fish soup becomes a thick paste which is known in Dhivehi as Rihaakuru. Rihaakuru is eaten pure in the

along with

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

(baiy),

taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

(ala),

roti Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, East African, and Southeast African countries. It is made from stoneground whole-wheat flour, kno ...

(roshi), or breadfruit (banbukeyo). It is also cooked with fried onions, curry-leaves (hikandifaiy) and chilies in order to obtain a delicious variant called ''theluli rihaakuru'' (spiced rihaakuru). In

it is also mixed with coconut milk, to obtain a dish called ''rihaakuru dhiya''. In some countries people use Rihaakuru as a sandwich spread, likening its use to other by-product spreads such as

Vegemite Vegemite ( ) is a thick, dark brown Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice Food additive, additives. It was developed by Cyril Callister in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, for ...

Bovril Bovril is a thick and salty meat extract paste, similar to a yeast extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive bulbous jar and as cubes and granules. Its appearance is similar to the British Marmite and ...

and

Marmite Marmite ( ) is a British savoury food spread based on yeast extract, invented by the German scientist Justus von Liebig. It is made from by-products of beer brewing ( lees) and is produced by the British company Unilever. Marmite is a vegan ...

. A noticeable consumption of Rihaakuru has been recorded in China, namely in Chinese dishes like Char kway teow, Fried Vegetables (

Gai Lan Gai lan, kai-lan, Chinese broccoli, or Chinese kale (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''alboglabra'') is a leafy vegetable with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems, and florets similar to (but much smaller than) broccoli. A ''B ...

Choy sum Choy sum (also spelled choi sum or choi sam in Cantonese; cai xin in Standard Mandarin) is a leafy vegetable commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It is a member of the genus '' Brassica'' of the mustard family, Brassicaceae ('' Brassica rapa'' va ...

and Pak choy). Rihaakuru is slightly acidic (pH 5.6-6.2) and is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 and protein. The

histamine Histamine is an organic nitrogenous compound involved in local immune responses communication, as well as regulating physiological functions in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter for the brain, spinal cord, and uterus. Discovered in 19 ...

concentration of Rihaakuru has been described as being at levels that are regarded as a risk to human health if you have a low spice tolerance, however most Maldivians are immune to any poisoning that may result from this.

History

Preparation

Nutrition

See also

References

External links